These Oven Roasted Lemon Chicken Drumsticks are so good and so easy to put together with simple ingredients. The drumsticks are marinated in a seasoned lemon and herb marinade that infuses delicious flavor and makes these drumsticks tender and juicy. This recipe is easy to do and makes a nice weeknight meal!
Easy, simple recipes that don’t require standing over the stove watching a pot are exactly the kind of recipes I look for on those busy weeknights. These Oven Roasted Lemon Chicken Drumsticks is one of those recipes. It’s easy to make, requires simple ingredients that are fridge and pantry staples, and tastes delicious! What more can you ask for from an easy meal?
These oven roasted chicken drumsticks are full of flavor owing to a simple marinade comprised of lemon, herbs, and simple seasonings. If you are able to, marinate them overnight. That flavor gets infused well into the chicken, making them tender, juicy, and flavorful. If, like me, you sometimes forget to plan ahead and are preparing dinner more last minute, you can opt for a shorter marinating time. Keep in mind though, the longer chicken marinates, the more juicy and flavorful it becomes.
This simple dinner requires minimal hands-on time which is perfect for freeing you up to prepare side dishes or a salad. While the oven does the work, I love whipping up quick-cooking sides like Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, Creamy Whipped Potatoes, Crispy Air Fryer Greek Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan, or Green Beans Almondine.
Ingredients in Oven Roasted Lemon Chicken Drumsticks
- Chicken drumsticks: I use about 8 drumsticks but this recipe can easily be doubled if feeding a larger family or halved if making it for a smaller one. You can also use other chicken pieces such as whole legs or chicken thighs.
- Lemon: juiced and zested. The key to great lemon flavor in this chicken is using freshly squeezed lemon juice, not bottled. Adding the lemon zest adds additional flavor as well.
- Olive oil
- Seasoning: Paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In place of the dried oregano, you can also substitute dried thyme or rosemary or use fresh herbs instead.
- Lemon wedges: Optional, to serve. I like to squeeze a little extra lemon on the roasted chicken but this is entirely up to personal taste preferences.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
Making Oven Roasted Lemon Chicken Drumsticks
- Prepare the marinade. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, oregano and salt and pepper in a large bowl or large Ziploc bag and mix together.
- Marinate the chicken. Pat the chicken drumsticks dry and place them into the marinade, massaging the marinade onto them, ensuring good coverage. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or seal the Ziploc bag) and refrigerate the drumsticks for 2 hours or overnight. Note: If you are doing this more last minute, try to marinate them for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Roast the chicken. Place the chicken drumsticks on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper, discarding the leftover marinade. Bake the chicken in a preheated oven at 400F for 20 minutes and then flip them over and cook them for another 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve.
Storing leftovers and reheating
Leftovers can be transferred to an airtight container once they’ve cooled and stored in the fridge.
To reheat them, place them back in a baking dish with a little water or chicken broth. Cover the baking dish and heat them in a preheated oven at 350F until they are heated through to a safe temperature.
What to serve with chicken drumsticks
Chicken drumsticks can be served with a wide variety of side dish options. Some of our favorites include:
- Potatoes: Greek Lemon Potatoes (Patates Lemonates Recipe), Loaded Greek Feta Fries, Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, Air Fryer Seasoned French Fries, Creamy Whipped Potatoes, Crispy Air Fryer Greek Potatoes.
- Veggies: Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan, Baked Green Bean Fries, Roasted Sugar Snap Peas, Roasted Radishes, Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob, or Green Beans Almondine.
- Pastas and rices: Creamy Orzo with Zucchini, Perfect Baked Rice, Baked Coconut Rice, Healthy Greek Pasta Salad.
- Salads: Traditional Greek Salad, Green Bean Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette, Cucumber Feta Salad.
Whatever you serve them with, these chicken drumsticks make a great meal the family will love!
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
-Cathy
You may also like these chicken recipes:
Baked Parmesan Chicken Drumsticks
Slow Cooker Chicken and Potatoes
Crispy Chicken Cutlets
Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken with Bacon
Creamy Spinach Chicken
Grilled Huli Huli Chicken
Thai Sweet Chili Chicken
Oven Roasted Lemon Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 1 lemon juiced and zested
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano You can replace with dried thyme or rosemary or use fresh herbs instead.
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- lemon wedges optional, to serve
Instructions
- Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, oregano and salt and pepper in a large bowl or a large Ziploc bag and mix together.
- Pat the chicken drumsticks dry and place them into the marinade, massaging the marinade onto them, ensuring good coverage. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or seal the Ziploc bag) and refrigerate the drumsticks for 2 hours or overnight. Note: If you are doing this more last minute, try to marinate them for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Place the chicken drumsticks on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper, discarding the leftover marinade. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes and then flip them over and cook them for another 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
