Best Oven Baked Easy Chicken Leg Recipe – Shared over 250,000 times!

Name: Oven Baked Easy Chicken Leg Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 pounds chicken legs ((about 10 legs)); 3/4 cup honey; 1/2 cup soy sauce; 1/4 cup ketchup; 2-3 cloves garlic (minced (or 1 heaping teaspoon of preminced garlic))

By Melissa Griffiths

4.97 from 175 votes

Updated Apr 30, 2025

Jump to Recipe Rate Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This simple 5-ingredient recipe is seriously the BEST Chicken Leg Recipe! Sweet, tangy, and perfectly sticky, these baked drumsticks are a huge hit and this recipe has been shared over 250,000 times!

This simple 5 ingredient chicken leg recipe makes the best baked chicken legs I have ever had in my whole life! (And the masses agree - this recipe has been shared more than 250,000 times!)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The sauce was so easy but so tasty! Sweet and tangy and perfectly sticky once it set for a few minutes. This was perfect for a quick and simple meal.

–Hannah

My 2 Best Tips For This Baked Chicken Leg Recipe
Oven Baked Easy Chicken Leg Recipe Recipe
Recipe FAQs
More Easy Chicken Recipes to Try

My 2 Best Tips For This Baked Chicken Leg Recipe

Pick the Right Pan: You will need a pan with sides to keep in all the juice and sauce and big enough that the sauce spreads out so the chicken isn’t drowning in it. My pan is 11×15 inches, and it’s just right. The legs will caramelize best if half of the chicken is poked out of the sauce while cooking!
Flip Halfway Through Baking: After the chicken legs cook for 45 minutes, take the pan out of the oven and flip the meat over so that the bottom that was in the sauce is now on top out of the sauce. This will make sure all of the meat, top and bottom, are sauce-y and sticky and oh, so good!

🩷 Melissa

Not only is this one of my kids’ favorite ways to enjoy chicken, but this recipe is also on its way to breaking the internet! For real.

I knew it was delicious and easy, but after being shared more than 250,000 times and receiving oodles of reviews from people who’ve made it, I almost can’t believe how much you guys love this recipe!

The sauce is truly addicting. You’ll want it on fried rice, steamed veggies, and maybe even in a cup with a straw to drink it—it’s THAT good. Pair it with my Broccoli Cauliflower Salad recipe for an extra yummy side dish!

I’d love to know if you try this recipe and love feedback, so leave a comment if you do!

4.97 from 175 votes

Oven Baked Easy Chicken Leg Recipe

By: Melissa Griffiths

Prep: 5

Cook: 1

Total: 1 5

Servings: chicken legs

Save Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

▢ 2 1/2 pounds chicken legs, (about 10 legs)
▢ 3/4 cup honey
▢ 1/2 cup soy sauce
▢ 1/4 cup ketchup
▢ 2-3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 heaping teaspoon of preminced garlic)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay the chicken legs out in a foil-lined baking dish with high sides. (The foil is to make clean up easier; it's not essential but helps a whole lot.) A high-sided sheet pan is the best option because it has sides to keep everything in, but it is big enough that the chicken isn't drowning in the sauce. It will caramelize best if half of the chicken is poking out of the sauce while cooking.
In a glass measuring cup, measure out the honey, soy sauce, and ketchup. Add the minced garlic, and stir. If the mixture doesn’t combine well, microwave it on high for 30 seconds and stir again. Pour the honey mixture over the chicken legs.
Put the chicken legs in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Take the chicken out of the oven, and rotate it so that the bottom that was in the sauce is now on top, out of the sauce.
Put the legs back in the oven. Raise the heat to 425°F, and bake until the sauce is bubbly and starts to caramelize on the chicken legs. This should take about 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven, and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve the sauce the the chicken cooked in with the meal or over rice if you’d like.

Video

Notes

Pan Size: A pan slightly larger than 9×13 inches with sides is the best option because it has sides to keep all the juice in but is big enough that the chicken isn’t drowning in the sauce. It will caramelize best if half of the chicken is poked out of the sauce while cooking. My pan is 11×15 inches, and it works perfectly. If your pan is too large, though, your sauce will be too shallow, evaporate, and burn.

Meat Temperature: I like to use a little meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is done – better safe than sorry! The experts say that chicken legs are safe at 165° but I like to cook mine to 185°.

Mix it Up: If you don’t have honey on hand, you can substitute it for your favorite jam that doesn’t have seeds. My favorites are peach and apricot jam for this recipe

Easy Clean-Up: Lining your pan with foil makes clean-up much easier. I recommend it.

