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Home » Entrées » Chicken Recipes

BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

Aug 22, 2016 · 4 Comments

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I used to not be a fan of chicken drumsticks, the cheapest and the least healthy part of the chicken. In my family we either boiled or roasted whole chickens. Boiled chicken makes a fantastic chicken soup, but the meat itself comes out pretty bland and rubbery. Drumsticks from a whole roasted chicken always felt a bit under-cooked and tough - 165F internal temperature is perfect for chicken breasts, but not for chicken legs and drumsticks. Those need 180F-190F for best results. Combine that with smoky flavor, crispy skin and complex flavors, and any non-fan can easily become a big fan. That's what happened to me. I became a huge fan of grilled chicken drumsticks.

Simple ingredients, simple to make, the best spicy BBQ-style grilled chicken drumsticks recipe ever. For best results marinate chicken drumsticks overnight and up to 24 hours before grilling.

To me what makes great grilled chicken drumsticks is the balanced flavor, tender, fall-off-the-bone texture, and a nicely caramelized, crispy skin. Tender meat is a product of marination. If you want that, you need to marinate. Fall-off-the-bone texture is the result of grilling to 180F-190F internal temperature.  Chicken drumsticks grilled to the recommended safe temperature of 165F will be tough and will feel under-cooked.

Simple ingredients, simple to make, the best spicy BBQ-style grilled chicken drumsticks recipe ever. For best results marinate chicken drumsticks overnight and up to 24 hours before grilling.

Getting crispy skin on your grilled chicken drumsticks is easy - you grill over direct heat. Though, for some time my results would vary. Sometimes I would get my drumsticks too charred and burnt. Sometimes I would get perfectly crispy skin. This can get pretty frustrating, especially if you cook for guests.

I started having consistent results when I lowered the heat and started grilling the chicken covered to avoid raising the heat and causing flareups. 300F - 350F at the grate level is the optimal temperature. I've also been getting much better results when I started avoiding sugary marinades and rubs - sugar burns too easily and the results will mostly be far from great.

Simple ingredients, simple to make, the best spicy BBQ-style grilled chicken drumsticks recipe ever. For best results marinate chicken drumsticks overnight and up to 24 hours before grilling.

Marination tenderizes the meat and adds complex flavors. A great marinade enhances the flavor of the meat, and the smoky flavors acquired by grilling. A bad marinade overpowers all other flavors. I find that barbecue marinades tend to be overpowering, though some are quite great if used in moderation.

In this recipe I am using a slightly modified classic spicy barbecue-style grilled chicken marinade recipe from Professional Cooking, 7th Edition by Wayne Gisslen. I have a feeling that this recipe was tested and perfected thousands of times - it's that close to perfection. It's well balanced, it's not overpowering and it tastes great. It gives the grilled chicken drumsticks very nice color and does not encourage burning as it has very little sugar in it.

Simple ingredients, simple to make, the best spicy BBQ-style grilled chicken drumsticks recipe ever. For best results marinate chicken drumsticks overnight and up to 24 hours before grilling.

Though the marinade is called spicy in the book, there is only a hint of spiciness. If you want to feel spiciness you need to increase the amount of chili powder or add your favorite hot pepper, like cayenne pepper.

Simple ingredients, simple to make, the best spicy BBQ-style grilled chicken drumsticks recipe ever. For best results marinate chicken drumsticks overnight and up to 24 hours before grilling.

Simple ingredients, simple to make, the best spicy BBQ-style grilled chicken drumsticks recipe ever. For best results marinate chicken drumsticks overnight and up to 24 hours before grilling.

BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

Marinade recipe is adapted with slight changes from Professional Cooking, 7th Edition by Wayne Gisslen.
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Calories:
Author: Victor

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken drumsticks
  • For the marinade:
  • 4 Tbsp / 60 ml Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp / 30 ml sherry vinegar alternatively, use red wine vinegar
  • 4 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp dry mustard Coleman's mustard is recommended
  • 1 tsp crushed garlic
  • 1 ⁄2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

  • Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a Ziploc bag and mix well. Add chicken drumsticks and toss by hand so they are well coated. Expel as much air from the bag as you can and seal. Refrigerate overnight and up to 24 hours.
  • Preheat the grill to medium heat, about 300F-350F at the grate level.
  • Place chicken drumsticks on the grill, close the lid and grill for about 30 minutes, turning every 8-10 minutes and moving around the grill to account for hot spots, until the internal temperature has reached 180F-190F.

Notes

This recipe produced very mildly spicy chicken. For more spiciness double the amount of chili powder or add your favorite spicy pepper, such as cayenne pepper.

 

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  1. CHERYLE BUJARSKI says

    May 31, 2022 at 10:50 pm

    HAVE YOU EVER PUT THIS RECIPE IN A SLOW COOKER?

    Reply
    • victor says

      June 07, 2022 at 11:48 am

      No, but sounds like a great idea with a few twweaks.

      Reply
  2. Charlotte Buker says

    June 07, 2021 at 5:02 pm

    Can you make this in the oven and if so what temp for how long

    Reply
    • victor says

      June 16, 2021 at 3:12 pm

      You totally can. I have several drumstick recipes for oven, check them out. You can also broil or air fry, I especially like them air fried.

      Reply

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