These shake and bake chicken drumsticks are crispy, flavourful, juicy and oh so easy to make.
Homemade shake and bake chicken drumsticks are one of my favourite weeknight meals. There are only three ingredients in the coating so the whole process is fast, simple and relatively clean.
With the chicken being baked in the oven I usually pair it with a carb that I can also bake at the same time. This leaves me free for 40 minutes to set the table, wrangle the kids and throw together a veggie.
My favourite part about this homemade shake and bake chicken leg recipe is that you just can’t mess it up. The chicken is always perfectly crispy on the outside, perfectly juicy on the inside and full of flavour all around.
I love nothing more than to be able to zone out, follow an easy recipe and make a perfect dinner without much effort.
Preparing Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken Legs
Ingredients
Chicken Drumsticks: Drumsticks are the perfect cut of chicken because they are almost fully encased in the skin. Since shake and bake take crispy chicken skin to the next level you want as much of it on the chicken as possible.
Panko: Panko is white bread that is processed into large flakes, rather than crumbs, and then dried. It’s actually a type of bread crumb which is why any breadcrumb will be fine. I find panko to be lighter and crunchier which is why I like it for this recipe.
G&K all-purpose spice: Our all-purpose spice is made for meals like this. Make a batch in advance and always have it handy to add to your protein.
Cooking Spray: Cooking spray, depending on which variety you get, is an aerosol product. It’s usually a combination of oil and some other ingredients, that is applied in a thin layer to prevent food from sticking. We use it here as an easy way to add some extra crispness to the chicken. We also aim to prevent the chicken from sticking to the wire rack. You can use oil or butter instead or skip it altogether.
How to make Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken Legs
Since there isn’t much prep for this recipe, start by preheating the oven to 400°F.
Make the Coating for the Shake and Bake Drumsticks
To make the shake and bake coating simply combine the panko, or any other breadcrumbs, G&K all-purpose spice and salt in a small bowl. Make sure that you stir well to evenly distribute the spices among the breadcrumbs or you won’t have even flavour on the chicken.
Coat the Chicken
Next, add the chicken drumsticks to a large sealable plastic bag. You can also use a bowl with a lid. I don’t pat the chicken dry for this as some of the natural moisture helps the breadcrumbs mixture stick.
However, if you defrost chicken
you want to make sure you don’t get any of the excess liquid in the bag or bowl. Use tongs to transfer the chicken to the bag to prevent too much liquid from transferring with it.
Pour the breadcrumb and spice mix over the chicken, seal the bag or bowl and shake. Usually, I shake for at least 30 seconds or until I see that the drumsticks are fully coated.
I may use my hand to separate or guide the drumsticks to the breadcrumbs but generally, I try not to intervene. Every touch can remove breadcrumbs that were already stuck to the chicken so you want to avoid undoing the work. 
Prep For Baking
Now that we have completed the “shake” of shake and bake, it’s time to bake the drumsticks. I like to use a roasting pan because it has a wire rack at the bottom that elevates the drumsticks. This is the trick to prevent the chicken from getting soggy at the bottom.
If you only have a large roasting pan, like one for a turkey, for example, use the wire rack from it on a cookie sheet instead. The rack is the important part, not the pan.
Tip: If you want to prevent an unnecessary mess, line the roasting pan or cookie sheet with aluminum foil first, then place the wire rack on top. This way, all the chicken drippings won’t dirty the pan. You just have to discard the foil once you’re done. This is not the most environmentally-friendly option but it’s all about balance.
Once you have the wire rack set up in a roasting pan or on a cookie sheet you should grease it to prevent the chicken from sticking to it. There is nothing worse than taking a drumstick off and half of the skin staying stuck to the rack. Sadly, I know this from experience. I use cooking spray to grease the rack. You can rub some butter or brush some oil on it instead.
Place the drumsticks on the wire rack keeping them about ½ inch away from each other. The more space they have the more evenly they will cook and crisp up.
Next, put the chicken in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Once the chicken drumsticks are done, let them rest for a minute or two as they will be very hot.
Substitutions
Panko: If you want to make this shake and bake chicken without breadcrumbs you can use corn flakes or puffed rice cereal instead. Just put a ¼ cup in a plastic bag, release as much of the air as you can and crush it with the bottom of a pot.
Drumsticks: If you don’t have chicken drumsticks you can use any cut of chicken like chicken breast or chicken thighs. With that said, the chicken skin is the best part so a cut of chicken that has the skin on will yield the best result.
Serving Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken Drumsticks
Shake and Bake chicken is fantastic with any side. It stands on its own so well, any of your side favourites will only compliment it more. I like to pair it with loaded smashed potatoes, mashed sweet potato or homemade macaroni and cheese.
Steamed broccoli is my favourite veggie to add as a side as well. With that said, our steamed green beans with onion and garlic topping are also a fantastic complement to shake and bake chicken.
Are you looking for sides to pair with your homemade shake and bake chicken legs? Check out some of our favourite recipes:
Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
Equipment
- small bowl
- Large sealable bag
- Roasting Pan
Ingredients
- 1 lbs chicken drumsticks 4-6 drumsticks depending on size
- ¼ cup panko or any other type of bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp G&K all-purpose spice
- ¾ tsp salt
- Cooking spray optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Combine the bread crumbs, all-purpose spice and salt in a small bowl.¼ cup panko, 2 tbsp G&K all-purpose spice, ¾ tsp salt
- Add the chicken drumsticks to the sealable bag then pour the bread crumb and spice mix over top.1 lbs chicken drumsticks
- Seal the bag making sure to leave some air in the bag, you don’t want to vacuum seal it. Shake the bag coating the chicken. Use your hands to toss the chicken around a bit.
- Spray the wire rack of the roasting pan with cooking spray. Place the chicken drumstick on the rack and spray with cooking spray.Cooking spray
- Place the roasting pan with the chicken in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, remove from the oven and let rest for a minute before serving.
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