Make It In The Slow Cooker: Place all of the chicken legs in the bottom of a slow cooker (I have this slow cooker). Pour the sauce over the chicken legs. Slow cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours, until the largest piece of chicken registers at least 165°F on an instant read thermometer.

More Leg Ideas: I’m no stranger to excellent baked chicken legs. Try these other chicken leg recipes:

Yummy Sides: The sauce the chicken cooks in is delicious over cooked rice and steamed or roasted vegetables (like broccoli and cauliflower) to round out the meal.

Nutrition

Serving: 1leg +1/3 cup sauce, Calories: 230kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Sodium: 758mg, Potassium: 188mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 90IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 12mg, Iron: 1mg

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Recipe FAQs

How long does it take for drumsticks to cook in the oven?

This really just depends on how you’re cooking it. I like to start with a preheated 350° oven and bake the chicken for 45 minutes, rotate the legs, raise the heat to 425°, and put them back for about another 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and everything looks caramelized. Turning the legs is key to getting the sauce on the “top” of the chicken legs!

Is chicken drumstick dark meat?

Yep! Thighs and drumsticks are dark meat in chicken, and they usually have a much heartier, juicier flavor and more tender texture than white meat.

What kind of pan should I use?

Because these guys are thick and saucy, you’ll want a sheet pan with high sides to keep all the juices in and large enough so the chicken isn’t drowning in the sauce. The chicken should stick out of the sauce while cooking to get the best caramelized texture.

More Easy Chicken Recipes to Try

Pasta Dishes

544 Comments

Jane says:

October 19, 2016 at 4:56 pm

I seem to be in a bit of a “chicken rut’ lately, always resorting to the same old same old. Tonight I decided to get out of that rut and try this recipe – DANG am I glad I did! I made it with boneless, skinless chicken breasts only because I have never been a fan of legs. The sauce was soo yummy and looked like it had a bit of an Asian taste to it from looking at the ingredients in it so I paired it with home made fried rice. I have enough left over for a nice big meal of it tomorrow too! Thank you for helping me try something new again lol

Meghan says:

October 16, 2016 at 7:40 pm

I made those tonight and it was amazing everyone loved it

K Lane says:

October 4, 2016 at 8:33 pm

I’ve never had an luck with a recipe that had honey and yet for some reason I tried this. Followed the recipe 99.9% minute the fact that I used other chicken parts lol But still so delicious. My picky eaters (husband and two kids) ALL are it up and asked for seconds! Thank you for such an easy delicious definitely new go-to recipe!

1. Melissa says:
  
  October 6, 2016 at 10:06 am
  
  Yay for a great recipe! Did you happen to serve it with a little rice to put the extra sauce on? SO good! Enjoy friend and thank you for taking the time to comment!
2. K Lane says:
  
  October 6, 2016 at 8:05 pm
  
  Actually, I made it with “Red Rice” I am from Guam so Red Rice (it’s called red because the water that makes it is red, but the finished rice actually looks orange) is my go to for recipes that I am uncertain of. It paired nicely and I got lots of compliments on the pic. Those that asked were directed to this website via my Pinterest link 🙂
Ycorie says:

September 18, 2016 at 3:38 pm

I made this and the kids loved it

Jen says:

September 9, 2016 at 1:32 am

Super easy to make and very delicious. Thanks for sharing!

Ging says:

September 3, 2016 at 1:15 pm

We love this recipe and everytime i make this, it has always been a hit! Thanks for sharing.

Daisha says:

August 29, 2016 at 5:29 pm

So delicious! Love this recipe! Adding it to our list of family dinner faves! The sauce was sooooooo good☺️ I loved that it was a quick meal to make with only a few simple ingredients.?? Perfect for this mom of five!

AKR says:

August 16, 2016 at 9:46 am

try replacing the ketchup with sriracha if you like some heat – my parents make this a lot with sriracha and minus the garlic (garlic would make theirs better though!)

A. Johnson says:

July 28, 2016 at 7:42 pm

I must say this was pretty damn good! I will do this with wingetts or breast. Very easy

1. Melissa says:
  
  August 1, 2016 at 9:10 pm
  
  So glad you tried them! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Larissa says:

July 4, 2016 at 5:56 pm

Oh…my…gosh. This was so good! I decided at the last minute to try it and I’m so glad I did! I was almost out of honey, so I used mostly maple syrup. I totally forgot to add the garlic but it turned out fabulous anyway. I had almost 4 lbs of drumsticks and there was still plenty of sauce to spoon over the chicken (and the buttery rice I made, which paired so nicely with the chicken). This will definitely go into the semi-weekly rotation!

1. Winnifred says:
  
  July 5, 2016 at 6:46 pm
  
  Totally awesome. We love chicken but get tired of the same old thing. This is definitely a keeper.