Juicy Baked Chicken Legs

The best Baked Chicken Legs can be made simply in the oven with simple pantry ingredients, only a few minutes of prep time, and get the most delicious flavor for juicy skin-on chicken legs.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

Baked chicken wings are always a hit in our house. With the simple use of the oven at a high temperature, simple seasonings, and juicy chicken drumsticks, you can’t go wrong.

• Seasoning mix: All you need are a handful of everyday seasonings for delicious chicken legs.
• Double easily: If you want to feed a crowd, this recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
• Healthy chicken: Get the delicious flavor of everyone’s favorite game day meal, a healthier way.

Keep on the healthier side by pairing the chicken with one of our favorite side dishes, Oven Baked Green Beans, for an easy dinner with simple ingredients, perfect for busy weeknights.

The Secret to Perfectly Baked Chicken Legs

To make sure to are getting perfectly baked chicken legs, make sure you are cooking at a high enough temperature. The dark meat of chicken legs, as opposed to chicken breast, can benefit from using a higher oven temperature to cook the chicken a bit faster and prevent the meat from drying out, giving you the best juicy baked chicken legs. 

Drying the chicken before oiling it up the chicken and then using the flavorful spices to get the best golden brown crispy skin with the most flavor.

Don’t overcook the chicken legs recipe. Use a meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer to make sure the meat reaches 170-195°F at the thickest part of the meat before removing the chicken.

Key Ingredients:

Raw, fresh chicken legs or chicken drumsticks are preferred for this easy, healthy chicken dinner recipe.

Seasonings we use in this chicken leg recipe to get the most amazing flavor are paprika, dried Italian herbs, garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper.

Unsalted butter makes for the best flavor booster and helps crisp up the skin perfectly.

See below for a detailed list of ingredients!

Equipment Needed: 

• Large mixing bowl
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Paper towels
• Tongs

How to Make Baked Chicken Legs:

1. Simply add the melted butter, paprika, Italian herbs, and garlic powder to a large bowl, mixing them all. Melted butter makes sure all the chicken is easily covered. You could also use a plastic bag if you’d prefer to shake the chicken, but be careful, as the butter can be hot. 
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up and to prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan. 
3. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then add it to the bowl with the butter and spices. Do NOT skip this step if you want the best, crispy chicken skin.
4. Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
5. Bake the chicken for 35-40 minutes, flipping halfway through with tongs, or until the inner temperature of the chicken reaches 170-175°F using a meat thermometer. 

Tips and Recipe Notes

1. Add some Parmesan chicken to the mixture for a bump in savory flavor.
2. For extra crispy chicken, bake the chicken on the wire rack. This will stop the chicken from baking in their juices at the bottom. It allows air to circulate around the chicken to make it crispier. 
3. You can add some chili powder, or replace plain paprika with smoked paprika for an extra smoky flavor.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Any leftover chicken legs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 5 days.

To reheat the chicken, use an air fryer. Or pop them back in the oven at 350°F and cook until heated through, generally 7-10 minutes.

FAQ’s for Baked Chicken

Type of Chicken:

The temperature of this recipe is written to use bone-in chicken, like chicken legs or chicken drumsticks. You could also use chicken wings or chicken thighs, but you may have to adjust the cooking time.

Can I use frozen chicken legs?

You can use frozen chicken; however, you will need to increase the cooking time to make sure the chicken is cooked to a safe temperature. Also, we would suggest that you let the chicken thaw ahead of time and then season the chicken with the butter and herbs for the best flavor.

Butter or Oil?

Using butter is a great and easy way to add even more flavor and juiciness to the meat of the chicken. However, you can also use olive oil, avocado oil, or even melted coconut oil if you prefer. The coconut oil will change up the flavor a bit.

Side Recipes to Serve:

Instant Pot Whole Chicken, Chicken and Dumplings Soup, or Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole are some of our more popular chicken recipes that are easy and delicious.

Healthy Chicken Vegetable Soup or Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup are great to serve during those cold winter months.