How long to bake chicken drumsticks at 400 uncovered

This easy to make Baked Chicken Legs recipe is seriously the best! Chicken drumsticks are seasoned with simple spices and oven baked until perfectly tender, juicy and crispy.

We love easy chicken dinner recipes that are budget friendly and family friendly like our Chicken Shawarma Wraps!

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I love making recipes that are uncomplicated, use a handful of pantry ingredients and turn out irresistibly delicious. These baked chicken legs require only 10 minutes of hands-on prep (and I’ve been generous, you can get it done in 5 minutes!), they bake in about 40 minutes and taste amazing!

This is definitely a family friendly meal and a great dinner recipe to make if you have kids (and especially convenient when they have friends over for playdates!).

If you are wondering how to bake chicken legs that turn out deliciously juicy and crispy every time, keep reading! Oven roasting chicken legs (or thighs) is easier thank you think!

Why You Will Love this Recipe?

One of our most popular recipes (with tons of reader’s reviews) is our easy Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks with honey soy. It was only natural for us to share with you another great chicken recipe to add to your repertoire!

• Easy: Quick prep, simple pantry ingredients and one sheet-pan to clean up!
• Crispy Baked Chicken: Roasting the chicken in the oven gives this recipe its crispy skin. You don’t need frying or pan searing!
• Effortless: Let the oven do almost all the work! Oven roasting is a simple way to prepare a meal that won’t keep you in the kitchen for long or tire you out!
• Budget Friendly: Bone-in chicken drumsticks, whether you choose skin-on or skinless, are inexpensive and a family friendly option that can certainly feed a crowd.

This is a quick overview of the ingredients you need to make this baked chicken legs recipe. For specific details and quantities, please check the recipe card below.

• Chicken Drumsticks: I use bone-in and skin-on chicken legs. I don’t recommend making this recipe with skinless chicken legs. Without the skin, the chicken doesn’t have much protection from the oven heat. Instead of getting crispy skin, you will end up with dry, stringy meat.
  If all you have is skinless chicken, I suggest you add a bit of broth to the baking pan and cover the chicken while it bakes. This will prevent it from drying. You can make this recipe with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs as well.
• Spices: We use dried spices in this recipe. You can use sweet or smoked paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, ground cumin, salt and pepper. Although these spices have a southwestern flare, the chicken doesn’t turn out spicy. It’s really flavorful and I’m sure you will love it.
• Oil: I use olive oil, but any mild oil like vegetable or avocado oil can be used.

It doesn’t get much easier than these baked chicken drumsticks! For detailed instructions and baking times, see the recipe card below.

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 400º F and pat dry the chicken drumsticks with paper towels. This is an important step! This will help the spices to stick to the chicken and also get the chicken crispier.
2. Mix Spices: In a small bowl, combine the spices.
3. Season: Drizzle the chicken with oil and toss to get each drumstick evenly coated with oil. Season with the spice mix.
4. Bake: Place in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, flipping once through the baking process.
5. Rest: Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

You have questions? We have answers!

Do you bake chicken legs covered or uncovered?

For golden brown crispy skin, bake the chicken drumsticks uncovered.

Is it better to bake chicken legs at 350 or 400?

The truth is that both temperatures work. Bone-in chicken drumsticks, thighs and wings can be baked at 350ºF and 400ºF. If cooking the chicken at 350ºF, you may have to add 5-10 additional minutes to the baking time. For this particular recipe, I prefer roasting the chicken at 400ºF because I want the skin to get extra crispy.

Can you overcook chicken legs in the oven?

Absolutely! Chicken can be overcooked if baked for too long, especially when using a dry heat cooking method like baking or roasting in the oven.

In this particular recipe, we bake chicken legs in a preheated 400ºF oven which results in tender, juicy chicken with a crispy exterior.

Usually it takes about 40 to 45 minutes to cook average size bone-in chicken legs in a pre-heated 400º F oven although the time may vary depending on the size of the drumsticks and how hot your oven runs. I always recommend you take a quick peek after 35 minutes of baking to make sure the legs aren’t browning too fast.

