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

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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

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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

Sandra says:

September 16, 2017 at 8:25 pm

These chicken legs were excellent! My husband, who doesn’t like it too much when I experiment with new recipes, loved this! He doesn’t like garlic (I know, who doesn’t like garlic) didn’t even notice it! I used the minced in the jar instead of fresh. Not only is it delicious. It’s a beautiful presentation. I served it over lightly buttered noodles and with the sauce drizzled over it. Parsley makes it even prettier. I’m sure I will make this again and again. Thank you for this wonderful addition to our meals!

Jessica says:

September 11, 2017 at 8:51 pm

Hi. I made this recipe tonight. It was pretty easy and delicious! I will definitely make this again.

1. Melissa says:
  
  September 12, 2017 at 5:20 am
  
  Hooray! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Rachel says:

September 11, 2017 at 7:31 pm

We made these tonight and loved the sauce so much that we fried our veggies in it. Will definitely be making this again!

Diana says:

September 7, 2017 at 11:23 am

Just wondering, is your oven temp for classic or fan-forced oven?
The recipe sounds delish!

1. Melissa says:
  
  September 7, 2017 at 1:12 pm
  
  It’s just a classic one. I’m getting the other kind though so I’ll be able to play with both options (the fan turns on and off!)
2. Diana says:
  
  September 7, 2017 at 11:58 pm
  
  Ah thanks, mine is the ‘other kind’ and though I left it at 180 (375) I reduced baking time by 10/15 mins. Next time I’ll reduce the temp 🙂 Thanks for an excellent and quick chicken fix!
Dee says:

September 6, 2017 at 4:03 am

Totally delicious and easy to remember recipe! Will definitely be making more of it down the road.

instant says:

September 5, 2017 at 2:56 am

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I had а quick questiօn that I’d like to ask if you do not mіnd.
I ԝas curious to find out how you centеr yourself and
clear your mind prior to writing. I’ve hɑd a hard time cleаring mу mind in gettіng
my ideas oսt there. I do enjoy writing but it just seems
like the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be wasted ϳust trying to figure out how tⲟ begin. Any suggestions or hints?
Appreciate it!

1. Melissa says:
  
  September 5, 2017 at 5:33 am
  
  My best writing happens between 5 and 7am when my mind is fresh and my house is quite. I normally make a list of 5 things I need to get done the night before and work on those (normally writing) at that time. I feel like when I make the decision on what to write about the night before and I make the time early in the morning for it, I have the most success at accomplishing what I set out to write without a lot of wasted time. Hope that helps and thank you for your kind words.
Jacky says:

September 2, 2017 at 4:51 pm

My son- who would never touch chicken unless it was in the shape of a chicken nugget- tried these and loves them! He asks for them all the time! Thank you!

Hazel says:

September 2, 2017 at 5:36 pm

Yummy!

Thomas says:

September 2, 2017 at 7:24 am

Great post! Have nice day !

Amanda says:

August 30, 2017 at 8:30 am

Can you do these with skin of, and if so do i adjust the cooking time?

1. Melissa says:
  
  August 30, 2017 at 10:39 am
  
  Yep, you can do it without the skin though I’m not sure how much that will effect the cooking time.