Healthy Recipes For Chicken Thighs And Drumsticks

Got 5 minutes for dinner? Make this incredible baked chicken recipe! Crispy oven roasted chicken thighs and drumsticks that makes its own gravy in the same baking pan.

It’s the chicken version of this Sausage Bake with Gravy, a long time reader favourite.Minutes to prep, zero maintenance to cook. 100% delish!

This is another one* of those super speedy recipes that came about at the end of a long cook day when I had to use up ingredients before the expiry date but had zero energy to expend. It’s a dump-and-bake recipe, but entirely made from scratch – no canned soup shortcuts around here!

Easy Chicken And Rice Recipe

Chicken is coated in a simple spice mix for flavour (plus it makes the chicken crispy!) then it’s baked IN a flour/beef stock liquid that magically thickens into a gravy by the time the chicken is cooked.

* Sausage Bake, and the Ultra Lazy Series (Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake, Chicken Rice Bake and speedy Corn Chowder) being to more such examples! Handy for busy midweek cooking. 🙂

Here’s what you need for this baked chicken. Very few ingredients, right?? Hard to believe it’s going to make something so delicious… but I promise it does! It’s all in the cooking logic. Read on!

Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs In The Oven

The key to this recipe is how the “self saucing gravy” is made. You simply whisk together flour with beef stock/broth, then pour it around the chicken. As it bakes in the oven, 3 things happen:

WARNING: When it comes out of the oven, you’ll be looking at a congealed mess in the pan instead of the silky gravy you see. Have faith! Just give it a good whisk and it comes together beautifully!

Serve with anything your heart desires. Pictured at the top of the post with creamy mashed potato (possibly cauliflower – can’t remember if I was attempting low carb on that day) and a side of Rocket Salad with Balsamic Dressing.

Honey Garlic Baked Chicken Drumsticks

And in the photo above, this crispy baked chicken is served withbuttery Seasoned Rice (think Rice-a-roni, except homemade, excellent freezer standby) and steamed greens drizzled with the herb & garlic dressing from this Cucumber Salad.

But honestly? Chicken and gravy. It goes with anything (non Asian). You could even pull the meat off the bones, toss in the gravy then stuff it in bread rolls to make Chicken and Gravy Rolls. YES!

Recipe video above. Crispy baked chicken thighs and drumsticks that magically makes its own gravy - all in one pan! Terrific last minute chicken dinner that takes minutes to prepare and is zero maintenance to cook. The flavour in the gravy is phenomenal because it's flavoured with the chicken juices!

Roasted Sticky Chicken Thighs With Broccoli

1. Chicken - drumsticks and bone in thighs are ideal for this recipe, use all of one or a mix together. I used 4 thighs + 3 legs in the video and some photos, and 6 thighs in the batch for one of the photos.

Needs to be skin on, bone in chicken so they can sustain the cook time required for the gravy to form. To reduce fat, the skin on thighs can be removed (see this baked chicken & rice, that's how the skinless chicken will come out. Same cooked time).

Chicken breast - because of the shorter cook time, you need to put the pan with just the gravy in the oven first for 20 minutes, then add the breast for 20 minutes. I'll share that as a separate recipe one of these days!

Cal Peternell's Braised Chicken Legs Recipe

2. Gravy - to make this gluten free, leave out the flour, bake chicken. Once cooked, remove chicken, cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Mix 1.5 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch with 2 tbsp water, whisk into pan juices. Return to oven for 5 minutes.

3. Broth/stock - beef stock gives the gravy a nice brown colour and also has a deeper flavour than chicken stock. Chicken stock fine to use but gravy will be pale.

4. Gravy thickness - There will be some variable here because the juiciness of chicken varies drastically (quality of chicken, frozen thawed leeches more water than fresh, some economical chicken is injected with brine, accuracy of oven, size and material of pan).

Dutch Oven Chicken Thighs

But it's super easy to adjust - If it's a bit thin, pop it back in the oven for a few minutes - without chicken, it will thicken in mere minutes. If too thick, add splash of hot tap water.

