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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
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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4.97 from 176 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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545 Comments

  1. Theresa says:

    This is delicious! What a huge bang for your buck. My kids and husband love it too. This has been added to my menu rotation. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Eloise says:

    Made this yesterday for dinner, it was so delicious. Did use skinless chicken legs, and worked out very well. Next time I make it, will place hot sauce with ketchup, my son likes it spicy, may add cayenne pepper also, as one of your readers did. Didn’t have quite enough of honey ,added maple syrup, I don’t think it changed the taste. Will contiinue making this!!! Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Bippy Grace says:

    I wanted to let you know that despite my lifelong distrust of Ketchup and any recipe including it, I tried this last night for dinner, and served it with rice. Huge hit, everyone got seconds, and now I have another super easy mid-week meal to toss together. It took very little work, and the cleanup wasn’t bad. With a no-gluten soy sauce, it’s gluten free, which helps, too.

    Thanks for posting it, and proving me wrong about a sauce with Ketchup in it.

    Reply
    1. Melissa says:

      Bippy! I literally LOLed when I read that. “Life long distrust of Ketchup” such a great line! I’m so glad you liked it. We make it GF all of the time too and then my father-in-law can enjoy it too!

  4. Emily says:

    This recipe is always a homerun at my house! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Mayra says:

    This recipe was a total success for tonight’s dinner!!!! Thank you for sharing, Melissa!!!’

    Reply
    1. Melissa says:

      Yay! Dinner success is the best!

  6. Dianne Pham says:

    You’d def got an asain touch to this chicken! Try this marinate for bbq pork skewers! It’s a traditional filipino recipe!

    Reply
  7. Marvel says:

    These legs are fabulous. I added hot sauce and 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper for a light kick. Cooked them the first 45 min as directed. Turned them and basted every 10 min for the second 45 min. Perfect. Served with broccoli salad and cilantro rice. Easy dinner with very little prep.

    Reply
    1. Melissa says:

      Mmmm! A little spice sounds perfect. Great idea Marvel!

  8. E. says:

    Oh my goodness, I normally don’t comment on recipes I make but I figured this one deserves it! I made this for my boyfriend and myself as kinda a “date night” dinner. Oh boy was it delicious! Since there were only two of us, I halved the recipe and all the ingredients but holy schmoly! Both my boyfriend and I were licking our fingers and went back for seconds! As a previous commented stated, it really didn’t smell that good when I was mixing up the sauce (Honey and ketchup?!) but my mind quickly changed once it started baking!

    I served it with some brown rice cooked in chicken broth, and I used a wooden spoon to kinda baste the chicken legs, so I stirred my rice once it was done and it had some of the sauce on it, yum! Also steamed broccoli.

    So A+ recipe! THank you so much!

    Reply
    1. Melissa says:

      Thanks so much E.!! I love a great comment and yours was just that, great! So glad it turned out well. We love it!

  9. Beverly says:

    can’t wait to try this on legs,wings,and thighs. I might even try on a roasted chicken. ummmm then I might use it on a ROASTING TURKEY! WOW!

    Reply
  10. Kathy says:

    Can you make ahead and freeze for a party?

    Reply