Baked Crispy Chicken Legs – just a few simple tricks make 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 wing recipe 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.
How to Bake Chicken Legs?
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 to crisp up the skin.
Furthermore, since chicken drumsticks are larger than wings, I included a generous amount of onion, garlic to compensate for its size – to fully permeate the chicken. I switched out the thyme for Italian herbs or you can use any other dried herbs that you have on hand.
Other than that, you have nothing else to worry about ’cause making this Baked Crispy Chicken Legs is waaay easier than you think it is.
- First, carefully wash the chicken with running tap water, place them on a baking sheet pan in a single layer and let them dry in the fridge, uncovered, for a minimum of 3 hours.
- Next, season the chicken when ready to bake.
- Then arrange them in a wire rack in a single layer and pop it in the oven.
- Rotate the chicken legs half way through to ensure all sides are cooked.
How Long to Bake Chicken Legs?
Cooking times for baked chicken legs definitely vary, depending on the oven temperature, heating capability of your oven and whether the chicken comes straight out of the fridge or at room temperature. But what works perfectly for me is when I bake bone-in chicken legs at 425°F (218°C) for about 40-45 minutes while rotating the chicken legs halfway through – roughly after 20 minutes of cooking. Just remember, the higher the temperature, the crispier the chicken gets.
Tip: If cooking at 375°F, cook chicken legs at about 45-55 minutes while if at 350°F, bake the chicken for about 50- 60 minutes.
What Temperature are Chicken Legs Done?
But with all those being said above, you still want a 100% guarantee cooked chicken meat, using a meat thermometer would be a big help. According to the USDA, the safe internal temperature of a cooked chicken should be at 165 °F (74°C). Make sure though that you don’t hit a bone when checking the temp or you’ll get an off reading.
What Should I Serve with Chicken Legs?
Oh there are countless of ways to serve up this chicken. Our go-to when entertaining or during picnics is with this African Pepper Sauce. For dinner, we usually serve it with either of the following:
- Steamed or roasted veggies (like this Roasted Red Potatoes)
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Twice-baked Potatoes
- Black Beans and Rice
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Southern Baked Beans
More Easy Chicken Recipes
Paprika Chicken Legs (with video)
Yassa Chicken (with video)
Oven Baked BBQ Chicken (with video)
Don’t forget to drizzle them with a little bit of canola oil and bake rotating the chicken legs halfway through. 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.
How To Make Baked Crispy Chicken Legs
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 them dry out. You can omit this part and proceed with the spices.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°F. Place the chicken in a large bowl, with all the spices.
Then drizzle with oil.
Line a baking sheet 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. Bake chicken legs until cooked through and skin is crispy, about 45-50 minutes-rotate chicken legs half way through-roughly 20 minutes. Remove and serve with your favorite chicken sauce or african pepper sauce
Watch How to Make It
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 legs
- 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°F.
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Place the chicken in a large bowl, with all the spices, and then drizzle with oil.
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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 chicken legs half way through-roughly 20 minutes.
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Remove and serve with your favorite chicken sauce or african pepper sauce
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
The first baked leg recipe I looked at. Stunner!!! Delicious! I am salt free so I cut out that on mine and they were still flavorful!!
Just finished baking mine. delicious. I too am no salt, replaced so with NuSalt worked perfectly.
I made these and the crispness and texture was PERFECT, mine seemed to come out a bit too salty…I followed the measurements as the recipe stated EXCEPT I crushed 1/2 Chicken Bouillon cube, is that what did it? Still amazing and definitely making these again…my whole kitchen smelled amazing!
Hi Pascale,
That may probably be the culprit. Next time cut back on the salt if using bouillon cube.
Ive been seasoning drumsticks with Old Bay for years. Its nearly perfect.
Very tasty! Loved the spice mixture.
This recipe became an instant favorite in my house. I have made them several times. I try to stay as close as possible to the original recipe because it is just about perfect. That being said, it is also very flexible and forgiving if you’re missing an ingredient or two.
The only thing I did differently was add a bit of brown sugar to the spices and it was incredible. Thank you so much for the amazing recipe!
wow….thats a great idea! will remember that the next time!
