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:
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!
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 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!
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
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?
Easy peezy! I cooked em in a casserole so not very browned. Sauce was insanely tasty . Served chook with white rice to catch all the sauce
Wow, this chicken packed stacks of flavour, for very little effort, using pantry basics…fabulous recipe, super tasty and very moreish. I paired it with your roast pumpkin, spinach and feta salad…yum! Thank you Nagi, another recipe winner (winner chicken dinner)!!!🤗
Yummy!! My whole family enjoyed this meal! It was our first time having smashed potatoes and oh my!! We drizzled our left over sauce on the potato’s too!
Just made this it was great only i didn’t make the smashed potatoes, i really wanted to but i was already using your here baby potatoes, which are also delicious!
I had all the comments before dinner: I don’t like chicken drumsticks, I don’t like potatoes, I don’t like honey,… and then they sat and had it all together and loved it. I’ve learned not to change your recipes at all. We loved it. Thank you again
Made this last night and it was soooo scrumptious!!!
Must admit I didn’t have much sauce not sure why. The spud were delicious, crispy on the outside and lovely and fluffy inside. Served with broccoli as well. Tonight we are having you Healthy creamy zucchini soup.
Love your recipes, make them all the time. A life saver when I was based on a remote Island off the mainland in PNG.
Keep them coming Nagi
Nagi this recipe has 2 tsp olive oil in the ingredients list with the chicken but this is not used in the recipe? Was your intention to oil the chicken before adding the marinade?
Refer step 5
What a great mid week recipe. The only thing I did different was I cooked the smashed potatoes in my Ninja Foodi on the air fryer function with a little ghee, as opposed to olive oil. Not the healthiest of options but it was literally a tablespoon drizzled over. I think ghee gives potatoes such a great depth of flavour you do not get from normal oil. I do not have a metal masher like Nagi so I used a pastry cutter, this created lots of ridges which gave the potatoes so much crispness especially in the air fryer.
I would suggest to those who are thinking of leaving out the baking paper and foil; don’t! There is obviously a method to Nagi’s recipe and correct me if I wrong Nagi, but due to the length of time you need to cook the chicken, if you cook this in a bog standard cooking tin, due to the heat the pan retains, the sauce would reduce to nothing and would end up burning. The baking paper reduces the direct heat conduction and also helps the chicken not stick to the foil. I have only cooked this Nagi’s way, so correct me if I am wrong. You could I suppose double the sauce recipe, but then I do not think you would get the wonderful carmelisation that happens at the end.
Thanks again Nagi! Whitney
WOW Sorry guys …. cooking two foods at once ….. my other comments are on the baked beans!!! The chicken …. go for it ……. it the simplest and tastiest way to eat chicken!!
Nagi …… you must do a lot of cooking! Being an Aussie …… the closest recipe yet to an iconic Aussie food! Wish to make three constructive comments. 1. If your not a big fan of Worcestershire sauce then half it and add more later if you wish. Agree it IS part of the recipe! 2. The choice of tomato sauce is important. The one you like will work!! 3. I found this addictive but was searching for some thing ….. I added lime juice …….changed the depth I was looking for! A must make …. enjoy!!
Nagi …… you must do a lot of cooking! Being an Aussie …… the closest recipe yet to an iconic Aussie food! Wish to make three constructive comments. 1. If your not a big fan of Worcestershire sauce then half it and add more later if you wish. Agree it IS part of the recipe! 2. The choice of tomato sauce is important. The one you like will work!! 3. I found this addictive but was searching for some thing ….. I added lime juice …….filled the gap but it might have done because next time i will reduce the Worcestershire sauce. A must make …. enjoy!!
Just cooked this and everyone loved it! Thank you
Loved this recipe!!! My 2&4yo kids adored it too. I’m not normally a fan of the honey mustard combo but I’d never had it baked like this. Next time I will scrap the foil and paper lining of the tin. My sauce was thicker than yours at the end and the paper ripped when I was trying to scoop up the paper. Absolutely delicious recipe though, and so easy to turn $2.90 /kg chicken wings and some potatoes into what felt like a gourmet dinner! (I also tried the potato trick on Kumera ans it worked great!)
Making this again. It smells so good in the oven. It’s comfort food that isn’t terribly full of fat and calories. Fills up my husband and 3 boys. It’s cold here in Virginia and this is a perfectly comforting meal without a lot of fuss. Thank you, Nagi.
Hi Nagi, its nice to meet you, I made dinner with this recipe, my third time now, my kids absolutely love it! Its a winner in my home! Thanks for your recipe!
Hi Nagi, I have never written a comment on a recipe website in my life….but I feel compelled to do so. My husband and I are foodies, love to cook and we are constantly planning our next meal. I’m so glad we discovered your blog which is now our go-to. Your recipes are amazing and have never failed us. This week alone we’ve cooked Massaman lamb shanks, these delicious chicken drumsticks and your epic beef and mushroom pie…and we’re going to keep going until we get through all of your recipes 😆. Just wanted to say thank you (from Hong Kong) for putting so much thought into every recipe and for loving food as much as we do. Merry Christmas to you and Dozer!
Delicious and so easy to make with ingredients in my pantry! Bonus only having one oven tray to wash up!
I asked my family if we should keep the recipe or leave it.
All of them said KEEP ITTTT! Soooo delicious.
Thank you, Nagi. ❤️ from Finland!
Loved to make it, loved to eat it. next time I will use a larger pinch of salt. 🙂
Absolutely Awesome!! My drumsticks were extra juicy so I did have to remove them and return the sauce back to the oven to thicken as you suggested. I also added a little bit more honey and cornflour. I hope this is a helpful tip for others. My fussy 15 year old son even went back for seconds! Definitely a winner in our household! Thank you Nagi