Garlic and Paprika Chicken – Deliciously baked, crispy, juicy and tender chicken drumsticks with a garlic and smoked paprika sauce. A great chicken recipe that’s been on a the blog for years, and a reader favorite!

If your spice cabinet is without smoked paprika, I have a revelation for you my friend. It combines the sweetness of regular paprika with some smoked complexity and adds so much depth to literally any dish you can imagine adding it to! This chicken is fall off the bone tender, smothered in a sauce so good you’ll be licking your plate clean as soon as it’s done – I promise!
Not only is this recipe a reader favorite, but this is a recipe that makes its way often in my kitchen because it’s also one of my favorite! It’s a recipe I make often, especially if I have guests coming over. In other words, it’s really quick to put together and it’s really impressive.
How To Cook With Paprika
Cultures that love to cook with Paprika already know what I’m about to tell you, that being generous with this spice will add so much depth and a mild burn to whatever dish you sprinkle it in. Smoked paprika adds a little more heat than its regular counter part, so keep this in mind while cooking. Be gentle with your paprika as it tends to burn easily if heated directly in a skillet.
This spice is delicious in nearly any protein dish, placed into omelettes or scrambled eggs, or even sprinkled over top soft cheeses like brie before being baked till gooey in the oven.
Ingredients
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Chicken – I used drumsticks today but feel free to use any kind of chicken you’d like! This sauce is spectacular no matter the cut.
- Olive oil – We want a nice neutral tasting oil that will ensure our spice blend sticks to our chicken and crisps up the exterior nicely.
- Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
- Spices – Smoked paprika and red pepper flakes for some added heat. Feel free to omit the red pepper if you’re spice averse.
- Herbs – Fresh parsley and oregano are needed in this Garlic Paprika Chicken. If dried is all you have keep in mind that dried herbs are more potent than fresh, 1 teaspoon equals 1 tablespoon of fresh.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
How To Make Garlic Paprika Chicken
- Preheat the oven: To 425 F degrees.
- Prepare the flavor base: In a small skillet heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes and the herbs. Cook for about 1 minute over medium heat, do not burn the garlic or the paprika.
- Clean the chicken: Clean your chicken drumsticks and dry them before patting with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.
- Combine the chicken and sauce: Pour the paprika/olive oil mixture over the drumsticks, be sure they are coated thoroughly. Place the drumsticks in a 9 x 13 baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes or until chicken legs are cooked through. Serve with your favorite side dish and/or salad.
Other Cooking Options
Slow cooker
Combine the sauce ingredients plus the oil in a bag with the chicken drumsticks and shake to coat evenly. Line the bottom of your slow cooker with sliced white onion and spread the chicken over top. Place the lid on your slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 – 4 hours.
Pressure cooker
Insert a cup of water or chicken broth into the pressure cooker and place the provided trivet on top. Place the sauce ingredients and the drumsticks in a bag and shake well to ensure the chicken is fully coated, place the chicken over the trivet and close the lid according to manufacture guidelines. Cook on manual HIGH for 15 minutes before allowing the steam to release naturally and serve the chicken hot.
Leftovers
Fridge
Stored in an air tight container properly cooled, this chicken dish will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. Just reheat in the microwave or the oven if you’d prefer when ready to eat.
Freezer
Place the drumsticks on a baking sheet and allow to freeze till frozen through, place the drumsticks in a freezer bag or an air tight container after wards and this method will allow them to keep for 4 – 6 months. Remove from the freezer and allow to thaw in the fridge over night when ready to eat. Just reheat in the oven at 350 F degrees till warmed through and enjoy!
Craving More Chicken? Try These Delicious Dishes:
- Roast Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- One Pan Roasted Honey Orange Chicken And Potatoes
- Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
- Chicken Rice Pilaf
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Chicken Parmesan
- Firecracker Chicken Meatballs
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Garlic and Paprika Chicken
Ingredients
- 12 chicken drumsticks
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup parsley fresh, chopped
- 2 tablespoon oregano fresh, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F degrees.
- In a small skillet heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes and the herbs. Cook for about 1 minute over medium heat, do not burn the garlic.
