These oven baked chicken legs have tender, juicy meat and golden, crispy skin perfectly seasoned for a delicious and easy dinner any night of the week!
A few simple seasonings, oil, and these baked chicken legs are all you need for this quick, easy, and finger-licking meal! We're skipping the deep fryer to save extra calories (and the mess) and making these chicken legs in the oven. With my fool-proof wire-rack method, the seasoned skin crisps and browns so nicely you won't believe they're baked and not fried!
Serve these roasted chicken legs with this baked mac and cheese, this cheesy broccoli rice casserole, these steak fries or a slice of this jalapeño cornbread for a better-than-takeout meal at home! It's the perfect meal for any weeknight dinner or weekend family get-together!
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
- These chicken legs are baked in the oven for a healthier spin on fried chicken – we're talking all the flavor without the grease!
- The seasoning is simple! With using just 7 common spices, it adds an incredibly rich and smoky flavor to the skin.
- Only 10 minutes of prep time and 35 minutes in the oven for crispy, flavorful, juicy roasted chicken legs!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Chicken legs: skin-on chicken drumsticks are juicy and tender with a crispy flavorful skin when baked at a high temperature.
- Cumin: adds a slightly earthy, warm flavor to the chicken.
- Poultry seasoning: a blend of spices that's full of sage and thyme adds aromatics to the seasoning.
- Oregano: adds earthy and herby notes to the spice blend.
- Smoked paprika: for a subtle smoky flavor that adds depth and richness to the chicken.
- Garlic powder: provides a subtle garlic flavor.
- Black pepper: rounds out the spice mixture.
- Salt: brings out the natural flavors of the chicken and spices.
- Olive oil: Brushed over the chicken legs for added moisture which helps the skin crisp up nicely. It also help the spices stick to the skin.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!
📋 Variations
- Add extra flavor by using a flavor-infused oil! Oils that have been infused with rosemary or garlic will add an extra burst of flavor that would be a great complement to the spice mixture.
- Instead of using poultry seasoning, swap it out for equal parts of ground coriander, which has a bit more of a sweet, citrus flavor that pairs well with the cumin and smoked paprika.
- I love using drumsticks for this recipe, but you can also use skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs or a mix of the two.
- To bake these chicken legs, you can use a baking sheet or a 9 x 13 Pyrex dish. Either way, make sure you use a wire rack above the baking sheet or pan so that the chicken can get ultra-crispy on all sides.
- Add some heat with a pinch of cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of brown sugar for a sweet and spicy addition to your seasoning mix.
🔪 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put 12 chicken legs on a large plate or dish. Using a basting brush, lather 3 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil evenly over all the drumsticks. Set aside.
Steps 2-3: In a small bowl, combine the dried oregano, black pepper, poultry seasoning, smoked paprika, cumin, and garlic powder. Using a spoon, sprinkle the spice rub evenly onto each chicken leg.
Steps 4-5: Using your hands or the basting brush, coat each chicken leg with the spice rub until completely covered on all sides. Place each piece on the wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Step 6: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and using tongs, turn the chicken legs.
Step 7: Increase the heat to 450°F and cook the chicken legs for 15 more minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Pro Tip
👩🏼🍳 Baking at a slightly lower temperature and then increasing the heat will result in juicy and tender on the inside while crisping up the skin on the outside!
Sprinkle a handful of fresh parsley on top and serve these easy baked chicken legs with a scoop of skillet fried potatoes for the ultimate comfort food dinner!
🙋🏼♀️ Recipe FAQs
Baking drumsticks on a wire rack at 400°F for the first 20 minutes, then turning up the heat to 450°F for the last 15 minutes, gives them an ultra-browned and crispy crust without the extra grease from frying!
Flipping chicken legs in the middle of baking helps all sides get evenly browned.
Baking drumsticks uncovered helps the skin get crispy while the inside cooks through. If you cover them, the skin will be much softer (rubbery), which isn't an ideal texture for this recipe.
Expert Tips
- Patting the chicken dry with a paper towel before adding oil and seasonings will help the skin crisp up even more!
- Once you take the chicken out of the refrigerator, letting it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes will help with more even cooking.
- The key to getting ultra-crispy chicken thighs is to use a wire rack above your baking sheet. The rack helps air flow all around the chicken so that every side is crispy, and you're not left with a crispy top and a soggy bottom.
- With airflow in mind, avoid overcrowding the pan. Keep an inch or so of space in between each chicken leg.
- Use up every last bit of the oil and seasoning by brushing any leftovers on the plate back onto the chicken that's been placed on the wire rack before baking!
- Once you take these chicken legs out of the oven, let them rest on the rack for at least 5-10 minutes. This helps the juices distribute throughout the chicken before you bite into them for an ultra tender and juicy bite!
🥘 More Dinner Recipes For You To Try!
If you tried these baked chicken legs or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
📧 Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter so that you don’t miss out on any of my delicious recipes!
Baked Chicken Legs
Equipment
- 1 Baking Sheet with Wire Rack
Ingredients
- 12 chicken drumsticks, skin-on
- 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Put the 12 chicken legs on a large plate or dish. Using a basting brush, lather 3 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil evenly over all the drumsticks. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the 3 teaspoons of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1½ teaspoon of poultry seasoning, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon cumin, and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Using a spoon, sprinkle the spice rub evenly onto each chicken leg.
- Using your hands or the basting brush, coat each chicken leg with the spice rub until completely covered on all sides.
- Place each piece on the wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and using tongs, turn the chicken legs.
- Increase the heat to 450°F and cook the chicken legs for 15 more minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
-
- Patting the chicken dry with a paper towel before adding oil and seasonings will help the skin crisp up even more!
-
- The key to getting ultra-crispy chicken thighs is to use a wire rack above your baking sheet. The rack helps air flow all around the chicken so that every side is crispy, and you're not left with a crispy top and a soggy bottom.
-
- Avoid overcrowding the pan. Keep an inch or so of space in between each chicken leg.
-
- Use up every last bit of the oil and seasoning by brushing any leftovers on the plate back onto the chicken that's been placed on the wire rack before baking!
-
- Once you take these chicken legs out of the oven, let them rest on the rack for at least 5-10 minutes. This helps the juices distribute throughout the chicken before you bite into them for an ultra tender and juicy bite!
-
- Add extra flavor by using a garlic or rosemary flavor-infused oil!
Juyali
So easy and delicious! I got a lot of compliments from the fam. 🙂
Amanda Mason
So glad to hear the family loved them!!!
Amy Liu Dong
This will be great to eat and weekend nights, just to be cozy because the flavors are the one that will be doing the job!
Amanda Mason
It's a great basic recipe that is perfect for any dinner, yes!
Jamie
Baked chicken legs one of the best recipe I've ever seen, This is very amazing recipe
Amanda Mason
So glad you liked it!
silvia
This is my kind of recipe; easy to make with simple ingredients and delicious. We are fans of chicken legs and this recipe was just perfect. I appreciate the variation suggestions to change my menu.
Amanda Mason
I'm so glad it was helpful! And I'm glad you loved the flavors!!
Amy Liu Dong
Nothing beats a simple and satisfying meal like this. So easy and delicious!
Amanda Mason
Glad you enjoyed it!
jamie
amazing, this Juicylicious chicken made me hungry after I saw this recipe even though I already ate it. Thank you for sharing this !!!!!
Amanda Mason
Glad you enjoyed it!!
DK Park
This is the kind of chicken that you will smell through the screen. The ingredients are accessible and the procedure is easy to follow, what makes a great recipe honestly.
Amanda Mason
Yes! You nailed it! Hope you enjoyed it!