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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

Table of Contents

My 2 Best Tips For This Baked Chicken Leg Recipe

  1. 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!
  2. 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 in her kitchen smiling in front of the starting ingredients for the chicken the quinoa salad and skillet chicken on the wood block in front of her

🩷 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!

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!)
4.97 from 176 votes

Oven Baked Easy Chicken Leg Recipe

By: Melissa Griffiths
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!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 10 chicken legs
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Equipment

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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.
    chicken legs on a sheet pan with sauce.
  • 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
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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

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4.97 from 176 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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545 Comments

  1. sonia thomas says:

    Its a must try

    Reply
  2. Kimberlee D. says:

    We tried this last night for dinner – it was GREAT! I added a pinch of red pepper flake and I think next time I will sprinkle on some diced green onions as I am serving it, for a pop of freshness, but this was real good – and the sauce made the meal complete. I served with steamed white rice and some steamed edamame.

    Reply
  3. Chris says:

    You can use syrup AJ lite butter syrup is what I use, mustard and hickory smoked salt, very yummy!

    Reply
  4. Dora says:

    Hi there! I tried this recipe a few times and although it tastes good ,for some reason mine are not coming out crispy at all. I’m wondering what I can do to make them crispier? Any ideas?

    Reply
    1. Melissa says:

      Hey Dora!

      I think you’d have more luck using a larger pan or less sauce. If about half of your chicken is sticking out of the sauce then it should have a chance to caramelize on the outside. If too much is covered or the chicken is too close together then it kind of just boils in the sauce. Does that make sense?! I’ll add that to the recipe because that crisping up really makes it divine! Thanks for the comment 🙂

  5. SM Brown says:

    Delicious! My picky boys loved this. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  6. ruby says:

    I love it. one of the best dish.

    Reply
  7. Ashley says:

    Melissa, I cannot tell you how many times I have made this now, but it has been amazing every time! It is my husbands new favorite dish. I just hosted a business meeting and served this, it was easy, beautiful and yummy. Thanks!!

    Reply
    1. Melissa says:

      Yeah for loving a dish! We love it to, but get this… the tiny town we live in doesn’t carry chicken legs in the store! I need to pack a cooler and go pick some up because I’ve been wanting them lately too. So glad you like it and thanks so much for letting me know!!

  8. robin says:

    im making this dish as I type~this dish is pleasing to the eye & caught my attention sunday dinner will be @ 2pm along with baked corn-on-cob, cabbage, devil eggs & dinner rolls

    Reply
  9. Veronika says:

    I made this tonight and I also thought it didn’t thicken as much as I wanted – next time for sure I will pour some of the sauce out at the very end when I crank up the heat. It was still yummy though!

    Reply
  10. katiad says:

    Flavor was awesome. But it didn’t thicken up the way I thought it should, even after jacking the temp up. Didn’t quite carmelize except at the edges of the pan.

    Reply
    1. Melissa says:

      You could try using a bigger pan next time so that less of the chicken is under the sauce… the part that is sticking out in the end is what really gets wonderfully caramelized… I hope you try it again!

    2. Mia says:

      I used a deep tinfoil pan my juice never thickened was great flavor but never sticky what happened?

    3. Melissa says:

      I assume it was just the size of the pan, your chicken should be about half way out of the sauce. Also if your chicken is partially frozen, it released more juices/liquid than thawed chicken, so that might have played a part too.