The best and most accurate way to know when the chicken is ready is to test the internal temperature with a digital thermometer. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F when checked on the thickest and meatiest part of the drumstick, without touching the bone.

Yes. You can use bone-in chicken thighs as well as legs and wings. When roasting/baking chicken, I prefer to use chicken with the skin-on. The skin serves as a layer of protection to prevent the meat from drying out.

Making Ahead: Because this recipe doesn’t use any acid, you can season the chicken and store it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before baking so it comes to room temperature before it’s placed in the oven

Storage: Leftover baked chicken drumsticks will keep, stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Reheating: Although you can enjoy chicken legs cold or at room temperature, drumsticks can be reheated in the microwave or uncovered in a preheated 350ºF oven for about 10-15 minutes. You can also use an air fryer for about 5-7 minutes at 375ºF

For safety, always cook chicken until the juices run clear and the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an instant-read thermometer for accuracy.

The simple combination of spices in this recipe truly provides amazing flavor to the baked chicken. Since this recipe is really foolproof, you can switch the seasonings and still have great results. Here are a few ideas to inspire you:

• Italian: 2 tea. garlic powder, 1 tea. Italian seasoning, 1 tea. paprika, salt and pepper.
• Lemon Pepper: 2 tea. lemon pepper, 2 tea. garlic powder, 1 tea. onion powder, 1 tea. dried parsley.
• Poultry Seasoning: 2 tea. dried basil, 2 tea. dried rosemary, 1 tea. garlic powder, 1 tea. paprika, 1 tea. dried thyme, 1 tea. dried mustard, 1/2 tea. onion powder, 1/4 tea. dried sage, 1/8 tea. cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.

Tips For the Best Baked Chicken Legs

• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture, and then coat the drumsticks with olive oil before seasoning. These steps are very important if you want crispy, golden brown skin.
• Lay the chicken legs on the baking sheet with enough room around each so they’re not touching. Having proper heat circulation while baking is key for even cooking.
• If you want to boost the crispiness of the skin, you can broil the chicken during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking. Keep an eye on the legs to prevent them from burning.
• If the chicken starts to brown too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil.
• For a finger-licking good twist on flavor, brush the chicken with your favorite BBQ sauce during the last 5-8 minutes of baking!
• This baked chicken legs recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.

This is one of those recipes that go well with so many different side dishes. Here are a few serving suggestions you may like:

• Garlic Butter Pasta
• Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
• Cauliflower Gratin
• Lentil Salad
• Sautéed Green Beans
• Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

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Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4 servings

• ▢ 8 chicken drumsticks bone-in, skin-on (about 2 pounds)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika sweet or smoked
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

• Pat the chicken drumsticks dry with paper towels. This will help the spices to stick to the chicken and also get the chicken crispier.

• Place the chicken in a mixing bowl or directly on the baking pan and drizzle them with olive oil. Toss to coat.

• In a small mixing bowl combine the garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, ground cumin, salt and pepper.

• Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the chicken and toss to coat. Lay the chicken legs on the baking sheet with enough room around each so they’re not touching.

• Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, flipping once through the baking process. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture, and then coat the drumsticks with olive oil before seasoning. These steps are very important if you want crispy, golden brown skin.
• Lay the chicken legs on the baking sheet with enough room around each so they’re not touching. Having proper heat circulation while baking is key for even cooking.
• If you want to boost the crispiness of the skin, you can broil the chicken during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking. Keep an eye on the legs to prevent them  from burning.
• It’s best to check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer.
• If the chicken starts to brown too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil.

Calories: 308kcal (15%)Carbohydrates: 1gProtein: 27g (54%)Fat: 21g (32%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 139mg (46%)Sodium: 453mg (20%)Potassium: 367mg (10%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 392IU (8%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 20mg (2%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

Course:Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine:American

Keyword:Baked Chicken Legs, Baked Chicken Legs Recipe