This is the only baked chicken drumsticks recipe you will ever need! Lemon pepper chicken drumsticks are super flavorful and easy to make. Prepare a simple, yet delicious marinade with garlic, lemon, and olive oil earlier in the day, then enjoy some amazing baked drumsticks for dinner!
When it comes to chicken, I usually stick to the breast meat and the occasional boneless, skinless thigh, so I was excited to try something a little different.
The first thing you’ll notice when buying chicken drumsticks is the price. The drumsticks are cheap, cheap, cheap, so they are great for anyone cooking on a budget. I bought a package of organic drumsticks for about five bucks!
Not only are chicken drumsticks inexpensive, they turned out to be so easy to prepare and they baked up juicy and delicious. I’ve noticed that chicken breasts baked in the oven can sometimes come out dry, but this baked chicken drumsticks recipe will never let you down! I will definitely be making chicken drumsticks on the regular and I’m looking forward to trying different flavor variations.
Ingredients for lemon pepper chicken drumsticks
- Chicken drumsticks – Baked chicken legs are inexpensive, convenient and always a crowd favorite. Bake these until they’re golden brown and they’ll be juicy and delicious every time!
- Lemon marinade – There’s a thousand different ways you could dress up chicken drumsticks, but my favorite is definitely with a lemon garlic marinade. You’ll need just a little bit of olive oil, a bunch of garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard powder, salt and plenty of pepper. The flavor you get from these few simple ingredients is out of this world!
How to make baked chicken drumsticks
This recipe is easy and effortless! Below, you’ll find a rundown of the basic instructions and then you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Prep the chicken – Start the recipe with removing skin from each drumstick (or leave it on, if you prefer). See the tips section, below, for more info on this step.
- Make the marinade – Combine the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.
- Marinate chicken – Place the chicken in a large zip-top bag along with the marinade. Move chicken around in the bag to fully coat each piece. Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Bake – Transfer chicken to a small baking dish and cook at 375 degrees for about 50 minutes, and until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Serve – Once chicken is fully cooked, enjoy with your favorite dinner sides!
Tips for making baked chicken drumsticks
Even though this baked chicken drumsticks recipe is really quite simple, here are a few tips for best results.
- You can leave the skin on the drumsticks or remove it. I’ve tried both ways and the chicken without the skin bakes up just as moist and juicy as the chicken with the skin, so I would suggest removing the skin first, especially if you want to decrease the calories and saturated fats.
- For the best flavor, I highly recommend using fresh lemon juice to make the marinade.
- Be sure to allow plenty of time for the chicken to marinate – at least 2 hours in the refrigerator and up to 12 hours.
- When marinating the drumsticks it’s important to really move the chicken around in the bag of marinade and also massage each piece to make sure it is well coated, leaving no chicken piece untouched.
How long does it take for chicken drumsticks to bake in the oven?
If you bake the chicken legs in an oven heated to 375 degrees, like in this recipe. The chicken will take about 50 minutes. I suggest checking the chicken after about 45 minutes of baking because cook time can vary a bit, depending on your oven.
How do you know when drumsticks are done baking?
The easiest way to tell if your chicken is fully cooked and safe to eat, is by measuring the internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the drumstick and when the thermometer reads 165 degrees, you know the chicken is fully cooked.
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, check the chicken doneness by piercing a thick area of the chicken with a fork and if the juices run clear, it is most likely fully cooked.
Storing leftovers
Storage. Any leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight bag or container and kept in the refrigerator for up to about 3 to 4 days.
Freezing. Allow the chicken to cool completely before transferring it to a freezer safe bag or container. It will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
What to serve with chicken drumsticks
Once you try this easy chicken drumsticks recipe, you’ll be making it on repeat! With a handful of basic ingredients, this chicken dish is quick to put together and can be served with countless sides! Here are some of our favorite pairing options:
- Salads – Radish Salad, Black Bean Salad, Simple Coleslaw, Chickpea Salad
- Sides – Sautéed Broccoli, Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes, Braised Red Cabbage
If you make this chicken drumsticks recipe, be sure to leave a comment and ★ rating below letting me know how it turned out. Your feedback is so helpful for me and our Clean & Delicious community (thank you!).
Lemon Pepper Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 8 drumsticks about two pounds
- 2 tsp dry mustard
- 4 large garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp salt
- Plenty of freshly ground pepper
- Zest of one large organic lemon about 1 tablespoon
- Juice of half of the lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Remove skin from each drumstick (this is optional, you can leave it on if you prefer).
- In a large bowl combine dry mustard, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil and mix well. Place drumsticks into the marinade and coat well (you can do this in a Ziploc bag to make things easier). Cover and pop in the fridge for at least two hours and no longer than twelve hours.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place drumsticks in a small casserole dish and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until done (temp should hit 165 degrees). The juices should run clear when pierced with a knife. Enjoy!
