Honey Herb Chicken Drumsticks are just the right balance of sweet, herby, zesty flavors and require very little effort to make! These simple baked chicken drumsticks are the perfect main dish for any night of the week and also double as a low-carb appetizer.
How to turn a pack of chicken drumsticks into a dreamy experience on a budget?
These easy Honey Herb Chicken Drumsticks are here checking all the boxes, impressing all the people.
I picked up a package of 3 and a half pounds of chicken legs at my local grocery store for less than $5 and turned it into what humbly I consider to be one of the best chicken drumstick recipes I’ve ever made.
Perfect for busy weeknights, meal prep, or serving guests, these tender, juicy chicken drumsticks come with the most amazing crispy skin. Can we all agree the skin is the best part?
Baking drumsticks at higher temperatures (I use 450 degrees) ensures the outside gets that golden-brown crisp and the inside stays nice and tender.
I also like to broil any skin-on chicken pieces once they are cooked through to get an even crispier finish.
Let’s discuss the fresh ingredients list for this healthy chicken recipe!
Ingredients for Honey Herb Chicken Drumsticks:
Drumsticks: Bone-in skin on chicken drumsticks are the reason we’re all here! This budget friendly cut of chicken is so versatile! If you prefer using chicken wings or bone-in chicken thighs, go ahead and make the swap.
Avocado Oil: A little oil is needed to protect the chicken during the baking process so that it stays nice and moist and doesn’t burn. The healthy fat from the avocado oil also adds flavor to the marinade. Switch it for extra virgin olive oil if you’d prefer.
Italian Seasoning: A simple Italian seasoning blend covers all the herb bases so that you’re getting plenty of sweet, rustic herb flavor. You can also use Herbs de Provence or make your own dried herb blend.
Garlic Powder: A little garlic powder gives that robust rich flavor that we all find so delicious. If you have fresh garlic cloves on hand, feel free to switch out the garlic powder for 3 to 4 cloves of fresh garlic.
Honey: It may sound strange, but a drizzle of honey brings this whole experience full circle. The subtle sweetness compliments the savoriness of the chicken so that your taste buds go wild.
Optional Additions:
- For citrusy lemon chicken, add 2 teaspoons of lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to the chicken.
- Add black pepper to your personal taste.
- If you have a favorite dry rub, seasoning mix, or spice mix, feel free to add it.
- For some heat, add cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or hot sauce to your desired level of spice.
- If you love the flavor of soy sauce, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, liquid aminos or coconut aminos. Just be sure to decrease the amount of added salt as soy sauce already contains a good amount of sodium.
- Add 2 teaspoons of onion powder if you have it on hand.
- If you’re looking for sweet drumsticks but don’t have honey on hand, add 3 tablespoons of brown sugar to the marinade.
Now that we’re familiar with the simple ingredients for this easy drumsticks recipe, let’s make them!
How to Make Honey Herb Drumsticks:
Transfer all of the ingredients except for the honey to a zip lock bag. Seal the bag and shake everything around until all of the drumsticks are coated with the seasonings and oil.
You can also perform this step using a large bowl if you’d prefer. Simply wrap the mixing bowl tightly in plastic wrap after mixing everything up to marinate the chicken.
Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, ideally several hours (up to 24 hours).
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Transfer the marinated drumsticks to a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, arranging them in a single layer. If your baking sheet has a tendency to stick, line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil. You can also spray it with cooking spray.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is golden-brown and cooked through.
For crispy chicken skin, move the baking sheet to the shelf that is second from the top, and broil for 5 to 8 minutes or until the skin reaches your desired level of crisp.
Remove the drumsticks from the oven and drizzle them with honey.
Serve on a platter along with any side dishes you desire, such as The Best Potato Salad or The Best Broccoli Salad and enjoy! If you’re a fan of bbq sauce, feel free to use it as a dipping sauce for these oven-baked chicken drumsticks.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
How Long to Bake Chicken Drumsticks:
The exact cooking time of drumsticks depends on the size of the drumsticks and also their temperature going into the oven. At 400 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, most drumsticks will be fully cooked after 20 minutes.
Chicken drumsticks are fully cooked once they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. To check the temperature, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat and wait until the numbers stop moving to get an accurate read.
Because the cook time varies, be sure to use an instant-read thermometer (or a digital thermometer) to verify the internal temperature for the best results.
So there we have it! An inexpensive main dish or appetizer that is packed with flavor and just so fun and easy to make! This delicious easy baked chicken drumsticks recipe is perfect for the whole family!
Whip up chicken drumstick recipes any time you are entertaining guests and need some delicious healthy finger food, or any busy weeknight.
If you love quick, delicious, affordable chicken recipes that require minimal effort for maximum gain, also check these out!
More Healthy Chicken Recipes:
- Asian Baked Chicken Breasts
- The Best Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Asian Air Fryer Chicken Bites
- Honey Garlic Baked Chicken Thighs
- Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Thighs
Finger lickin’ good chicken right here!
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 lbs bone-in skin on chicken drumsticks
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning*
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp sea salt, to taste
- 2 to 3 Tbsp honey, for serving
Instructions
- Transfer all of the ingredients except for the honey to a zip lock bag. Seal the bag and shake everything around until all of the drumsticks are coated with the seasonings and oil.
- You can also perform this step using a large bowl if you'd prefer. Simply wrap the mixing bowl tightly in plastic wrap after mixing everything up to marinate the chicken.
- Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, ideally several hours (up to 24 hours).
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Transfer the marinated drumsticks to a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, arranging them in a single layer.
- If your baking sheet has a tendency to stick, line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil. You can also spray it with cooking spray.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is golden-brown and cooked through.
- For crispy chicken skin, move the baking sheet to the shelf that is second from the top, and broil for 5 to 8 minutes or until the skin reaches your desired level of crisp.
- Remove the drumsticks from the oven and drizzle them with honey.
- Serve on a platter along with any side dishes you desire.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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