Baked Crispy Chicken Legs – A few simple tricks makes this chicken legs crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, and ridiculously flavorful. It’s quick, easy, paleo, gluten-free and only requires 10 mins prep.
Inspired by the success with this crispy baked chicken wings that I made here. I decided to give it a spin with chicken legs-same flavorful bite and crispy crunchy coating -without the aid of breadcrumbs or flour.
Since chicken drumsticks are larger than wings, I included a generous amount of onion, garlic to compensate for it’s size- to fully permeate the chicken. I switched out the thyme for Italian herbs, you can use any other dried herbs that you have on hand.
The most important thing about these baked chicken drumsticks is ensuring that they are dry. The chicken legs need to be as dry as possible crisp up the skin. 
Don’t forget to drizzle them with a little bit of canola oil and bake rotating the chicken legs half way through baking . For easy clean up, line the baking pan with foil paper.
Serve them up with this pepper sauce or any hot or dipping sauce of your choice. 
Baked Crispy Chicken Legs - A few simple tricks makes this chicken legs crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, and ridiculously flavorful. It’s quick, easy, paleo, gluten-free and only requires 10 mins prep.
- 3 -3 ½ pound chicken drumsticks
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Italian herbs
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ tablespoon onion powder
- 1 ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon bouillon powder (you may replace with salt)
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Wash chicken legs and place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer, then let them sit in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours or preferable overnight. Do not cover them; let the air-dry them out. You can omit this part and proceed with the spices.
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When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°.
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Place the chicken in a large bowl, with all the spices, and then drizzle with coil.
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Line a baking pan with foil; top with a wire rack. Arrange chicken legs out in a single layer. While the chicken legs are baking oil will slowly drip to the bottom of the baking pan.
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Bake chicken legs until cooked through and skin is crispy, about 45-50 minutes-rotate wings half way through-roughly 20 minutes.
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Remove and serve with your favorite chicken sauce or african pepper sauce
Wow, these sound heavenly and perfect for a celebration.
Thanks sowmya.
When you say rotate chicken, you don’t mean turn them over do you. ?.♥♡
Hi Deborah! No I don’t. I usually place it in the oven and let it cook without turning it on the other side.
Ok then , what does rotate mean? Turning the pan
Yes, rotating the pan for even crispness and heat distribution.
Thanks for your help♥♡♥♡
Only receipe I go to for chicken legs, thighs, quarters and my whole chicken roasting prep as well!
OH WOW! Glad to hear it’s working out for you. Thanks for letting me know.
Looks yummy, will definitely try it.
Kelsey , I made these chicken legs based on the question you asked about the chicken wings. Let me know how you like these. Thanks
Can’t attest for the ingredients, but the cooking method was absolutely phenomenal! The chicken came out just as the author described. A++++
Thanks V.O
I like this version. My husband asked if I marinated it for several hours and I said no, that i just let it dried in the fridge. He says wow, it taste so good. Thank you!!
No, thank you kelsey. You inspired me to make this recipe.
Immaculate, I came across your blog while looking for a good chin chin recipe. I must say, all the recipes I have tried were awesome!!!!!!!!!!!! Please keep up the good work.
Mary, I am so glad you have been trying my recipes and even exited that you enjoyed them. Thanks for the taking the time to comment.
What is the official name for wire rack? Is it just the cookie sheet wire rack?
Cookie Cooling rack.
Is it best to let it dry, then add the spices and oil right before baking?
Laura, that is the best way of getting the legs really crispy.
Thanks! I am only making 3 legs so had to cut down the recipe quite a bit. How much oil would you suggest?
Hey i wanted to try and make the crispy chicken legs but i wanted to kmow do i have to use a cookie rack for this to work since i dont have one?
It is not going to affect the taste. However, if you want really crispy skin then you have to.
I cook in small quantities so instead of dirtying a whole cookie sheet for 4 legs, I did this- I lined a glass baking dish with foil then rolled up foil in rough 1/2 inch by 8 inch strips. I followed the recipe as written, then laid those chicken legs across the foil strips to allow the grease to drip off. I have used the same concept in a slow cooker to keep food from sitting in a puddle of grease. Worked great for this recipe!
This is such an awesome tip Christy ! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us. Am definitely going to try it out especially when am using my slow cooker.
Have a Bless Day
If I don’t have a cookie cooling rack, do you think just placing them on
The actual rack in the oven and placing the pan on the rack below for the oil to drop would work?
