Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
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An easy-peasy, flavorful baked chicken drumstick recipe. You can have Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks without grilling or frying. Simply bake, baste, broil and enjoy! We even teach you how to turn this into a make-ahead freezer meal.
Why We Like This Recipe
Welcome to your new best-weeknight-meal-friend. Here are a few reasons way:
- The ingredients are super simple and affordable.
- This drumstick recipe is freezer friendly! Save your future self time by making them a freezer meal.
- By using a little broil action at the end, you can replicate grilled flavor without taking a step outside!
- This recipe is dairy-free and gluten-free like our Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks.
Ingredients Needed
To make sure your drumsticks are extra flavorful, we have created a delicious rub for them. Here is everything you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes:
- Chicken drumsticks – We love the ones we get through ButcherBox.
- BBQ Sauce – Use store-bought or our homemade BBQ Sauce.
How to Make Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
Season the Drumsticks
You’ll take those lovely seasonings and mix them up in a small bowl. Pat your drumsticks dry and give them a swim around in the seasonings until they are covered. It’s kinda fun!
Bake Them
Line a baking sheet with foil for easier clean up.
One of the most important parts of baking these is placing them on a baking/cooling rack on top of the foil-lined sheet pan. This allows the hot air to get to all sides of the drumsticks to help create a crispy exterior.
Baste With BBQ Sauce
After the chicken has cooked for a bit (details below), you’ll start basting the chicken with BBQ Sauce. This basting step is what differentiates these Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks from our Slow Cooker BBQ Drumsticks or Instant Pot Drumsticks.
When you add a layer of BBQ sauce and give it a bit of time to cook, it starts to caramelize and get that sticky-sweet taste you crave.
Serve
Let them sit for at least 10 minutes before eating. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side. Serve with Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese, Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Microwaved Corn on the Cob, and Buckeye Brownies!
Make it a Freezer Meal
Freeze For Later: Season the drumsticks and place the seasoned chicken in a freezer bag. Try not to stack the drumsticks in the bag; instead, place them flat, side by side. Use parchment paper to divide layers, if needed. Seal and freeze flat. If you want, you can pour BBQ sauce into a small freezer bag or container, seal, and freeze alongside the chicken.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw the chicken using one of these safe methods. Follow the cooking instructions in the recipe below.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! We have written full posts on both.
BBQ Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
Crockpot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
You can broil at the end for a few minutes to caramelize the drumsticks even more.
Yes. You can use this rub and our BBQ sauce on chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Cook in the slow cooker on Low for 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 hours or in the Instant Pot for 7 minutes with a quick release. Shred and serve on buns for easy BBQ chicken sandwiches.
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Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
An easy-peasy, flavorful baked chicken drumstick recipe. You can have BBQ Chicken Drumsticks without grilling or frying. Just bake, baste, broil and enjoy! We even teach you how to turn this into a make-ahead freezer meal.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- About 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks
- 1 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place an oven-safe baking/cooling rack on top. Spray the rack with cooking spray.
- Make the Rub: In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- Season Chicken: Pat dry the drumsticks and then coat the drumsticks evenly with the mixture. Place the drumsticks on the baking rack.
- Bake: Bake drumsticks for 25 minutes.
- Baste #1: Remove the chicken from the oven, baste with the BBQ sauce on all sides, and bake for another 7-8 minutes.
- Baste #2: Repeat the basting step, and bake another 7-8 minutes.
- Baste #3 + Increase Temp: Remove pan and baste with sauce one last time. Turn up the oven temp to 425°F. Cook the chicken 5-7 more minutes or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F or are no longer pink inside at all. (Optional: Broil at the end to caramelize the drumsticks even more, if you want it.)
- Cool: Let them sit for at least 10 minutes before eating. Serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side.
Freeze For Later: Season the drumsticks and place the seasoned chicken in a freezer bag. Try not to stack the drumsticks in the bag; instead, place them flat, side by side. Use parchment paper to divide layers, if needed. Seal and freeze flat. If you want, you can pour BBQ sauce into a small freezer bag or container, seal, and freeze alongside the chicken.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw the chicken using one of these safe methods. Follow the cooking instructions in the recipe above.
Notes/Tips
- We use this same rub and BBQ sauce in our Instant Pot and Crockpot BBQ Drumsticks.
- You can also use this rub and our BBQ sauce on chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Cook in the slow cooker on Low for 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 hours or in the Instant Pot for 7 minutes with a quick release. Shred and serve on buns for easy BBQ chicken sandwiches.
- We get our chicken from ButcherBox.
Want More Chicken Recipes That Are Freezer Friendly?
Be sure to check out our 15+ Best Chicken Freezer Meals on the Internet!
Quick and easy. Crispy skin and juicy inside. Use your favorite BBQ sauces to switch up the flavor and clean up was a breeze.
We love recipes that are easy to make AND easy to clean up! Thanks for your review Elisabeth!
I have a huge stash of frozen chicken breasts from Costco— do you have a recommendation for how to alter the cooking time so I can use breasts instead of drumsticks?
Sure! Preheat oven to 400°F. Season the fully thawed chicken breasts. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the thickest piece registers close to 160°F internally with a meat thermometer. Baste with the BBQ sauce every 5 minutes or so, if desired. Or just serve with the sauce on the side at the end.
Delicious! Used leg quarters because they were on sale. Had to cook them a little longer, of course, but otherwise followed the recipe to a tee.
Hi Rhonda. Glad to hear the leg quarters turned out delicious as well. Thank you for leaving a review!
Took them to a family gathering. They absolutely loved them ❤️
So glad to hear it. Thanks for leaving a review!
I made this recipe of yours for the first time last month and I have made it a few more times since then because it is absolutely the best bbq chicken recipe! I live with and take care of my mom, and she is not easy to please when it comes to her meals, and even she loved this! I highly recommend others to try this recipe as it is super easy to make and the chicken turns out so moist and delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe! 10/10!
Hi Misty! What wonderful feedback. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review.
You’re so very welcome! It is well deserved that’s for sure! I have a quick question, do you have a recipe for au gratin potatoes? I tried to search through your website here and I didn’t find one, so I thought I would ask just to make sure. If your bbq chicken is this good, I would love to follow any recipe you have! Thanks for any info!
Hey Misty! No, we don’t have an au gratin recipe currently. I love our two baby potato recipes for quick sides. If you have time, the Super Stuffed Baked Potatoes are a fan favorite in my house… it makes more of the insides (that you put in the potato shell), so I freeze that in a dish to just bake for a side dish later. And we are big fans of all roasted veggies around here. Hope you find some more recipes to love!
I can’t wait to create and make this dish. Looks tasty 😋 and fulfilling
Hope you enjoy it Wayne. Be sure to let us know how it turns out!
My family loves these. I made this and forgot all about them and then months later on of the kiddos asked for “those delicious BBQ chicken legs” so I had to find the recipe again.
Best compliment ever when kids ask for one of our recipes. Love that this was a win for your family. Thanks for sharing!
Delicious!! Very moist. Love this!
Thanks for taking time to leave feedback and a review, Lydia!
Another one for the rotation! I didn’t realize I’ve been doing basting all wrong until I cooked these this way! I doubled the recipe and froze three pounds at the same time.
What can I sub for garlic and onion- my daughter is allergic
Just leave them out. Should still be good seasoning, especially with the BBQ sauce.