Smoky Baked Chicken Drumsticks

These smoky baked chicken drumsticks are incredibly juicy and incredibly flavorful! They’ll be a huge hit every time you serve them!

When you want a quick, easy, and family pleasing dish, these smoky baked chicken drumsticks are a perfect choice! My son loves this chicken and also eats it for leftovers…if there are any. You can marinate this chicken for as little as 30 minutes or overnight if that fits your schedule better.

Let’s talk about chicken drumsticks!

Chicken is one my favorite meats, and I enjoy cooking whole chickens and cooking with a variety of cuts of chicken. For this dish I used chicken drumsticks. Drumsticks are part of the chicken leg. They’re bone-in and skin on pieces, and are all dark meat. Drumsticks are a great source of protein and are a zero carb food. I used 3 pounds of chicken drumsticks and mine were large and meaty pieces consisting of 8 large drumsticks. Alternately, you may find 10 or even 12 drumsticks in 3 pounds of chicken drumsticks. This recipe can make 4 large servings or 6 smaller servings. If you’d like, you can use bone-in and skin on chicken thighs to make this dish. You can also use a combination of drumsticks and thighs if you’d like. You will want to make sure your chicken reaches a minimum temperature of 165 degrees.

How do I make the marinade for these smoky baked chicken drumsticks?

To make our marinade, we combine liquid smoke, olive oil, salt, smoked paprika, and pepper. Liquid smoke is something I don’t use often but always have in my pantry. It’s a flavoring made by burning wood chips then capturing the smoke and condensing the flavoring into a liquid. It’s a great shortcut to get smoky flavor without the hours required to actually smoke things. We also add smoky flavor by adding smoked paprika. For olive oil, my go-to is Kirkland’s organic extra virgin olive oil. It has a deep and rich flavor profile which I really enjoy. Salt and pepper round out our flavors perfectly. You can marinate your chicken for as little as 30 minutes, or you can marinate for 2-4 hours or overnight if you’d like.

What are some ways I can serve these smoky baked chicken drumsticks?

You have some great low carb options for serving this chicken. It’s perfect to serve for lunch, brunch, or dinner. This chicken is also a fun and delicous dish to serve as a meaty appetizer. It’s always a wonderful option to start your meal with a green salad. I love chopping up some iceberg or romaine lettuce, then serving it with a variety of low carb toppings. Some of our favorites include blue cheese crumbles, chopped tomatoes, fried and crumbled bacon, hard boiled eggs, shredded cheese, sliced avocados, or sliced olives. You can also serve this chicken with a low carb soup or with low carb vegetables. Some great choices include asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and green beans. This chicken pairs nicely with salads such as coleslaw or with a side of keto biscuits, chaffles, cornbread, or English muffins.

Here are some coleslaw dishes that would pair nicely with this chicken!

Creamy Keto Cucumber Coleslaw

Easy Keto Coleslaw

Keto No Mayo Coleslaw

Keto Tangy Mustard Coleslaw

Helpful Hints:

*You can marinate your chicken for as little as 30 minutes or can marinate it overnight if you’d prefer.

*This recipe can serve 4-6 people.

Main Kitchen Equipment and Utensils:

• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Baking sheet
• Rubber spatula

Splash of Encouragement:

***Cooking is a blessing to both the cook and to everyone the cook serves***