Knowing how long to bake drumsticks at 400 can help you easily throw together a great dinner for yourself and your family in no time at all. Everyone loves chicken drumsticks, and bringing them up to temperature in the oven gives you a few moments to throw together a couple of side dishes.
In this article, I’m going to answer any questions that you might have about baking drumsticks in your home.
How long to bake bone-in chicken legs at 400
When you’re baking chicken legs, bone-in or boneless, you need to make sure that you use the right temperature that makes sure your chicken legs will be totally cooked through and safe to eat while also ensuring that they won’t be dry. 400˚F, or 200˚C, is a great temperature to do that, but how long do you need to bake chicken legs?
When you’re baking chicken at that temperature, bone-in legs should be cooked for forty to forty-five minutes. That will ensure they’re totally cooked through and safe while also ensuring that they’ve got a pleasant crispiness to the skin.
To be sure that you’re baking the chicken for the correct amount of time, I would advise making sure that the legs stay in the oven until they’ve reached an internal temperature of 165˚F.
How long to bake chicken drumsticks at 400 uncovered?
To bring the chicken drumsticks to a safe temperature while baking uncovered, they’ll need to be in a 400˚F oven for thirty-five to forty minutes. The internal temperature that chicken needs to reach is 165˚F. To measure that, I would recommend a meat thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the meat. That will ensure your chicken is totally cooked through every time.
It’s worth pointing out, too, that cooking chicken drumsticks uncovered will give them a crispier, tastier skin.
How long to bake frozen drumsticks at 400
Frozen drumsticks obviously take a longer time to bake than fresh ones do, since you need to ensure they’re thawed in your oven before the cooking process even really begins. So, preheating your oven to 400˚F is a great start, before adding the chicken.
Once the chicken is in the oven, it will take fifty-five to sixty minutes for the drumsticks to totally cook through. With a cooking time this long, there can be quite a margin of error to give you dry chicken. I would recommend using a meat thermometer in the final few minutes of baking to ensure that they cook properly.
What temperature are chicken drumsticks done?
Chicken is totally safe when it reaches 165˚F. Before that point, there can be salmonella bacteria on the meat that could potentially get you sick. To avoid that, I would recommend using a meat thermometer.
A meat thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the chicken will tell you what the temperature of that chicken is, and most of them are oven-safe. This will ensure that you always make your chicken totally safe, and have great peace of mind in your home.
Can drumsticks be a little pink?
Absolutely not – if drumsticks are even a little pink at the center, they need to be cooked for longer. To ensure that they’re properly and totally cooked, ensure that the chicken is 165˚F all the way through. That will make sure the chicken is safe to eat.
If you cut into the chicken and it’s a little pink, don’t eat any. It needs to be cooked for a little longer to ensure that it’s totally cooked through.
Should I cover the drumsticks in the oven?
You can do this, but I would recommend that you don’t. Cooking drumsticks uncovered will allow you to generate a totally browned and crispy skin across your drumsticks, rather than having soft and pale chicken that doesn’t taste too great (in my opinion)
Make sure you turn the drumsticks often while they’re in the oven, as that will make sure that they brown evenly across the whole surface of the skin.
FAQ
Is it better to bake chicken legs at 350 or 400?
This is really up to you, but I prefer to cook chicken at 400. The reason for this is that you get crispier skin, which is what I personally enjoy the most!
How long do you bake chicken at 400 for?
You should bake chicken at 400F until the internal temperature reaches 160F. Usually, this takes around forty to forty-five minutes. To be on the safe side, use a meat thermometer.
How long do drumsticks go in the oven?
Drumsticks go in the oven for slightly less time than whole legs. They can be baked for thirty-five to forty minutes at 400F. This will result in some crispy, juicy chicken that the whole family will enjoy.
How long do you cook drumsticks in the oven at 425?
You can cook chicken drumsticks in the oven at 425 for around thirty-five minutes. This higher temperature results in a crispier skin for the chicken, which I personally LOVE! It can also form a slight protective layer around the chicken meat, leading to juicy, tender, and tasty chicken.
How long do I cook drumsticks in the oven at 375?
You can cook chicken drumsticks in the oven at 375 for forty-five to fifty-five minutes. This is a large window, compared to other temperatures, so to be sure that you cook the chicken to the perfect temperature, always use a meat thermometer!
Wrapping it up!
Chicken drumsticks in the oven are a tasty way to bring a lot of flavor to the table in front of your family in no time at all. To be sure that you get drumsticks that are juicy and crispy all at once, I would always recommend using a meat thermometer to get the chicken over 165˚F.
Lastly, I hope this post was help! Bon appetite!