Chicken legs or drumsticks are a budget friendly portion of chicken that are easy to cook, juicy and tender. This garlic parmesan recipe bakes the chicken legs until crisp and then bastes them in a flavorful garlic parmesan sauce. They are absolutely delicious and wonderfully tender in just about 45 minutes.
Baking the drumsticks creates a beautiful crust without needing to fry them in oil or requiring careful babysitting. Just season, bake, baste with a buttery garlic sauce and sprinkle with grated parmesan. These drumsticks are simply perfect.
Let’s get started…
Begin by patting your chicken legs dry with paper towels. Combine a tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of onion powder, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper in a shallow bowl and toss each piece in the seasoning.
Once the chicken is generously coated in the seasoning, place it onto large baking sheet. It is best to bake the chicken legs on a baking rack to allow even heat circulation on all sides, but if you do not have an oven safe baking rack just arrange the pieces leaving space in between.
Drizzle the seasoned chicken legs with melted butter, olive oil or spray with cooking spray.
Bake the chicken legs in a 425 degree oven for 35 minutes. Flipping is not necessary if baking on a rack. If you are baking the chicken legs directly on the baking sheet, it is best to flip the chicken half way through.
While the chicken is baking, combine 1/2 cup of melted butter with 2 cloves of finely minced garlic, a tablespoon of finely chopped parsley, a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika.
Once the chicken legs have baked for 35 minutes, brush the garlic butter sauce over each portion and bake for another 5 minutes. Repeat this process once more, so the chicken bakes for a total of 45 minutes.
Baking the chicken with the cornstarch and seasoning blend allows it to become nice and crisp on the outside and then brushing the garlic butter over them infuses that crispy exterior with so much flavor.
Sprinkle the basted chicken with a generous coating of grated parmesan and maybe a little extra parsley and enjoy!
I have always loved garlic parmesan wings and these drumsticks have all those saucy wing vibes with much more meat on the bone. They are perfect for weeknight dinners or serving to special guests. I like pairing them with a big salad and some crispy roasted potatoes.
If you are looking for a simple chicken recipe that will give you lots of flavor without lots of effort then these garlic parmesan drumsticks are for you!
Garlic Parmesan Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 8-10 drumsticks
- melted butter, olive oil or cooking spray
Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons of onion powder
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
Garlic Butter Sauce
- 1/2 cup of butter, melted
- 2 cloves of butter, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
Topping
- 1/2 cup of parmesan, finely grated
- fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
- Pat the drumsticks dry with paper towels
- Combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of onion powder, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper in a large shallow bowl and generously coat each drumstick
- Arrange the seasoned drumsticks on baking rack placed over a large baking sheet leaving space in between each one
- Drizzle the seasoned drumsticks with melted butter, olive oil or spray with cooking spray
- Bake in a 425 degree oven for 35 minutes
- While the drumsticks are baking, combine 1/2 cup of melted butter with 2 cloves of finely minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
- After 35 minutes of baking, brush the garlic butter over the drumsticks and bake for another 5 minutes. Repeat the process once more for a total baking time of about 45 minutes
- Once the drumsticks are tender and cooked through with an internal temperature of 185 degrees, transfer the drumsticks out of the oven and sprinkle generously with finely grated parmesan