- Clean and dry the drumsticks and season with salt and pepper.
- Pour this olive oil mixture over the drumsticks and make sure the drumsticks are coated thoroughly with the olive oil/paprika mixture.
- Place the drumsticks in a 9×13 baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes or until chicken legs are cooked through.
- Serve with your favourite side dish and/or salad.
This is now a staple in our house! So easy and delicious!
I just recently rediscovered Smoked Paprika after many yrs. This was the 1st recipe I tried & I’m SO glad I found it. The chicken was fantastic beyond belief! I used some of the drippings on my rice. Yummmm ty ty Tysm!!
So glad you liked it!
EXCELLENT RECIPE. I USED CHICKEN LEG QUARTERS IN A CAST IRON. DID NOT USE ANY SALT AS WE ARE LIMITING SODIUM AND THE FLAVOR WAS STILL EXCEPTIONAL. THANK YOU FOR SHARING RECIPE.
Awesome! So happy you liked it!
Hey again. Can i use this recipe for pork ribs? Or you have something similar?
You certainly can! You can also take a browse through all of our pork recipes and see if something catches your eye 🙂
Very quick and.simple to make. Family raced about the smell and flavour.
Really tasty. I used smoked sweet paprika and 1, not 1/2, tsp salt. Next time, however, I will bake it at 350F instead of 425F, and maybe like someone else, 45 minutes on one side and another 45 minutes on the other side. Thank you for this great recipe.
Your recipe is a hut for every party. I like my meat fall off the bone & melt in your mouth. Even the kids love it. I cook it twice 45 min on one side. N 45 min on the other. Then i give it a 10 min broil so skin be extra crispy. And i use chicken thighs when i have small gatherin at the house n drums when im at party.. and sometime i use chicken thighs n do bites size n have them cook them on the grill. Its also amazin. I can consume this recipe everyday? With this recipe what else meat can i use with it? And do you have a mash potatoes recipe or mac & cheese we would love to try. Thanks!
You can use any cut of chicken you want. I do have lots of mashed potato recipes, here are a couple:
https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/mashed-potatoes/
https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/instant-pot-mashed-potatoes/
Mac and Cheese
https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/baked-mac-and-cheese/
Feel free to use the search functionality at the top to find whatever recipes you need. Also use the recipe index to look through all the recipes.
i was wondering if you could use chicken breasts!
As we’ve said in the blog post, you can use any type of chicken you like 🙂
Ok great
Thanks a lot from my heart for all your recipes …… I learned from you a lot
My pleasure! 🤗
why? i can’t find any of your recipes!
You can click “jump to recipe” at the top of any post to avoid scrolling through the post!
This was amazing! I made the sauce in a large saucepan, added 2 large skinless chicken breasts cut into large-ish bite sized pieces and cooked it slowly (so as not to burn the paprika 😉 lol ) When the chicken was just about all cooked, I added a package of already microwaved steamable vegetables, tossed it all together and served with a glass of good white wine. Easy peasy work night dinner and a definite keeper. We loved this recipe!
Everybody loves this! We eat organic chicken which is sometimes hard to find with the skin on. Often I buy a whole chicken, cut it up and use all of it. Just increase the other ingredients. I don’t cook it quite as long. Always comes out great!
Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband and my 1 year old loved it. I’ll be keeping this recipe in rotation. Easy, fast, and delicious. 💯
Not a fan of chicken legs but with this recipe, I am a believer! Thank you for sharing!
Can this be combined as a marinade without cooking then cooked ?
Yes go for it!
I keep going back to this recipe. A keeper for sure! My only modification is I bake the chicken on a bed of onions and add a little splash of white wine. Thanks so much @jocooks!
I always mix all of the oil and spices first in a ziplock bag and then place my chicken in there and mix it up and allow it to marinate in the fridge before I bake. Family favorite this spice blend is bomb
This recipe was amazing!!! My family devoured it and went for seconds. I will definitely make this again but try it with boneless chicken thighs.
It’s definitely a favorite around here! We’re glad your family loved it.