Grilled BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

A hand holds a glazed, grilled chicken drumstick in front of a plate with more drumsticks and a bowl of barbecue sauce.

5 from 2 votes

Grilled BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

🍗🎉 A dry rub marinates and seasons the chicken, and while grilling, barbecue sauce seals in moisture and gives a final tangy, sweet, savory, and smoky touch! Caramelized and crispy skin and juicy inside. Great for summer holidays and events, casual backyard entertaining, or tailgating! In the Notes, I give my guesstimates for how you can make this recipe work indoors on a grill pan or oven-baked.

Prep Time10

Cook Time14

Marinating Time1

Course: Chicken, Dinner, Grill

Cuisine: American, Chicken

Keyword: bbq chicken drumsticks, bbq chicken legs, grilled barbecue chicken, grilled bbq chicken drumsticks

Servings:

Calories: 245cal

Equipment

Ingredients

Dry Rub for Marinating

1 tablespoon light brown sugar packed
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
chili powder or cayenne pepper optional and to taste for spiciness
4 pounds chicken legs if using frozen, make sure you allow ample time to fully thaw

BBQ Sauce

1 cup BBQ sauce
¼ cup apricot jam apple or grape jelly work well, orange marmalade is a less sweet option

Instructions

Dry Rub - In a small bowl, combine all the seasonings and spices and lightly mix to combine.
Marinating - Place the chicken on a large plate (something that will fit in your fridge), pat it dry with paper towels, and rub in the dry rub evenly to all the drumsticks. Cover with plastic wrap or foil, and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 1-2 hours, or overnight if you prefer. Tip - Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before grilling so that it cooks more evenly.
BBQ Sauce Mixture - Add your favorite bbq sauce and jam to a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat or until simmering, and simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally until the sauce has thickened slightly. Set aside until step 5.
Grilling - Lightly oil the grill grates and preheat your grill so half the grill is on high heat while the other half is on medium heat.
Place the chicken on the medium heat side, close the lid, and grill for about 5 minutes.
Open the lid, flip the drumsticks, and move those that are farther from the high heat to be closer to it now, and move those that were closer to the high heat more to the medium heat side and cook for 5 more minutes. Tip - Use your judgment for how exactly you're moving and shuffling the chicken around and flipping it; the goal is to not burn it but make sure the cooking is progressing.
Basting - When the chicken is about 80% of the way done (about 4-5 minutes from being finished), use a brush to generously baste the BBQ sauce mixture all over the chicken, and cook for about 2 minutes with the lid closed.
Open the lid, flip, baste the other side of all the pieces, close the lid, and cook for about 2 more minutes, or until chicken is done. Take the temperature, don't guess. Chicken is done when the internal temp reaches 165F as measured with a thermometer.
Resting - Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. If desired, you can garnish with fresh herbs, green onions, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, etc.

Notes

Grill Pan: Preheat your grill pan over medium-high to high heat over your stove burners. Make sure you open your windows or ventilate your area. Indoor grilling is smoky business! When the grill pan is preheated properly, grill the chicken for about 5 minutes on the first side, flip, and grill for about 5 minutes on the second side. Make the BBQ sauce mixture as indicated and when the chicken is about 5 minutes aways from being done, baste with the BBQ sauce mixture and continue cooking and flipping for another 4-5 minutes, or as needed until chicken is done. Because your stovetop will never get as hot as an actual grill, indoor cooking time on a grill pan may likely be longer.

Oven Baking: Caveat - I haven't tested this recipe as a baked chicken drumsticks recipe. My hunch though is that you'll want to preheat your oven to 400F, place the dry rubbed and marinated chicken pieces in a 9×13-inch baking dish or casserole dish, and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until nearly done. Flip once midway through baking for more even cooking. Make the BBQ sauce mixture as indicated and when the chicken is about 5-10 minutes away from being done, baste it generously with the bbq sauce. Chicken is done when the internal temp has reached 165F. Baking time will vary based on how hot your oven runs, how thick the pieces of chicken are, etc. so make sure to cook it as long as necessary in your oven. Consult my Baked Barbecue Chicken Wings post as well.

Storage: Chicken and serving sauce, stored separately, will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in gently in microwave as desired, or eat chilled.

Nutrition