Likely there will be a few small lumps in the gravy, rather than being 1000% smooth. We're doing quick 'n easy, one pan here! If the lumps really bother you, strain when pouring into jug. It does not bother me. 🙂

6. Nutrition per serving, assuming all gravy is consumed. You can slash at least 100 calories by trimming the flappy skin/fat off the chicken thighs - I can't accurately calculate that which is why I've erred on the side of caution. 1 tablespoon chicken fat = 115 calories.

Easy Sticky Chicken Drumsticks Recipe By Tasty

Calories: 505 cal (25%) Carbohydrates: 5 g (2%) Protein: 36 g (72%) Fat: 37 g (57%) Saturated Fat: 10 g (63%) Cholesterol: 208 mg (69%) Sodium: 761 mg (33%) Potassium: 580 mg (17%) Fiber: 1 g (4%) Sugar: 1 g (1%) Vitamin A: 166 IU (3%) Calcium: 21 mg (2%) Iron: 2 mg (11%)

It would be kind of cute that he stands there for ages with his head pushed through the dog door….except it’s winter here, and ice cold air is blasting into the house through that considerably large hole…😖

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!This oven baked method produces perfect honey soy chicken thighs and legs with flavourful, crispy skin and a sticky glaze. No marinade necessary! Serve it with our Asian Noodle Salad for a delicious dinner.

Drumsticks In Oven Recipe

I couldn’t wait to share this quick and tasty chicken recipe with you as soon as I sunk my teeth into a perfectly seasoned and baked chicken drumstick. Juicy, flavourful with an extremely satisfying crispy skin and a sticky glaze. Bliss.

It was an added bonus that this chicken thigh and drumstick recipe is done in under an hour. No marinating is required without any compromise to the flavour.

I can pretty much always count on extra juicy flesh when I cook chicken thighs and legs in the oven. To avoid dry chicken I rely on bone-in chicken pieces, which produce tastier results every time for two simple reasons.

Baked Chicken Drumsticks (tender, Juicy, Easy!)

The bone marrow will leak into the pan during the cooking process and give chicken more flavour. The bone itself will keep chicken from drying it.

Keeping the oven temperature reasonably high at 190C/375F and cooking time low at 35- 40 minutes max will also ensure that the chicken doesn’t lose moisture.

There is an argument about whether to keep skin on or off and each side has their valid reasons. Cooking chicken without the skin reduces the calories, so it is the way to go for people who try to limit their fat consumption.

Oven Roasted Chicken Legs (thighs & Drumsticks)

On the other hand, there is nothing quite like crispy and deliciously glazed chicken skin. Take it off and you will lose half the flavour.

So if you don’t follow a very strict diet, I would recommend keeping the chicken skin on but reducing your overall portions because flavour is king in my books.

What makes this recipe so special is the combination of soy sauce, honey, freshly grated ginger, sesame oil and freshly squeezed orange juice, that the chicken is glazed with.

Juicy Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe (w/ Chicken Rub)

However, you won’t get that sticky coating on your chicken thighs and legs simply by brushing the sauce on once. Don’t get me wrong, it will still be a respectable dinner option but it won’t wow you or your family.

First of all, line your shallow roasting pan with either parchment paper or foil to catch the juices. This will eliminate a tremendous amount of clean up and will help with the last stage of making the glaze.

To achieve maximum flavour I applied the sauce on the chicken three times. First time, before it went in the oven and again halfway through the cooking.

Honey Garlic Chicken Legs Recipe (fast & Easy!)

Once the chicken thighs and legs were fully cooked I removed them from the roasting pan and poured the juices that collected into a small saucepan. Then I reduced them to a thick and sticky glaze and coated the chicken thighs and legs in it.

If you cook your chicken thighs and legs at 190C/375F, it will take between 35-40 minutes. If you are not sure whether the chicken thighs are done, check their internal temperature with a meat thermometer. It should read 165F/ 73C for dark meat and 160F/70C for white.

This oven baked chicken pairs well with rice and any vegetables you love. We found sugar snap peas to be an easy and nutritious side but you can use greens beans, broccoli, bok choy, etc.

Honey Baked Chicken Drumstick Recipe

This oven baked method produces perfect honey soy chicken thighs and legs with flavourful, crispy skin and a sticky glaze. No marinade necessary!

Calories: 418 kcal Carbohydrates: 15 g Protein: 30 g Fat: 25 g Saturated Fat: 7 g Cholesterol: 115 mg Sodium: 779 mg