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!
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Better Than The Rest - Here's Why
✅ 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!
Baked Chicken Legs: What You Need To Know
- Different Cuts of Chicken: I love this recipe made with chicken legs, but honestly, you can use just about any cut of chicken! Whether it's skin-on or skinless, bone-in or boneless, thighs, breasts, wings—you name it, this rub is going to make it absolutely delicious!
- Patting the chicken dry with a paper towel before adding the oil and seasonings will help the skin crisp up even more while it's baking!
- 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.
- Speaking of air flow, don't overcrowd 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!
🛒 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.
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Recipe Card
👩🏼🍳 Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients, exact measurements, and step-by-step instructions.
🔪 Here's How To Make it
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.
Step 2
In a small bowl, combine the dried oregano, black pepper, poultry seasoning, smoked paprika, cumin, and garlic powder.
Step 3
Using a spoon, sprinkle the spice rub evenly onto each chicken leg.
Step 4
Using your hands or the basting brush, coat each chicken leg with the spice rub until completely covered on all sides.
Step 5
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.
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!
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.
🙋🏼♀️ Questions I Get Asked About This Recipe
Flipping chicken legs in the middle of baking helps all sides get evenly browned. So yes - I recommend it!
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 you don't want.
🐔 Your Next Favorite Chicken Recipe Is Right Here!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you tried these oven baked chicken legs, 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!
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Oven 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
- 1½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
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 3 teaspoons of dried oregano, 1½ teaspoon of poultry seasoning, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and ½ teaspoon cumin.
- 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.
- Put each piece on the wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Put 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!
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