Zesty Italian Chicken Drumsticks are a delicious dinner recipe idea. Mess-free, lemon, garlic, olive oil and Italian seasoning marinade mixed together with chicken legs in a food bag.
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Check out our step by step video and see the recipe card at the end of this page for full ingredients and recipes times.
What is the best cooking method for Chicken Drumsticks?
The ones in these pictures are oven-baked. Beautifully done and an oven is something that everyone has access to.
Try cooking them in an Air Fryer for quicker cooking & fantastic crispy skin. Check out our air fryer chicken thighs too.
Or equally great in the Summer grilled on the Barbecue (BBQ grill) .
How to make an Italian marinade for Chicken Legs?
It is so easy and cheap to make your own chicken drumstick marinades. We give you a step-by-step guide to making this zesty Italian marinade.
A simple mix of the following six ingredients
- Lemon (juice & zest)
- Garlic (puree or crushed)
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Dried Italian Seasoning - shop-bought consisting of
(Oregano, Basil, Red Pepper flakes, Marjoram, Thyme, Rosemary, Sage and Parsley) - Olive Oil
- White Wine Vinegar
We simply throw all the marinade ingredients into a large zip food bag. There is no order to do this in.
Just chuck it all in bish-bash-bosh! You can do this in a bowl, but we find this a quicker and cleaner method!
Seal the bag and use your hand to rub the ingredients together.
Next, add your Chicken Drumsticks, seal the bag and rub & twist the Chicken Legs into the marinade.
How long to marinate Chicken Legs?
For best results, let the chicken drumsticks sit in the marinade in the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours. If you don't want to wait, you can cook it immediately without leaving it to marinate. It will still be tender and delicious!
As this marinade has lemon and vinegar in it, any longer than 2 hours will negatively affect the texture of the chicken meat.
Place directly into a baking tray, no need to oil or place foil down, the marinade will prevent them from sticking!
How long to cook chicken drumsticks in the oven?
Cook in a preheated fan 180°C /200°C / 400°F / gas mark 6 oven for 45 minutes turning halfway through to cook evenly
How to check if chicken drumsticks are cooked?
Forty-five minutes should give you perfectly cooked chicken drumsticks.
If your chicken drumsticks are particularly large, you may want to check them by placing a thermometer into the centre of the fleshy part of a drumstick. It should measure at least 165 F / 75 C.
Chicken Leg still pinkish?
Sometimes chicken meat can look pink, especially near the bone. This causes worry that the chicken's not cooked.
However, chicken meat can sometimes have a pink or brown tinge. If the temperature reaches 165 F /75 C your chicken will be safe to eat!
Add some fresh basil after they are cooked to add some extra flavour & colour.
Serving Suggestions
We have serve on a bed of refreshingly wholesome Italian styled mozzarella and tomato, olives with baby leaves salad.
More Chicken Side Dishes
Another great recipe to serve these zesty Italian chicken drumsticks up with is our Italian Style Rice Salad, perfect for a BBQ!
📖 Step by Step Recipe
Zesty Italian Chicken Drumsticks
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken Drumsticks
- 6 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Gia Garlic Puree
- 2 teaspoon Italian Seasonig
- 1 teaspoon Dark Brown Sugar
- ½ Lemon Juice
- 1 Lemon zest
- small handful Fresh Basil chopped
Instructions
Oven Cook Method
- Place all marinade ingredients in a zip bag or sandwich bag, seal & use your fingers to push all the ingredients together
- Add the chicken drumsticks into the bag, mix together with the marinade, cook straight away or leave to marinate in the fridge for up to 2 hours.
- Place the marinated chicken drumsticks on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 45 mins at fan 180°C /200°C / 400°F / gas mark 6 turn halfway through.
- Add some fresh basil to serve
Air Fryer Method
- Follow Oven Method step 1-2
- Preheat Air Fryer to 190 °C. Place Chicken drumstick in a single layer inside airfryer for 25 minutes (turning halfway)
BBQ Method
- Follow Oven Method step 1-2
- Place on preheated BBQ at medium-hot heat. Cook for 30-35 minutes turning every 5 minutes.
Video
Nutrition
Post originally published on 31/05/2020, updated cooking temperature and time and serving suggestions on 23/04/2023.
Storage
Once the chicken drumsticks are fully cooked, transfer them onto a plate and allow them to cool down before storing them in the fridge.
Store in an airtight container or wrap in foil/plastic wrap if placing them directly into the fridge.
Cooked chicken drumsticks can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.
Freezing
Freeze leftover cooked chicken drumsticks within 2 hours of cooking. They can be stored in freezer bags in the freezer for four months. Defrost before reheating.
Reheating
It is safe to reheat cooked chicken drumsticks as long as it has been stored correctly in the refrigerator or freezer.
When reheating, heat the chicken drumsticks to an internal temperature of 165°F / 75°C or above. You can reheat cooked chicken in a oven or microwave.
Microwave
If you choose to use a microwave, be sure to cover the container with a lid and cook in one minute intervals turning during reheating until piping hot throughout.
Oven
To reheat cooked chicken drumsticks in an oven, preheat the oven to 400°F and place the drumsticks on a baking sheet bake for approximately 15 - 20 minutes
More Italian Recipes
Looking for more Italian chicken recipes, try our mozzarella chicken or check out other Italian recipes.
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Cheryl Wolverton
This sounds pretty good. I usually use a bottle of Italian dressing and marinade them overnight. It’s quick and friends usually like them. My plan is to fix chicken leg’s this week, so I’m going to use this recipe. I’ll post how it turns out! Thanks
Luke and Kay
Hi Cheryl,
Thank you for your kind review and for choosing our Zesty Italian chicken drumsticks recipe! We are really happy that you plan on cooking our dish. We would love to hear how it turns out, so please do not forget to post a review when finished. We hope that you and your friends enjoy the meal! 🙂
Nic
I had some chicken legs in the fridge that needed using but we were all fed up of the usual recipes... so I tried this one!
Omg it was AMAZING! hi
Luke and Kay
Thank you for your incredible review, Nic! We're so glad you enjoyed our Zesty Italian Chicken Drumsticks and that it inspired a much-needed change from your usual recipes. We take great pride in creating delicious dishes that are easy to make and can be enjoyed by the whole family, so we appreciate you giving it a try. 🙂
Helen I.
Tried your recipe and its so delicious. Thanks for sharing, great dish to make.
Kay
Hi Helen, I'm glad you enjoyed our Italian chicken drumstick recipe! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. I hope you'll try some of my other recipes as well.
Capri
I love the flavor of this chicken! So delish!
Catherine
This looks so incredibly tasty!
Jessica Stroup
Yummy! A new family favorite!
Chef Dennis
That chicken looks amazingly delicious! I can't wait to try it
Audrey
A wonderful family favorite!!!
Leslie
My whole family loves chicken drumsticks! I would love to try this Italian version. It looks like a win for my family!
Amanda Marie Boyle
I love this marinade, and it goes so well on dark meat!
Monidipa
I actually made this for dinner today!<3
Riz | Chocolates & Chai
So...my fiancee LOVES chicken drumsticks. This means I'm always on the lookout for drumstick recipes, and I'll be adding this to my list of things to cook for "she who must be obeyed" this coming week!
Carol Borchardt
I have some chicken drumsticks in the freezer and I've been looking for a delicious way to use them. Love how simple and easy this recipe is! Sure to be a crowd-pleaser! Thanks so much!