SO delicious…Thank You Imma!
I’m always lost with chicken drumsticks. These were perfect!
These were so yummy. I cooked the legs on my oven’s convection setting which put the temp at 400. I probably should have pulled then out at around 40 minutes. I also added 2 tsp of baking powder to the spices as I had read several recipes that said this makes chicken skin crispier. I am not sure how much doing these additional steps helped but the skin was so crispy. I had some extra spice mix so I tossed it with cubed sweet potatoes and olive oil and roasted them under the rack of chicken. The family loved this recipe. Thanks for posting!
I added 2tbsp cornstarch to ensure they got crispy as I didn’t let them dry over night.
GUYS! This is so super simple, delicious, full of flavor and the whole family LOVED them! Hubby complemented them several times and went so far as to say the best chicken he’s ever had from the oven!!
I used the drying method but only let them sit in fridge for 45 minutes. I also omitted the Italian herbs by accident and I did not use the bullion crumbs or whatever lol. Hubby said it did not need either. We also did not use any sauce. It didn’t need it!
Can I make these without a wire rack? Will it change the chicken drastically?
You sure can. It will be less crispy.
Yes. I DO IT ALL THE TIME! Just put in a pan an keep uncovered… if you have to.. pour the excess water/ oil off as it cooks.
Baking legs now & have 4.5 lbs worth so literally praying that they’ll all cook thoroughly in same time?
If it’s spread out in a single layer it will. If not it usually takes a few more minutes to cook thorough.
THESE REALLY ARE SO GOOD! Was a bit skeptical of all the rave reviews – but just made these and we are all loving them (my 6 year old is literally licking his fingers – haha)! I just paper towel dried before the seasoning as I didn’t have time to dry out in the fridge and they still came out quite crispy. Can’t wait to try the fridge method next time.
Tonight i be trying this recipe for the first time. I love oven fried chicken but needed something with less carbs. I think this will be a winner from all the previous post. Will comment after dinner. But im sure im going to love it. Thanks for sharing.
Can’t wait to hear how it worked out .
This is the best chicken leg recipe hands down and my kids loooove it.
The receipt says “drizzle with coil” I’m thinking this should read “drizzle with oil”.
Thanks Patsy will update recipe.
recipe*
“The receipt says” I’m thinking it should say “The recipe says”
Very yummy! I passed the recipe along to my daughter. I made whole chicken legs (cooked about 20-30 min longer at 400) and dipped pieces into Chipotle sauce. Tasted great and I love the crispiness. I don’t think you can really go wrong with this recipe. A winner! Thank you.
Most fantastic!!!
Who knew baked chicken could be so easy! THis is our new family favorite and now I make it for company.
THank you for sharing!!!
Amazing!! My husband told me if I had made this when we were dating, he would have married me right then! We were both really impressed and loved the spice combo. I got four compliments from him throughout dinner about how great it was!
Looking at all the great comments I am planning to make it tomorrow for my guests. What is this boullion powder though? After doing some research found this…
https://www.target.com/p/knorr-174-granulated-bouillon-chicken-15-9-oz/-/A-14771287
Is it same as you are using in your recipe? Eagerly waiting for you reply.
Yes it is. Omit if you do not have it readily available.
I have made this recipe numerous times with legs and also thighs and this is my favorite chicken recipe and guests all had positive feed back.(Thank You for this recipe).
This is the very first time to rate a recipe. I usually look through comments to see what people think. Well I think on a scale from 1-10 this one is a 12‼️
My husband said these are the best legs he has ever had. I agree. Drying them out overnight was the trick. I never did that before. Also I use a drum stick holder to (roast in the oven)them as we eat a lot of drumsticks. Thanks for sharing this fantastic recipe. It is one to make for everything ‼️
I’ve been making these for a couple of months now and I never write reviews. BUT this rub is incredible! My bf asks for it all the time!! It’s his favorite and he brags about this chicken to everyone. To make it extra crispy we sometimes add butter before the rub and it makes it sooo good!!! But that’s if you don’t mind adding extra calories to your day. We’ve sprinkled this on shrimp and veggies and it came out amazing as well! Great job
Just found this. These are awesome! Thanks.
