Crispiest Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Once you’ve made the crispiest baked chicken drumsticks with this recipe, you won’t want to make them any other way!

Video: Baking Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients

The cut of chicken we’re using this time is chicken drumsticks which is part of the chicken leg. When it’s still attached to the chicken thigh, it’s a chicken leg quarter, but on its own the lower leg is known as a drumstick, or sometimes just chicken leg. This is a skin-on, bone-in cut of chicken.

In my crispy chicken recipe below, I’ve seasoned with salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. You can absolutely switch up the spices to suit your taste or use one of our great homemade seasoning blends. If you’re using a homemade or store-bought seasoning mix, check to see if it includes salt before adding any additional.

Whatever seasonings you use though, don’t forget the most important part, the baking powder! Say what?

Why Use Baking Powder On Chicken?

Baking powder is a leavening agent usually used in baked goods such as cookies and cakes. It’s a mixture of sodium bicarbonate, cream of tartar, and cornstarch. When mixed with salt and coated on chicken it dries out the skin, leaving it crisp and crunchy. This simple trick gives you the most delicious baked chicken.

Why does this happen? It happens because the addition of the baking powder raises the pH level in the chicken skin, allowing the peptide bonds in the skin to break down, thus letting the skin get more crisp and brown.

Please note that I am NOT talking about baking soda. This cannot be substituted here. Straight baking soda has a much stronger flavor than baking powder.

Baking powder that contains “sodium aluminum sulfate” has a very noticeable bitter taste to some people. If you notice this flavor, you’ll want to try a different brand of baking powder. The Rumford brand is aluminum-free, so do try that one. 

How To Make Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Start by preheating the oven to 250°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and top it with an oven-safe rack. Spray the rack with cooking spray to prevent the chicken from sticking.

In a large bowl mix together the baking powder along with the salt and any other seasonings you want to use. Add the chicken drumsticks and toss until evenly coated. Note that you are not creating a coating that is like a breading or even as dry and thick as when you coat chicken in flour. This is a very light dusting and I really don’t want you to be tempted to add more. Just use the amount given and make sure you’ve mixed it really well.

Actually, here’s a great tip on that point, and it is what I normally do for this recipe and with chicken wings too, especially if making a larger-sized batch. Put half of your chicken in a big bowl and sprinkle it with half the amount of baking powder, half the amount of salt, and then half of your seasonings. Toss that a bit. Then add the other half of your chicken topped with the other half of everything else, and mix. In this way, you get a much more even distribution. Then you can proceed.

Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking rack in a single layer and transfer to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes at the low temperature of 250°F. This dries out the chicken and allows the baking powder to take effect.

Then you’ll increase the oven temperature to 425°F to cook it through and get perfectly crispy. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the chicken skin is crispy and the meat is no longer pink near the bone. It is best to test that the meat has an internal temperature of 165°F with an instant-read thermometer.

Then it’s time to enjoy your crispy baked chicken legs with your favorite sauce (it’s amazing with Buffalo sauce) and side dishes!

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