This Honey Mustard Baked Chicken Drumsticks recipe is a perfect, effortless way to make baked chicken legs in the oven. With a magical 4 ingredient sauce, no marinating required, these chicken drumsticks are golden, sticky and everyone loves them!
Plus an optional side of buttery, crispy smashed potatoes for a drumsticks dinner made on one tray!
Sticky Baked Chicken Drumsticks recipe
This baked Chicken Drumsticks recipe is one of those gems that you’re going to want to keep in your back pocket. Here’s why you’re going to love it and make it over and over again:
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Unbelievably easy – just spoon sauce over the chicken legs and bake;
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Magical 5 ingredient Honey Mustard Sauce
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They roast beautifully so they’re sticky and golden;
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The flavour is universally pleasing. It’s not too sweet, not too salty, it’s finger lickin’ good!
Difference between chicken legs and drumsticks?
Chicken legs and drumsticks are the same thing. Everybody’s favourite part of Roast Chicken!
What you need for Honey Mustard baked chicken legs
Here’s all you need – chicken legs, plus 4 simple ingredients for the magical Honey Mustard Sauce:
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Dijon mustard (or other plain mild mustard)
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Honey
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Garlic
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Cornflour / cornstarch*
There are very few sauces in this world that taste so great with so few ingredients. And it coats the chicken legs so well, making them beautifully sticky!
* Without cornflour, the sauce is super watery because of all the chicken juices.
How to make baked chicken legs
Pop the chicken legs on a tray, spoon over sauce and bake!
In this recipe, I’ve completed the meal with a side of crispy smashed potatoes made on the same tray. In order to do this, I’ve created a “barrier” between the chicken and potatoes using foil. This makes for easier cleaning up and stops the chicken juices leaking over to the potatoes which makes them soggy instead of crispy!
To prepare the potatoes quickly, I just microwave them. Then place on the tray, squish, drizzle with butter or oil. Together, the potatoes and chicken legs 50 to 60 minutes to bake to perfection – crispy potatoes and sticky chicken legs with tender flesh.
How long does it take to cook drumsticks in the oven?
Sticky drumsticks like this take 50 minutes to cook in the oven at 180°C/350F. This makes them caramelised on the outside with tender flesh.
Some recipes will say to bake them at a higher temperature (220°C/425F) for around 30 minutes. While they will cook through in this time, I find that the flesh is a bit too chewy for my taste.
Sticky drumsticks AND crispy potatoes!
And here’s how they come out – sticky and saucy drumsticks on one side, and crispy potatoes on the other side!
One tray winner winner chicken dinner!
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Sticky baked chicken drumsticks;
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Honey Mustard Sauce; AND
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crispy smashed potatoes.
Throw on a side of steamed veggies of choice and dinner is done.
Active effort time: just over 10 minutes.
Marinating time: Zero
Deliciousness rating: Well, let’s put it this way. There’s a reason why there’s only 7 drumsticks in the photo above when the recipe calls for 8…. Honestly, I have the self control of a child. It’s a disgrace. ?
– Nagi x
Watch how to make it
More terrific baked chicken drumstick recipes
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Greek Chicken (make this with drumsticks instead of thighs)
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Honey Mustard Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
Smashed Potatoes (optional):
- 4 x 150g/5oz potatoes (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp / 30 g olive oil or melted butter
Chicken:
- 8 chicken legs (about 1 kg / 2 lb) (Note 2)
- 2 tsp olive oil
Sauce:
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard (or use more Dijon)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch (Note 4)
- Pinch of salt and pepper
For serving (optional):
- Fresh thyme leaves or chopped parsley
- Steamed broccolini
Instructions
Smashed Potatoes option:
- Microwave potatoes for 10 minutes on high or until cooked. (Note 5)
- Place on one side of tray. Squish using potato masher (Note 6) to about 1.7cm / 2/3" thickness. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- If making smashed potatoes, fold up the edges of the foil the drumsticks are on
Sticky Baked Drumsticks:
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Mix Sauce ingredients together with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Line tray with foil, then top with parchment paper.
- Place drumsticks on paper. If making smashed potatoes, fold up the edges of the foil so the sauce won't leak into the potatoes (doesn't need to be high - even 1cm / 2/5" is enough, video useful).
