How Long To Cook Chicken Drumsticks In Microwave

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!

Close up of Honey Mustard sauce being drizzled over Baked Chicken Drumsticks

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:

Unbelievably easy – just spoon sauce over the chicken legs and bake;
Magical 5 ingredient Honey Mustard Sauce
They roast beautifully so they're sticky and golden;
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!

Overhead photo of easy chicken dinner - Honey Mustard Baked Chicken Drumsticks with Smashed Potatoes on a silver tray with a side of steamed broccolini

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:

Dijon mustard (or other plain mild mustard)
Honey
Garlic
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 ofcrispy 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!

Toprepare 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 to make Honey Mustard Baked Chicken Legs with Crispy Smashed Potatoes

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!

Overhead photo of Honey Mustard Baked Chicken Drumsticks with Smashed Potatoes on a silver tray with a side of steamed broccolini

Honey Mustard Baked Chicken Drumsticks with Smashed Potatoes on a silver tray with a side of steamed broccolini on a rustic ceramic plate, ready to be eaten

One tray winner winner chicken dinner!

Sticky baked chicken drumsticks;
Honey Mustard Sauce; AND
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

Lemon Garlic Chicken and Potatoes
Drumsticks with Chinese Plum Sauce
Jamaican Jerk Drumsticks
Greek Chicken (make this with drumsticks instead of thighs)

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Servings 4

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Recipe video above. A terrifically easy baked chicken drumsticks with a magical 4 ingredient Honey Mustard sauce. Plus, option to add crispy smashed potatoes for an effortless dinner on one tray!

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

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.

1. Potatoes - Can also boil about 25 minutes. I use the everyday dirt brushed potatoes or washed potatoes for this recipe (the most common potato types here in Australia). Any all purpose potato will be great with this. US: Red or Yukon gold is ideal - great crunch!

Can also use baby potatoes like in these Ultra Crispy Smashed Potatoes recipe. Most potatoes will be fine here - high starch potatoes will yield a fluffier inside, whereas waxy potatoes are a bit less fluffy but are sort of creamy. You'll love both!

2. Chicken - Or 4 to 5 bone in, skin on thighs, same cook time and method. Skinless boneless thighs will also work but only need 40 minutes in the oven so put the potatoes in first then add the thighs after 20 minutes.

3. Mustard - Or other smooth mustard (even that bright yellow stuff you put on hot dogs!), but not super spicy English mustard - unless you want it so spicy it blows your head off!

4. Cornflour - Without this, the sauce is watery because of the chicken juices. With this, you have a glossy, syrupy Honey Mustard sauce to drizzle all over the chicken and your veggies.

5. Potatoes - No need to prick, doesn't matter if they burst slightly. Doesn't even matter if they are not 100% cooked all the way through as long as they are cooked enough to squish.

6. Or fork or bottom of glass or spatula. If you can get rough ridges on the surface, you get better golden crispy bits!

7. SAUCE adjustments: This sauce thickness will be affected by how juicy your drumsticks are but it's super easy to adjust the sauce. Remove drumsticks and if it's too thick, add a tiny bit of water. If still watery, pop it back in the oven (without chicken) for a couple of minutes - it will thicken up super fast.

8. STORAGE: Drumsticks will reheat great from fridge or thawed from freezer. Spoon over share of sauce too! I just microwave to reheat. Crispy potato will recrisp in the oven - 180C/350F for around 10 minutes.

9. Nutrition per serving, including potato, chicken and all sauce, excludes steamed veg.

Serving: 370 g Calories: 577 cal (29%)

Keywords: Baked Chicken Drumsticks, Chicekn Drumsticks

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?

Dozer Anzac Day 2018