Spicy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Spicy Baked Chicken Drumsticks are infused with a flavorful, spicy seasoning blend made with garlic, herbs, and warm spices, then baked to crispy perfection for an easy & delicious main course!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Spicy Baked Chicken Drumsticks are my family’s favorite drumstick recipe! They’re spicy, a little crispy, and incredibly flavorful!
Admittedly, I haven’t always loved chicken drumsticks. I was pretty much a boneless, skinless chicken breast kind of girl.
My mom didn’t make drumsticks when I was a kid, and I think that carried over into my adulthood…until now.
Since I had always skipped over the drumstick area of the chicken section, I never realized just how incredibly inexpensive they were!
Now I use that cheap, underrated, dark meat chicken in Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo and Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks!
Ingredients needed for this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):
- Chicken drumsticks
- Olive oil or avocado oil
- Spice blend (salt, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, dried oregano)
To give these baked chicken drumsticks their wonderful flavor, we’re going to make a delicious, homemade spice blend (shown below).
How to make this recipe
- I like baking the chicken drumsticks directly on a foil-lined baking sheet because the direct contact with the hot metal creates a delectable, crispy exterior to the chicken.
- Make sure you spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray before adding the chicken. BONUS – less clean up too!
- Cook the chicken according to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
📍The full recipe with exact ingredient amounts and instructions is on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
The chicken will come out of the oven exquisitely crispy, perfectly spicy, and utterly addicting!
What makes this chicken so magical is the slightly salty, nice & crispy, well-seasoned exterior of the chicken that touches the pan it’s baking on.
The tidbits stuck to the foil are pure gold!
What to serve with spicy chicken drumsticks?
We like to serve these drumsticks with a starch and either a veggie or salad for a complete meal. Here are some of our favorite sides:
- Habanero Garlic Rice
- Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes
- Mom’s Sausage Stuffing
- Herbed Butter Garlic Rice
- Garlic Sesame Green Beans
We also like to serve this chicken with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing occasionally. The coolness complements the spicy chicken.
💡 Tips & Tricks
- The “spicy” aspect of this recipe is for those that like a little bit of heat. We’re a bunch of chileheads, so we dip our chicken in hot sauce.
- If you’re also a heat-seeker, feel free to amp up the cayenne pepper in the spice blend, and if you have any, some jalapeno powder or habanero powder would be a fantastic touch!
You can find this recipe & more in my 12 Drool-Worthy Chicken Drumstick Recipes!
Flavorful Eats is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Spicy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Equipment
- baking sheet
- foil and/or cooking spray
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 pounds chicken drumsticks
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Add all the spices/herbs to a small bowl (salt, garlic powder, pepper, paprika, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, and dried oregano). Stir to combine and set aside.
- Pat chicken drumsticks dry with paper towels (this will help the chicken skin crisp up in the oven), then place chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle oil over chicken, then sprinkle the spice blend over them. Using tongs or your hands, make sure the oil and spice blend is evenly distributed throughout all the chicken.
- Cover a large baking sheet with foil and spray foil with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken on baking sheet, making sure they are not touching. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, remove chicken from oven and flip over each piece of chicken, then return to oven for another 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 165°. Enjoy!
Notes
- Once cooled, store leftover chicken in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Do you think this recipe could work with pork chops!!
I have never tried it with pork chops! You’ll have to let me know how it turns out :)
A big hit at my barbecues. I cook them on the top rack on the grill at med.hi heat.
I bet these are even better on the grill! Thank you for sharing!
Omg freaking amazing!! Yummy
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for leaving a review!
Amazing!!