Stacey says
I have 3 kiddos and yes, BFing does get easier!! Eventually, she’ll be able to go longer between feedings, especially once she starts solids–then it seems like a breeze! I LOVE your site for healthy recipe ideas and I can’t lie–I’m really excited that you have a baby now so that you’ll have more “faster and easier” recipes!! Fast, easy and healthy is my goal at EVERY meal!
Debbie Brooks says
I have 3 healthy and very grown up ‘babies’, and it is difficult in the beginning, especially as you need to remember just what your body has gone through inthe last 9-10 months!
I was able to feed alll my babies until they were at least 1 year old and the health benefits both to you and baby make it all worth while! Oh and don’t forget to express some milk so that others can help with the feed too, this helps Dad’s to be part of the feeding too!!
LOVE YOUR SITE AND VIDEOS x
Kate says
Breastfeeding can take many weeks to feel “right.” Please don’t try to do too much else–it is a FT job in the early days! Once Katie gets bigger (bigger mouth, bigger stomach capacity) she will not want to nurse so often. If she is around 3 or 6 weeks old it’s growth spurt time (with extra nursing time) or there are developmental (brain) leaps at weeks 5 and 9 that may also warrant some extra snuggle time.
Do you read Ask Moxie? You should. http://www.askmoxie.org
In her sidebar there is a whole series on breastfeeding.
Every day you breastfeed your daughter is a gift to both of you!
PS Do you have anyone in your community (friends, family, church, etc.) that can help feed you? A meal or two a week, with leftovers, on a rotating basis could offer great relief. Take some of the stress off and allow you more time for the nitty gritty of mothering!
Karen says
Hang in there, breastfeeding is hard work and a 24 hour/day job at first, but it does slow down and get MUCH easier after a while! Planning out meals in advance so I know what to buy at the grocery store and prepping as many ingredients as possible ahead of time is really the key for me to keep my family eating healthy when we’re all so busy. Good luck, I love your site!
Karen D. says
I breastfed 3 babes. After the first 6 weeks it does get a lot easier.
Amy F says
Just think…no making a bottle in the middle of the night. I always thought BF’ing was much easier than bottle. It’s always there and always ready!
Dani says
Stacey – Thanks for the insight. it’s always good to hear from someone who has been there!
Debbie – Expressing!! I’ve been doing that since day one;).
Kate – Great tips… thank you. I am definitely going to check out Moxie!
Karen – I agree… healthy eating is going to be all about the pre-preppin’!
Karen D. – Six weeks?! Okay… I just have four to go;).
Amy F. – Good point! I guess I just need to focus on the positive:).
Ann Waugh says
Yes, for new moms who relax and enjoy the experience knowing that they are doing the very best for their babies, YES! It can be hard at first because it’s so new and is often looked upon as an “alternative” feeding approach. It is not an alternative; bottle feeding is an alternative when breast feeding is simply impossible for some unexpected or difficult situation. Breast milk and breast feeding is the way we are wired–both for the mother and for the child. Did you notice that you had cramps for the first few days after the birth? Were you told what that was? Your body will be healthier for it. And slimmer too I might add!
Sometimes it is painful because your nipples get sore. If this happened to you, you know now to prepare your nipples better before the birth…next time. They will toughen up and it will be very easy. Were you already told this? I might not have anything here for you that you haven’t already heard. I hope you are connected with other breast-feeding mothers and helpers. This can make all the difference.
You are beautiful. Your baby is beautiful. Breastfeeding is beautiful.
And yes, there is a little inconvenience that goes along with it. If you normally have small breasts your milk will be supplied the same as if you had larger breasts. Therefore, you will probably leak. I hope you have good nursing bras and pads.
But hey–your babies dinner is always ready and at the right temperature and perfectly sterilized and formulated for your little one. Now there’s some convenience that bottle feeding mothers don’t have!
Beautiful, beautiful!
This rambling note is lovingly sent to you by a 63 year old woman who breast-fed 3 great kids. Each one received no less than one year of breast feeding, one of them 18 months. I tell you, that was the easiest part of the whole child-rearing process–don’t miss it!!
Best wishes for great mothering,
AW
Jade says
Yes, please hang in there. you don’t want to have doubts or regrets in the future! You are so right about the bad choices when you think you don’t have time – my son is 18 and I guess we had meals eat out too many that he preferred eat out, and we all know what choices out there for teens!
ET says
From a man’s point of view: 10 years ago my wife gave birth to our first son and while she (we?) had trouble in the beginning she got some help from a lactation specialist.
She nursed for 18 months! It is the most natural and beautiful act in the world.
And, yes, I was a bit jealous.
Sherry says
Came out exceptional Dani/ had it with quinoa stir fry..
Thank u
Dani says
Yum! Quinoa stir fry sounds great!!