Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks Recipe

This oven-baked chicken drumstick recipe is packed with flavor and crunch! The perfect healthy chicken drumstick recipe everyone will love!

This recipe is from 2014; it got a refresh in 2017, but it’s honestly so good that it deserved yet another refresh.  Enjoy!

I have to be honest. I’m hit or miss on chicken drumsticks.  I love wings and dummies, but I don’t always love chicken drumsticks.  I need them to have extra crunchy layering and not be too dry (But, like, I’m also not trying to get salmonella poisoning in the name of moist chicken either.  And since chicken drumsticks can take a while to cook, that balance can be difficult to achieve.)  And most importantly, the coating has to be fire, or it’s a dud.  This recipe has stood the test of time over and over again. We come back to it as our go-to chicken drumstick recipe.  Although I use the air fryer a lot, I still use the oven when I want oven-baked chicken drumsticks because they turn out so good, and you can make A LOT at once, which is great if you are trying to feed a crowd.  

And, of course, oven-baked chicken drumsticks have the crunch of fried chicken drumsticks with far fewer calories and fat.  Personally, I don’t demonize calories or fat in my diet, but for a regular weeknight meal, it’s nice to have it be a little more balanced. I also upgraded the ingredients, particularly the flour I use, to make these a bit healthier and include more real food instead of a refined flour coating.  I use almond flour most often but also included instructions for using garbanzo flour (gluten-free) or whole wheat flour.  As always, let me know if you try them! 

How to Make Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Please note this is a visual how-to section, for the printable recipe card, please scroll to the bottom.  

You will start by marinating your chicken drumsticks in buttermilk for at least an hour.  Then, you’ll use the shake-and-bake technique to coat each chicken drumstick.  Bake on a cookie sheet, flipping halfway through!  Really pretty easy and straightforward! 

Swaps and Substitutions 

This recipe can be made gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free and low-carb.  See the swap and substitutions for suggested tips on how to modify the ingredient list.  

• buttermilk 
  • no buttermilk on hand?  1 cup of milk (any percent) and 1 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar.  Let the mixture sit for five minutes before continuing on.  
  • dairy free?  follow the instructions above, but use your preferred milk substitute.  In this recipe, I like ripple pea milk, oat milk, or canned coconut milk.  
• chicken drumsticks – do not omit or substitute 
• flour type – I’ve tested this recipe with garbanzo flour, whole wheat flour, and almond flour. You need twice the flour for almond flour as you do for garbanzo or whole wheat flour.  You may substitute all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour.  We most often make this recipe with almond flour.  
• salt – do not omit, you can adjust it to fit your flavor preference. 
• cayenne pepper – do not omit, you can adjust it to fit your flavor preference. 
• white pepper – – do not omit, you can adjust it to fit your flavor preference. I keep some white pepper on hand just for this recipe. It has a milder flavor compared to black pepper.  If you only have black pepper on hand, you’ll want to cut down the pepper amount by at least half.  
• cumin  – do not omit it, you can adjust it to fit your flavor preference. 

How to Store and Freeze Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Store: store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.  Reheat in the microwave or use the reheat mode on the air fryer to get your crunch back! Make sure to reheat to 165F!

Freeze:  store in the freezer in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.  Keep in mind that the chicken will have a different texture after defrosting, but it will still be good!  Make sure to reheat to 165F!