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Enjoy this healthier baked alternative to fried chicken, by following these simple steps for Chicken Drumsticks in the Oven!
A Healthy Twist to Love!
We are huge fans of chicken wings and drumsticks! We eat a lot of chicken recipes in general, but wings are the perfect appetizer or a finger-licking main dish.
Chicken drumsticks in oven have all of that crispy flavor with less guilt, just like our Baked Chicken Fingers!
Why we love these:
- Crispy! The batter coating the chicken is light, tasty, and just perfect enough to make you lick your fingers.
- Healthier option. The best part is that it tastes just like Kentucky Fried Chicken but they’re not fried at all – they’re BAKED!!
- Easy. These drumsticks require few ingredients and minimal prep time for an easy dinner idea the kids are going to love!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 45 minutes
- 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter – helps the chicken bake up golden brown and delicious as well as keeps the chicken from sticking to the dish.
- ¾ cup Bisquick mix – Bisquick contains fat, flour, leavening, and seasonings that allow it to crisp up nicely when cooked.
- 1½ teaspoons paprika
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper – add more flavor by adding spices like garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, or a favorite seasoning blend
- 3 pounds chicken drumsticks (chicken legs) – You can use other cuts of chicken but adjust the baking times and temperature.
- spray butter – using spray butter makes it easier to coat the chicken, but you can also brush on melted butter.
Other Cuts of Chicken
Easily substitute other cuts, just adjust the bake times. Bake until the juices run clear. If you have a meat thermometer, check the internal temperature reaches 165°F
- boneless chicken thighs: 400°F oven for about 20 minutes
- bone-in thighs: 425°F for about 40 minutes
- boneless chicken breasts: 400°F oven for about 20 minutes
- bone-in breasts: 375°F for about 35 minutes
- bone-in chicken wings: 400°F oven for about 45 minutes
How To Make Chicken Drumsticks in Oven
- PREP. Preheat oven to 425°F. Melt 2-3 tablespoons butter in a 9×13 baking dish in the oven. (For easy clean up, line the cooking pan with aluminum foil.)
- BATTER. While butter is melting, stir ¾ cup Bisquick, 1½ teaspoons paprika, 1¼ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Coat each chicken drumstick and place in the baking dish with melted butter.
- Coat with butter before baking and once during baking.
- BAKE. Bake for 30 minutes, flip, and bake an additional 15-25 minutes. ENJOY!!
PRO TIP: For Crispy Skin
The chicken skin covers one side of the drumstick more the the other side. For the crispiest skin, start baking with the skin side down, then flip halfway so the skin side is up during the remainder of the baking time. You can also broil it for a minute or two before removing it from the oven.
Complete the Meal
- Side dishes: Roasted Broccoli, Easy Coleslaw, Homemade Mac and Cheese.
- Desserts: Strawberry Shortcake, Mud Pie, Lemon Sheet Cake
- More chicken dishes: Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Fried Chicken Breast Recipe, Baked Ranch Chicken
More collections: Chicken Breast Recipes, Chicken Dinner Ideas, Healthy Dinner Ideas
Chicken Drumsticks in Oven
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- While butter is melting, stir ¾ cup Bisquick, 1½ teaspoons paprika, 1¼ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Coat each chicken drumstick and place in the baking dish with melted butter.
- Coat with butter before baking and once during baking.
- Bake for 30 minutes, flip, and bake an additional 15-25 minutes. ENJOY!!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
How to Store Chicken Drumsticks in oven recipe?
- Place leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
How to Freeze?
- Place in a freezer-safe Ziploc or container and store for 4-6 months.
- To reheat, place baked chicken drumsticks on a microwave-safe dish, cover with a damp paper towel, heat for 45 seconds flip and heat for 45 seconds more. To heat in the oven place the chicken in an oven-safe dish. Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly coat the chicken with olive oil, and heat uncovered for 25 minutes.
For More Baked Chicken Recipes:
Adapted from bettycrocker.com.
Just made these Chicken Drumsticks in the Oven and they were great! So easy to follow the steps, and it’s a healthier alternative to fried chicken.
These come out so perfect and juicy every time! My kids devour them and they are so easy to prepare.
My kids always fight over the drumsticks, so they were thrilled with this dinner! It was super easy to make and everyone gobbled it down, right down to the toddler. I’ll be making this again for sure!
They love it
This recipe is so simple and the results are delicious. My only mistake was removing the skin, next time I’m leaving it. You weren’t kidding when you said the drumsticks taste like KFC neither.
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed the drumsticks! KFC from home, right? 😉 Thanks for your response!
It is great they love it
So glad to hear that!!
A family favorite! We call it Fire Alarm Chicken cause the popping butter has set off our fire alarm a few times. To avoid that now I heat the pan in the oven, then remove it and add the butter to the hot pan.
Haha! I love that name you guys have given it. Glad to hear it never started a real fire. 😉
Two different temperatures are listed for the drumsticks( 450 before the recipe + 425 in the recipe). Also the cooking times for alternative chicken pieces seem way off. Example: Cooking a large breast piece at a lower heat than the drumsticks and for a mere 20 minutes ? ! ? Can you confirm or correct, please.
I actually cook whole skinless chicken breasts for my dog I cook about 10 pounds on a half sheet at 450 degrees for 26 minutes and they come out perfect every time. That’s like two family packs from Walmart although recently conditions have made me go to a different grocery store which offered Tyson and I don’t think that Tyson puts as much fluid in their chicken breasts and they came out even better. So I was here on this website to see if cooking drumsticks was any different and didn’t really get a clear answer.
Yes I made these awsome chic legs they were the bomb,
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed them!!