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))

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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 176 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

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545 Comments

Amanda says:

April 15, 2014 at 10:32 am

I really want to make these tonight. I have a convection oven. Should I put it on the convection roast setting, convection bake, or regular bake? In my convection oven everything seams to take longer not shorter time.

1. Melissa says:
  
  April 15, 2014 at 9:11 pm
  
  Eeee! I have no clue… I’ve never used a convection oven! Did you try it? How did it go?
2. Amanda says:
  
  April 16, 2014 at 10:38 am
  
  I did try it. I put them in the convection oven on roast at 400 which is actually 375. They turned out really good, My husband really liked them, which is a plus because he can be picky. I think I will try this with other cuts of chicken.
erica says:

April 1, 2014 at 11:33 am

has anyone tried these in the crockpot?

Beth Roy says:

March 21, 2014 at 3:18 am

I made these last night my husband who is not a chicken fan ate 3 legs. I followed what an earlier post recommended and basted them every 5 mins. I doubled the sauce and marinated them for the day. then cooked them with the other1/2 of sauce. I am going to try this sauce with pork chops next

1. Melissa says:
  
  March 21, 2014 at 5:21 am
  
  Woohoo! So glad that it turned out well and props to you for doing all those extra steps… I need to try them too!
Victoria says:

March 20, 2014 at 11:55 am

The ingredients sound weird lol but I just put it in the oven about 20 min ago and it smells great. I’m excited to see how it turns out!!

Haeather says:

February 24, 2014 at 1:55 pm

This dish was good….but not what I was expecting. It was missing something spice wise and they were not a sticky. I used a bigger pan per a couple recommendations but it didn’t help. I will try it again.

Corissa says:

February 5, 2014 at 4:18 pm

I made these tonight. My entire family loved them! Great recipe!

1. Melissa says:
  
  February 5, 2014 at 5:29 pm
  
  Woohoo for chicken leg success! Now I should go make them for my family… it’s been way to long. Thanks for leaving feedback, it makes my day!
Kelsey says:

January 27, 2014 at 6:08 pm

Tried this recipe tonight ad ohh boy was I skeptical. Won’t lie the smell of the sauce once all is mixed together doesn’t smell that good lol. But once poured over the chicken and baking has started it smells fantastic! I used chicken thighs instead of drumsticks… They turned out sooo moist and delish! Thanks for the recipe 🙂

1. Melissa says:
  
  January 27, 2014 at 10:27 pm
  
  Awesome! I love feedback 🙂 Thanks!
Monique says:

January 16, 2014 at 5:13 pm

I’m commenting just to note that I used 4 pounds of chicken legs using the same amount of ingredients listed and I did NOT cover the chicken during baking… Just in case anyone was wondering as I was. I also baked the chicken legs skin down so that when I rotate them the skin would be up during the last 15 minutes of cooking at 425 degrees. after cooking time I turned the oven off and leaving the chicken in i begin basing the chicken with all of the sauce it was swimming in to get maximum flavor on the outside of the skin. you can baste the chicken as many times as you want for maximum flavor. I did this about 3 times every 5 to 10 minutes. And of course as everyone else said who tried the recipe the chicken was delicious.

1. Melissa says:
  
  January 16, 2014 at 9:51 pm
  
  Awesome additions! Thank you
Kandra Thomas says:

January 15, 2014 at 8:26 pm

I made this recipe tonight and it was GREAT!!! I could just drink the sauce!lol Thanks for sharing!!:)

1. Melissa says:
  
  January 15, 2014 at 8:42 pm
  
  It’s super good over rice! My kids love it too so I make sure to use it up 🙂 Thanks for the kind comment!
Liz says:

October 3, 2013 at 8:09 am

This chicken leg recipe looks and sounds good. Thanks!