Chicken, Main

“Beat the Drums!” Baked Chicken Drumsticks

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by Kathy McDaniel, Chef

Sometimes, ok, a lot of times, I come home and want something with all the prep of take-out, but still healthy.  This is a great solution.  Baked chicken thighs, with some steamed broccoli or asparagus, give me a good healthy meal with plenty of “chewy protein” as my wife likes to call it.  Stock this one in your healthy recipe card file. It has all of the basics: Healthy, quick, chewy, and delicious. 

These are easy, by easy I mean crazy easy.  You can have them ready to go in the oven before it pre-heats.  While I have tried different seasonings…I will give credit where credit is due.  I found these on a great blog: lemonblossoms.com by Chef Kathy McDaniel.  Awesome blend of simple seasonings.  

 

"Beat the Drums!" Baked Chicken Drumsticks
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"Beat the Drums!" Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Course: MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes
Total time

45

minutes

Ingredients

  • 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

Directions

  • 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.

Notes

  • 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

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