Alex, I don’t think it is a good idea. It would cause a lot of smoke and set off your alarm. It happened to me before.
When I made this the house filled up with smoke, the stove got all greasy and the c hicken did not crisp. I would never make this again.
Hi Marcy! Am so sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you ! I make this all the time and it works out just fine. I can’t really say for sure what the problem is without actually being there.
These were INCREDIBLE! My husband said they were restaurant quality! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Restaurant quality? Aww, thank you Christina.
I made these today and they were awesome! It was a little spicy for me (but I have an embarrassingly low spicy food tolerance) but my husband loved it!! Despite the heat factor, I loved the flavor combinations of the garlic, onion and Italian seasonings. The chicken was perfectly juicy and very tasty 🙂
Wow, this recipe was amazing! It’s now my husband’s and my favorite Sunday lunch recipe. The only modification I made was to drizzle a little olive oil on the chicken legs when they come out–our oven tends to dry things out too much. I serve the chicken with sides of quinoa, steamed veggies, olives, and strawberries and it’s an amazing meal. Thank you so much!!
Claire, thanks for feedback.. greatly appreciate it. I just love your choice of sides- very healthy.
Skin was crunchy, chicken moist. I will put less cayenne pepper and a bit less salt next time. Planning to mix up a few batches of the spices and keep for quick future meals.
Thanks for the feedback Donna
This recipe was GREAT! I changed up the spices a little to make them more like garlic-parm. flavored instead of spicy but the result was wonderful! Crispy, crunchy skin with juicy flavorful meat. Do you think that using chicken breast with skin would turn out well cooked the same way? Thanks for the great recipe!
Jennifer, I have never tried this with chicken breast. Will have to experiment.. If you do try it reduce the cooking time breast tend to dry out quickly . Thanks for the feedback!
I’m drying them overnight right now! I can’t wait to make these tomorrow!
Lisa, let me know how you like it. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for this recipe. It was delicious! I followed it pretty closely and plan to make it again.
I glad you liked it Elizabeth and thanks for the feedback!
tried your method. after baking chicken dipped them in a mixture of franks hot sauce and melted butter. wow yummy. thanks
I made this today and it was delicious! I used a huge pyrex dish and put 2 lb of cut up carrots in the bottom of the pan and put the baking rack on top. All the yummy drippings dropped onto the carrots! Carrots cooked this way, or with a roast, are one of my favorite veggies. Sooo good. The chicken wasn’t as crispy as I would’ve liked and that may be due to the moisture from the carrots. But the tradeoff was worth it.
Hi, great website. Got here by accident, looking for a good oven temp for Chicken Legs. Really nice recipes. I’m an old retired Guy, and like to make something different as often as possible. Until my Wife retires, then it’s her turn. 🙂 Anyway, I hope I can explain this without a picture, but, if you’ve ever used or seen a wire rack made for Beer Can Chicken, I thought it would be fun to use it this way. Take the rack and turn it upside down (no Beer Can involved). The legs of the rack are now on top. Mine has four supporting legs made from rounded metal with 4 circular loops. I know that may be hard to visualize, but let me go on anyway. OK, I used a different flavoring recipe I like, but, each leg will now fit into one of the holes on the rack. Insert each leg into the hole, and you’ve got a really neat upright holder for the legs when roasting. I hope that made sense. Find a pic of a Beer Can Chicken Rack and it should. I did 6 at a time. 1 in each hole, and two propped up on the side. They turned out great, and were well crisped all around. I will do this a lot. Thanks so much for a great website. I’ve never commented on one before. Cheers.
Buzz, I am honored that you took the time to comment and share your detailed tips with us. So greatly appreciated. I can wait to try out it. Thank you so much.Have a great retirement.
Prepared this tonight and followed your recipe exactly, and it is my new favorite entree. I don’t think this recipe can be improved on, it’s everything I love, savory, juicy, a little hot and full of flavor. Thank you for creating this dish, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Aww, thank you so much Larry.
Girl, this is sooo good. Thank you for this recipe and I will be checking out your other recipes!!!
SO lovely to hear that Leandra!!. Thanks for letting me know how they turned out!!
We are preppin’ these right now. They’ve been dry rubbed (mostly cayenne) and in the fridge drying, ready to cook in a couple of hours.
We’ve been marinating, and covering with BBQ sauce, then baking. They were tasty but usually were so burnt-lookin’ on the outside.
I think your recipe will be our solution. I can’t wait.
