Baked Chicken Legs
These baked chicken legs are tender and juicy, with a sweet and smoky seasoning and irresistibly crispy skin. Just 10 minutes of prep time!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 bone-in, skin-on chicken legs/drumsticks (about 2 1/2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar dark works too
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper optional
- Chopped fresh cilantro or green onion optional for serving
Instructions
- Pat the chicken legs dry with paper towels, and place them in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the oil.
- In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Sprinkle over the chicken, then toss to evenly coat. Let stand at room temperature while you preheat the oven, or refrigerate for up to 1 day.
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or a double layer of parchment paper.
- Arrange the drumsticks in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake chicken legs for 30-35 minutes, or until the internal temperature is at least 165°F when a meat thermometer is inserted in the thickest part of the meat without touching bone; unlike Baked Chicken Breast, you don’t need to worry about pulling legs a few degrees early for resting time; up to 200°F will be fine. Let rest a few minutes, then serve hot sprinkled with cilantro or green onion.
Notes
- If you have white meat fans, you cut a large bone-in, skin on chicken breast (also called split chicken breast) in half crosswise (really wiggle the knife to break the rib bones) and roast it along with the legs; they will cook in about the same amount of time.
- Adapted from my Air Fryer Chicken Legs
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover baked chicken legs in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm the chicken legs on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F or in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating according to the instructions above.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 404kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 24gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 135mgPotassium: 350mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 686IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 2mg