- Spoon Sauce over drumsticks. Drizzle chicken with olive oil.
Baking
- Bake for 30 minutes. Turn drumsticks (not potatoes), spoon juices over drumsticks.
- Bake for a further 20 minutes, turn, spoon over juices. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until sauce reduces and the drumsticks are golden and sticky.
- Remove from oven. Squidge the drumsticks around in what should now be a syrupy sauce. (Note 7) Serve drumsticks with sauce, with crispy smashed potatoes and steamed broccolini on the side. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves if using.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published 25 April 2018. Post and recipe tidied up and updated for housekeeping matters. No change to recipe ingredients.
Life of Dozer
This recipe was originally published on ANZAC Day in Australia, on 25 April 2018. It’s a day when we commemorate the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (“ANZACs”) who served and sacrificed for our country in the first world war.
Dozer wears an Anzac rosemary sprig on his collar for (most of) the day and we make a donation to the ANZAC Appeal. A very small gesture. #LestWeForget?
Absolutely yummy. I didn’t use the cornflour and it still worked out beautifully. Another winner to add to my already very thick collection of Nagi recipes.
Made a double batch today as we had friends coming for Sunday lunch. Was a little concerned as the friends can be picky eaters. They absolutely loved it and actually had two helpings! Served with broccolini and a roasted veggie salad. Definitely making again. Winner winner 👏👏
Have made this lots of times successfully (it freezes and reheats beautifully). This time we tripled the recipe with the slider and the sauce didn’t thicken. No biggie, I tipped it out and thickened in a saucepan with a cornflour slurry–but there’s something in the chemistry of the cornflour reaction that means you need more than you’d expect when significantly increasing the rest of the ingredients.
Oh my! I am not a mustard fan, but this was outrageous! Stupidest easy meal you could ever cook and was less than $20 to feed my family of six . so delicious and now on regular rotation in this household.
Absolutely delicious. Didn’t change anything, but I will double the sauce next time. Cheap and tasty meal.
Was looking for a chicken drumstick recipe and couldn’t go past yours. This was so much better than I could even imagine. Crispy potatoes and flavour packed chicken. Finger licking good.
The chicken was absolutely scrumptious. We licked the bowl clean, seriously! I added a tsp of mixed herbs to the sauce. Will be making this recipe many more times, thank you! A query, tho’ – this was the first time I made smashed potatoes and they were dry..what did I do wrong?
Made this delicious recipe exactly as written and it is a winner.! Wouldn’t change a thing and expect it to be a regular when drumsticks are on the menu.
I’m rating the potatoes only, which I made last night with another Nagi’s chicken recipe.. OMG. Seriously the best potato recipe I’ve ever made. The microwave cooking + oven roasting method makes it so creamy! Btw my oven has an air fryer mode which was what I used. I made a blue cheese sauce to go with it. It’s a keeper!!
This recipe lived up to its name in easiness and speed. However I doubled the sauce as I wanted my chicken pieces to drown in the honey mustard mixture . Only to find that the sauce only barely coated the chicken after baking. . Suggest more cornflour and some chicken stock be added if you want a saucier dish.
Love this – thanks Nagi. Economical, low mileage preparation, perfect for a midweek dinner and oh so tasty!
Sorry forgot to rate … 5 stars all the way! Absolutely delicious! Another easy and yummy recipe, my toddler even asked for a second serving. Served with roasted pumpkin and carrots. Thanks Nagi X
Absolutely delicious! Another easy and yummy recipe, my toddler even asked for a second serving. Served with roasted pumpkin and carrots. Thanks Nagi X
I used bone in thighs on this one – winner, winner and you guessed it chicken dinner…served with some yummy mash and brocollini
I just did the chicken legs alone tonight as I often do the smashed potatoes. Hi 5. Chicken legs on their own were delish. Doubled the recipe
Quick, easy and budget friendly. So delicious, this will be a regular dish!
These were so tasty! The chicken was perfectly cooked and the sauce was amazing!
Absolutely divine
Made this and it was amazing! We all loved it! Just wondering if you could make the sauce and marinade it ahead of time (like day before). Has anyone tried this?
My favourite recipe for baked chicken. So easy to make and so tasty. Thanks Nagi, I absolutely love your recipes. Love the videos as well 🙂