BTW, I’m also very impressed with the food photography on your site.
Thanks, Daniel.
Thanks Daniel,It sure is a great way to achieve crispness.Do let me know how it works for you. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Hi, this recipe sounds and looks great. I want to try this tonight but, I don’t have dried Italian herbs on hand. Any recommendations for a good substitute, please?
Lisa. you can sub with any herbs you have on hand: oregano, thyme, rosemary and/or parsley. Please let me know what you decided. Thanks
I am gonna try these tonight. I did not come across this recipe soon enough for overnight drying, so I used a LOT of paper towels. I did not have smoked paprika, so had to forgo that spice. But it sounds like a spice I should get. I like the idea of the carrots cooking under the drippings. I may just have to try that, too! I will let you know how it goes 🙂
Carrots would be great, I tried a recipe with carrots together with chicken here, https://africanbites.com/?p=12538 . Can’t wait to hear the feedback!
Doesn’t the olive oil make it wet again after drying or is it the water that makes the skin soggy
Hi Monica! It is the water that makes the skin soggy.
I have been trying to make drumsticks for years I can never get the flavor into the meat and when it’s baking in the oven the skin always peels back and it looks like the seasoning comes off the meat because it’s pale while its baking. Chicken has always been my downfall
I need these with some coleslaw Immaculate. Sounds similar to some of what we made in Sierra Leone.
Bintu!These would definitely pair well with Coleslaw.
I have made these numerous times and they are amazing every time! I follow the exact recipe and they always turn out great. I make sure to leave mine uncovered overnight and make them for dinner the next day. It makes the skin so crispy!
Thanks for sharing Cora! Love the tip.
Just pulled it out of the oven. Absolutley wonderful. Easily the best baked chicken recipe I’ve tried. What do you recommend as a side?
Baked potatoes, fries, vegetables. I love making this with this sweet potato fries https://africanbites.com/?p=12023
Sweet potato fries and creamy Cole slaw♥♡
I came across this looking for how to make crispy chicken without breading last night and they turned out amazing! My kids aren’t fans of spicy so I had to leave out the white pepper and cayenne, but they said I need to make this ‘all the time.” Thanks for the recipe, great for low carb.
Awesome! Glad they the kids want this on the menu. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
I enjoy your recipes. I made this chicken it was delicious. Thank you for sharing.This is one of my favorite websites for easy tasty dishes. Again, thank you!
Hi Kim! Thanks for the feedback! Glad you are having a blast. Happy Cooking
What kind of oil do you recommend and how much?
I would go with canola or vegetable oil. About 2 Tablespoons or more.
Dah! Forgot to dry them and already in oven. Any ideas on how to save this and make the skin crispy??
Don’t panic.It’s not going to be super crispy but it will turn out fine.
Gurl gurl gurl. Let me tell you about this chicken and what it’s doing in my life fight now!!! [By the way it’s still in the oven]. I’m one of those who loooove me some fried chicken but I can only eat it about once every 4-5 months. With this recipe I can eat chicken everyday!!!! May God bless you!!!!! I can’t write all I have to write because I must eat.
Thank you
Hahaha!!! I hear you ! Go ahead and eat Girl, it can wait. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. Bon Appetit
I was scared that the chicken would be dry, because my oven doesn’t have the temperature, but I bit into and it was juicy. Yay. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
You are welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
I am so glad I found your site. The chicken legs turned out great! I cannot wait to try another recipe.
Awesome! Thanks for giving it a try! Glad you enjoyed it.
Looks good
Made this for dinner tonight. Will definitely be a go to dinner. So full of flavor with just the right amount of heat and easy.
Awesome! Glad it worked out well for you.
I didn’t have time to dry them overnight and ran out of paper towels, so I dried them with my hair dryer, it worked great! About two minutes on each side and I had dried drum sticks 🙂 These were great, my son loved them, thanks!
Hi Erika! Glad it worked out well for you. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Made these a few nights ago and got great reviews! Never thought to cook them on a wire rack so they could get crispy. Thanks so much for the recipe, they came out delicious!
My Pleasure! Thanks for letting me know
I’m Going To Make These Tonight And I Can’t Wait!! However, I Dont Want To Mess It Up, So I Wanted To Ask You A Question. When You Say To Drizzle Oil After Seasoning The Chicken, How Much Oil Are You Talking About? When We Turn Them Half Way Through, Am I supposed To Drizzle More Oil Or No? I Kind Of Got Confused On That Part!