Just made this today and it was delicious! My hubby said they were the best chicken legs he has ever had. Thank you!
Yaaay! Thank you for the compliment. =)
I literally never comment on recipes (or on any other type of post, for that matter) but O…M….G these are out of this world so I just had to say something. I had high doubts that the chicken would actually come out crispy but it did!!! I dried them well with a paper towel and was only able to let them sit in fridge for 1.5hours but they were PERFECT. Making this again tomorrow, as the twelve legs I made yesterday didn’t last long in our family of five!
Glad it was such a hit in your family, Lauren. And thank you for taking the time to let me know. I appreciate it. 🙂
Can I leave frozen legs out to thaw and get same results as if I refrigerated them?
Yes you can.
I made this for lunch today and hubby and kid loved it. It is a Little spicy but not overpowering. The skin wasn’t as crispy as I had expected but wasn’t rubbery either. Great recipe.
YUM, Love this recipe! It’s been a weekly staple in our house over the last year. Thank you so much for sharing!
I usually make the spice rub ahead of time for an even faster weeknight dinner.
Making the spice rub ahead indeed saves a lot of time. Glad you love this recipe as much as I do. 🙂 Happy weekend!
My family loves this recipe! They literally don’t want me to make drumsticks any other way again. I thought at first they might be a little too spicy, but received nothing but happy responses from my husband and step son. My husband and I plan on using this awesome rub for some grill food come warmer weather! Thank you for this great recipe, I hope you have a lovely new year!
Mine weren’t crispy. I even tried them out overnight in the refrigerator. I’m going to try putting them on for real for a few minutes each. I’ll try this recipe again because it sounds so good.
Sorry to hear about this. It works all the time for me, the trick is to make sure it’s not wet when baking .
So you don’t put anything in the pan such as oil,etc…you just put the seasoned chicken in the oven and that’s it?
I have tried it both ways and it works. Add oil or not it still comes out tasty.
WOW! I love when I stumble upon a website with great recipes! I was entertaining the other night, for a group I like making chicken legs and was just looking for something different! I am a daring person also as I was trying a new recipe on guests! I just read the comments and your instructions and knew they would be great! Love your videos also. They were fabulous, got asked for the recipe and everyone was raving over them! Thank you so much, looking forward to trying other recipes from you, the chai is next!
Thank you for dropping by, Susan! Can’t wait for you to try my chai latte. Cheers!
Hello! Is it ok to use a different oil I’m out of canola oil 🙁
Yes it is. Whatever rocks your boat.
Made these tonight. Definitely a hit. The man loved them and ate 4 pieces! Only difference I made was using garlic salt (i ran out of just garlic powder), no pepper (i forgot lol) and I added a sprinkle of curry powder.
They came out perfectly crispy, juicy and flavorful. I baked for 50 mins (25 per side).
Made these last night for dinner. What a hit! This is by far one of if not the best chicken leg recipe!
Thank you for the awesome feedback, Pamela! Have a lovely weekend!
I had serious misgivings about this recipe. There are so many recipes and even cooking appliances that say they make the outsides crispy and they don’t. But this recipe definitely did!!! Delicious crunchy crispy spicy skin and insides were juicy and flavorful.
I cooked 5 skin-on bone-in chicken drumsticks, approximately 2 3/4 pounds, so I cut the spices about in half and reduced the cooking time about 5-10 minutes, especially for two of the smaller drumsticks.
I think good paper towel drying is the key to having the spices stick to the skin which is necessary for crisping. I love spicey foods but I may have gone a little bit too heavy. I used Old Bay seasoning and Brew Pub chicken seasoning for the chicken bouillon. Could have been a bit of overkill Lol!
Thank you very much for a fantastic recipe. I will definitely use it again with chicken parts and maybe pork chops and even some veggies.
Hugs, Tanna
You’re always welcome, Tanna! I’m so happy you like this recipe. It’s one of our fave chicken recipe, too.
Ive been seasoning drumsticks with Old Bay for years. Its nearly perfect.
