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!
Lemon, Garlic & Thyme Drumsticks
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 70 minutes
- Yield: 6 drumsticks (1.5 lbs chicken) 1x
Description
You will love this delicious Lemon, Garlic & Thyme Drumsticks Recipe!
Ingredients
- 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.
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!
It is one of best drumstick recipes I have tried! Thanks
Thanks, Irene — we’re so glad you enjoyed them! :)
Do not follow the cooking time. Measure the temp instead. It only takes about 30 minutes unless you cook franken chicken
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! :)
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! :)