You drizzle about 1-2 tablespoons oil. When you turn them half way through you don’t have to drizzle.
P.S I made this chicken several time s without drizzle and it works out fine.
I Made Them And They Were Great!! Thank You So Much For The Recipe.! However, They Weren’t Really Crispy Like I was Expecting Them To Be Or Looked Like The Picture.. I followed The Recipe. Do You Know Why Or Where I Might Have Messed Up?
This was awesome! Husband kept saying it smelt good while cooking. Then once it was done him and my kids ate it right up. Nothing left over. I didn’t have paprika (thought I did) so I just used some chili powder. It was amazing. Will do the same and put them on the grill next time!! Just to see. Awesome recipe!!
Fantastic! So glad to hear it was a hit with the family. You are really going to love the bbq version too!
So I just found this recipe and I put my drumsticks on the grill instead. It was sick!!! It is amazing and you are one talented chef! The crisp was awesome. I catered to a party of 150 with this recipe.
Bless you!
Virtual High Five!!! So happy to hear it worked out well for you . Am definitely grilling some of these this weekend.
Thank you so much!!!!
OMG! These drumsticks were delicious! I removed the skin beforehand and then followed the recipe. This recipe will be made often in my house. Thank you so much!
Fantastic! Thanks for letting me know.
Made this last night and it is incredible! I have a tendency to mess up chicken, and my fiance normally hates chicken (even at restaurants), but this he loved! And so did I! Thank you for a great recipe!
Awesome!So glad to hear it worked out well for you.
Late to this party, but I found your site while looking up things to do with chicken legs and this was perfection. We’ll definitely be having these again soon!
The party never stops here! Glad to have you on board Lynette. Thanks for the feedback!
Made this recipe, loved this recipe, and will make this recipe again!!!
This is what I’ll be making for our buffet style family Easter dinner and I predict success….
I’s easy to make, air drying the meat does make a nice difference & I had everything on hand.
I’ve added this to my regular menu. It’s a welcomed addition to my usual Acadian culinary traditions.
Merci beaucoup!
Par de quoi Eva! Thank you so much for the kind words!
I’m drying the chicken now but maybe for an hour. Also I don’t have a cookie cooking rack, do you think if I use a baking sheet they will crisp up at least a little still?
They definitely would but not as much.
I loved this recipe so much, it was crispy and tender and delicious. I used it on shrimp which worked out well…I would love to know the calorie, sat. Fat, and protein count..would like to incorporate into my WW meals….
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it. Unfortunately at this time I do not have a calorie counter. Thanks
Made for the family & absolutely everyone loved it! Drumsticks were a bit larger so I cooked em ten minutes longer & I used lemon pepper instead of white pepper, but other than the minor alterations, your recipe is heavenly. Will be sharing as well as trying your other recipes soon. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for sharing Kelly. Really means a lot to me !!!
Great recipe and the cookie cooler is key! I make a batch, though I use a spiced buttermilk marinade along with the dry rub, once a week for midday snacks. Thanks!
Yes it is! Glad to hear it worked out well for you.
I make these for friends when we have get togethers and they’re always a big hit. Thank you so much for sharing Imma!
I was thinking about baking 40 mins in the oven and finishing them on my charcoal grill with some indirect coals and apple chips for 10-15 mins. Anyone have any advice for finishing the cook with this method? Should I cook them longer in the oven before transferring? I don’t want to dry them out or under cook them. Thanks again!
That would work ! Just enough time for the charred flavor. I do it the other way round sometimes. Start by grilling for about 15- 20 mins and finish it in the oven . Another 25 minutes – more or less depending on the size of chicken, until chicken is cooked through.
Stumbled upon this recipe through a Google search and decided I just have to make them. Everybody loved them, the toddlers too. Next time I will make more, the leftovers (because of the yummy seasoning) would be great in a Quesadilla.
Greetings from Switzerland, Katy
YAY! So excited to hear the toddlers enjoy it too Katy! They have the most discerning palates. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know.
Hello-I am a Dad of four. Solo. So cooking is new to me. I am trying to do better. I have made this twice. Both times, it turned out soggy not crispy. Any guesses on why? Too much is my guess. Any ideas?
Sorry to hear about that! And kudos to you for trying it out twice. You are one determined dad . Here are a couple of tips that might help. Make sure your chicken legs are dry , before applying the rub, spread them out on the cookie rack, Annnd go easy with the oil. Hope this helps!
What country are these measurements from
U.S measurements .