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For our second day of Cheap Eats Week, thought that it was time to feature a sadly under-appreciated member of the meat department — chicken drumsticks!
These have long been a favorite of mine — not only because they are a fun finger food and have all of that extra-flavorful dark meat, but because they are super-affordable!! Thankfully, they are also pretty foolproof to bake in the oven. Just marinate and/or season as you will, pop them in the oven, and voila! Delicious, moist chicken is yours to enjoy. :)
For this recipe, I just used some common ingredients I already had on hand. And the lemon-thyme combination proved true to tradition and was fantastic! To stick with our budget theme, you could easily serve these with a side of rice (or I used orzo pasta), roasted veggies, baked/roasted potatoes, a side salad, and/or some nice fruit.
So for all of you out there who are in a chicken breast rut, I highly encourage you to rediscover the drumsticks!! More affordable and more flavorful!
You will love this delicious Lemon, Garlic & Thyme Drumsticks Recipe!
Ingredients
Scale
6 chicken drumsticks (about 1.5 lbs.), rinsed
3 Tbsp. olive oil
zest and juice of one lemon (about 1 Tbsp. zest, 2 Tbsp. juice)
4 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tsp.)
1 tsp. dried thyme
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Place the first five ingredients (chicken through thyme) in a large bowl or Ziplock bag, and mix well so that the chicken is well coated. Cover/seal and refrigerate to marinate for 1-12 hours.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375 F degrees. Then remove drumsticks from marinade bowl/bag and place in a greased baking dish, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the juices run clear. For extra flavor, brush the drumsticks with more of the marinade about 20 minutes into baking. Serve immediately.
I’ve used canola oil when I’ve not had OO. I believe I had the oven on 350 degrees and cooked a little longer than this above recipe. (It’s been a while…pardon me if my memory’s fuzzy) Experiment with a couple drumsticks or wings (latter would be cheaper if things mess up). Just might work! :D
After placing the chicken in the dish pour a little water in the bottom – this way you do not need oil. Can save drippings and refrigerate. Fat rises to top. Discard fat and use remaining liquid as part of the liquid for rice or noodles.
I just put the chicken in the oven, but realized that the salt and pepper was to be added at this point; it’s been marinating for 5 hours with the salt & pepper. Will it turn out salty, I hope not??
This recipe looks so good. I would have definitely made it for dinner tonight if I would have known it required hours to marinate. It would have been nice to have that included In the prep time.
I rarely leave reviews and I cook homemade food 6 out of 7 days a week, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks from scatch and healthy and after trying this recipe, had to leave a review that it is amazing! Picky 5 year old, picky husband and 11 month old and myself finished every last bite of this chicken. I marinated for an hour and used pink himalayan salt. Turned at 25 min to baste and it was done at 50 min. Will make this all the time now, will try with chicken wings as well. Thank you!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
You are so sweet to comment, Ella! We’re really happy to hear you and your family enjoyed these! :)
This is a great make-and-freeze, and makes a wonderful way to gift a family that needs a meal because they can choose when to thaw and use. I like to buy a large pack of drumsticks and make a couple batches. To those who asked about Canola oil, you can substitute avocado oil, which has one of the highest smoke points (way above EVOO). It’s nice to have around the kitchen as a lighter flavored alternative.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thank you Tara, we’re glad you enjoy the recipe! :)
These were simple to make and delicious! I marinated for only 30 minutes, but basted after 20 minutes in the oven with the remaining marinade as specified. I also added only lemon juice instead of juice and zest. They turned out great!
Hey, I’m Ali!
My favorite thing in life is time spent around the table. And all the better with some seriously tasty food to bring us all together. more about me »
It seems to be a great way to cook with drumstick! Thanks for sharing :)
Made this tonight. Was great, thanks!
wanted to know if you can use canola oil instead of olive oil?
i was wondering the same thing, since i dont have olive oil…has anyone tried it this way?
don’t use canola oil as it is much more sensitive to temperatures and tends to smoke when heated.
I’ve used canola oil when I’ve not had OO. I believe I had the oven on 350 degrees and cooked a little longer than this above recipe. (It’s been a while…pardon me if my memory’s fuzzy) Experiment with a couple drumsticks or wings (latter would be cheaper if things mess up). Just might work! :D
Looks Great! I figured I should try marinated drumsticks instead on the typical crispy ones. Thanks for the recipe.
After placing the chicken in the dish pour a little water in the bottom – this way you do not need oil. Can save drippings and refrigerate. Fat rises to top. Discard fat and use remaining liquid as part of the liquid for rice or noodles.
I just put the chicken in the oven, but realized that the salt and pepper was to be added at this point; it’s been marinating for 5 hours with the salt & pepper. Will it turn out salty, I hope not??
Oh, and what is “hakuna matata”?
Thanks for this recipe. I’m marinating chicken right now!
I expect it will taste delicious!
This recipe looks so good. I would have definitely made it for dinner tonight if I would have known it required hours to marinate. It would have been nice to have that included In the prep time.
Doing your recipe tonight!.
Thank you :D.
I rarely leave reviews and I cook homemade food 6 out of 7 days a week, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks from scatch and healthy and after trying this recipe, had to leave a review that it is amazing! Picky 5 year old, picky husband and 11 month old and myself finished every last bite of this chicken. I marinated for an hour and used pink himalayan salt. Turned at 25 min to baste and it was done at 50 min. Will make this all the time now, will try with chicken wings as well. Thank you!
You are so sweet to comment, Ella! We’re really happy to hear you and your family enjoyed these! :)
This is a great make-and-freeze, and makes a wonderful way to gift a family that needs a meal because they can choose when to thaw and use. I like to buy a large pack of drumsticks and make a couple batches. To those who asked about Canola oil, you can substitute avocado oil, which has one of the highest smoke points (way above EVOO). It’s nice to have around the kitchen as a lighter flavored alternative.
Thank you Tara, we’re glad you enjoy the recipe! :)
Do not follow the cooking time. Measure the temp instead. It only takes about 30 minutes unless you cook franken chicken
It is one of best drumstick recipes I have tried! Thanks
Thanks, Irene — we’re so glad you enjoyed them! :)
These were simple to make and delicious! I marinated for only 30 minutes, but basted after 20 minutes in the oven with the remaining marinade as specified. I also added only lemon juice instead of juice and zest. They turned out great!