Made these for my family tonight, and they are amazing!! My partner accidentally bought legs at Costco even though he hates dark meat, so I had the challenge of cooking tons of drumsticks for someone who doesn’t even like them. Well, he LOVED them. The kids all loved them too; even the baby gnawed the bones. #winning
P.S. these really give our famous Gus’s a run for their money with that cayenne, and they’re way healthier!
Oh Sarah, chicken legs are my son’s fave. 😉 Glad to know your family loved it, too. 🙂
Will this work without the rack? I dont have one and dont want to go to the store.
Yes it would.
Ok, they’re in the oven. But I have to say….. I may have SUPER screwed this up. I forgot to dry the chicken with paper towels first. I used a ziplock to coat them in spices and after reading the comments, I think I used WAY too much oil. I DID however put them on a rack in the oven, the one thing I did right. Also I didn’t have and Italian seasoning mix so I tried whole foods poultry seasoning and added oregano, marjoram and basil, then combined the other spices per the recipe. Fingers crossed this isn’t a disaster! Just unplugged the smoke detector LOL!
Made this today. So easy and yummy! My drumsticks were still half frozen so I kept them.in 30 min each side and they were perfection. Love this!
Thanks for letting me know, Kelly! This is one my fave chicken recipe, indeed.
I have made these a couple times now, and all I can say is, wow! Super easy, and so so delicious. Thank you for the recipe, love it!!
Thanks for dropping by, Dawn! I appreciate it.
No biggie, but the instructions have a leftover “wing” from your previous recipe 🙂
Bake chicken legs until cooked through and skin is crispy, about 45-50 minutes-rotate ** wings ** half way through-roughly 20 minutes.
Will be cooking these up tonight, thanks, I like the tip of drying them out in the fridge.
Thanks for pointing it out, Jules. Happy cooking! 🙂
I never leave reviews, and as a Celiac, I cook A LOT…. but this recipe is PURE PERFECTION and I had to say so!
I dried them well with paper towel, tossed in a little canola/olive oil, then used onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chilli powder, a pinch of cumin, freshly ground black peppercorn, and grey sea salt.
WOW. WOW. WOW.
Didn’t realise what a difference it made making sure the drummies were completely dry first.
When they were done, I was ready with my bottle of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (I put that $#!t on everything!), but tasted the chicken first and didn’t use a drop of sauce.
They are perfect as they are..
THANK YOU FOR THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE!
Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know, Jen. I’m glad you decided to eat the chicken first on its own. 😉
Me too!
Making them again, right now! 😀
Hold the sauce!!!!!!
Great Recipe! Thanks for the easy way to serve a great chicken dish without a lot of hassle! Delicious!
OMG!! Amazing! Thank you.
Awesome! Glad to know it worked out well for you.
I’m so disappointed and through no fault of the recipe. I am tired of trying to be thrifty and buying chicken legs on sale (this time for $.79/lb) and then being HUGE. So huge I had them in the oven for 1 hour, 20 minutes and the bigger ones still weren’t done. And by that point, I was done with it all, because I made a lot (for 9 people) and it was really smoking up the house when I opened the oven. I would love to try these again with smaller legs. The flavor was really good.
Sorry to hear it happened that way, Melissa. Please let me know how it turns out on your next try.
try baking at a lower temp for longer and less oil.
Interesting that the recipe doesn’t change the bake time for larger quantities. The more potatoes you put in the oven, the longer it takes for a baked potato to be done. The same thermal transference applies to more chicken legs, too.
What do you mean by bouillon powder. Like chicken bouillon powder?
Yes, chicken bouillon powder.
These were delicious!!! Both my husband and I loved the seasoning, and the crispy exterior. Today, I’m making this with chicken thighs! Thank you!
Glad you both like it, Gabriela! ENjoy!
this is my favorite chicken recipe. Thank you
It’s a keeper. Glad you love it, Bolivia!
Perfection! I was a vegetarian for decades, now transitioning to cooking and eating meat again. With this recipe, no one would ever know I hadn’t cooked poultry in ages! So delicious. Thank you!
You’re most welcome, Jill! This recipe is easy to follow through while using simple ingredients. Thanks for stopping by!
Iam making it right now …it smells so good 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Nancy! Happy eating! 🙂