Drumsticks of grilled chicken make a delicious addition to various summertime dishes. The BBQ chicken drumsticks that have been grilled are excellent! They’re simple to make, bursting with barbeque flavor, and just the right amount of juicy and sticky. Make these for your next backyard barbecue or picnic or on a hectic weekday.
They are ideal for informal gatherings because they are also reasonably priced. They also act quickly to prepare. You can prepare a tasty and nutritious appetizer for your visitors in under an hour. You can make a cheap lunch for children and adults alike with just ten minutes of preparation, some basic seasoning, and thirty minutes on the grill.
How to BBQ Chicken Drumsticks?
The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the drumsticks. Place the chicken drumsticks in a steamer or oven and cook until the bone is browned if you prefer a mild flavor. You can determine when they are finished by using a digital meat thermometer. Place the drumsticks under the broiler for a spicier variation. The preparation is quick and simple!
The chicken drumsticks should be cooked at a temperature between 170 and 185 degrees Fahrenheit for the best results. They will be stringy and tough if undercooked. They’ll take longer to cook if the internal temperature is lower, but they’re still fine!
Ingredients:
- Trim loose skin or joint components off chicken legs (chicken drumsticks). Use legs as close to the same size as possible to ensure even cooking.
- Simple seasonings like salt and pepper are OK. However, we always use All Purpose Seasoning, a mixture of salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Use the seasoning you prefer, though. It’s okay to marinate even. Using barbecue sauce, omit the other ingredients and brush on just before serving.
- Oil won’t necessarily be necessary. If utilized, the chicken skin will be thick and somewhat less crispy.
Instructions:
- The grill should be cleaned, greased, and warmed to around 450 degrees.
- Trim the excess skin and slack in the joint area of the drumsticks before grilling. Once dry, season to taste using paper towels.
- Place with the lid shut over a heat source. Up to an internal temperature of 185°, which takes 30-35 minutes, flip every 5 minutes.
- Before serving, remove from heat and let stand for five minutes.
How Long Should you Cook Drumsticks?
Assuming a medium-high grill surface temperature of 450°, it will take 35 to 30 minutes. The size, beginning temperature, and precise grill temperature are all factors, though.
To avoid scorched skin and achieve a final internal temperature of 185°+, ideal for drumsticks and thighs, they must be turned over every five minutes.
A lower surface temperature is an option, but it will take longer and dry out more. A grill set at a temperature higher than 500° will not produce satisfactory results. But never forget that you are never cooking by time alone; you are always cooking to a final internal temperature.
The Ideal Interior Temperature
For chicken legs (and thighs), a final internal temperature of 185° or higher is ideal. There is too much connective tissue in chicken legs and thighs to cook them to the FDA’s minimum safe internal temperature of 165°. They will be stringy and tough at 165° but still uncooked.
Melting the connective tissue, which begins to dissolve at 170° but is largely accomplished at 185°, is necessary to produce juicy and tender meat. But according to American Test Kitchen, heating up to 195° will still be safe and may even be advantageous (subscription required).
To get this right, you must use an instant-read thermometer.
What are the Best Practices for Always Getting it Right?
- If you skip pat drying, your skin won’t be crispy.
- Search for any loose pieces near the severed joint. The youngster you are giving this to might not require the loose bone aspirated.
- To ensure you reach 185° or higher, you must use a thermometer. Don’t speculate.
- Spice as you please. We season our food with my blend of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Scale to any size you require.
- For delicious BBQ drumsticks, omit the spice and brush on your favorite BBQ sauce during the final 5 minutes of cooking.
How the Grill Should be Positioned?
Gas Grill
400°F or so should be the medium-high heat setting on your grill. Cook the chicken drumsticks by placing them on clean, well-oiled grates. After a few minutes, turn each piece over until the skin is crisp and browned on all sides.
Close the grill after reducing the temperature to medium-low (about 300°F). Cook for about 25 minutes, turning the chicken once halfway through.
Charcoal Grill
Move most of the charcoal to one side of the grill to create two heat zones (one with medium-high heat and one with medium-low heat).
The chicken should first be placed directly over the heat source, and when the skin begins to brown, turn the pieces over every few minutes.
Move the chicken to the indirect (medium-low) heat zone once the skin has turned brown and crispy. Cover the pan again and simmer for about 25 more minutes, turning the chicken over halfway through.
What is the Calorie Count of Chicken Drumsticks?
One uncooked chicken drumstick contains around 75–80 calories. These BBQ chicken drumsticks are estimated to have 200 calories per piece after being steeped in homemade BBQ sauce.
Suggestions for Perfectly Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
- Slowly add sauce over time. As the chicken drumsticks bake, slowly pour barbecue sauce over them to help the crust get crispy and tasty.
- Be patient with the magic. Even though these BBQ Chicken Drumsticks sound amazing, it can be difficult to let them cook for a long period since they need to render the fat and develop a crunchy, appealing exterior. Allowing the chicken to develop flavors and resisting the impulse to rush it will produce perfectly roasted chicken legs with no visible fat or tendons.
- Add flavor in layers! To bring out the deep, smoky flavor that you would typically only receive on a hot grill, add layers and layers of flavor.
- Crisp it up. Instead of covering it completely at once, pour the sauce on as it cooks to allow it to crisp up and generate a nice crunchy bark.
How to Reheat the Grill?
- Set up and light the coals, or light the gas grill, set it to high, and heat it to 350 degrees.
- BBQ sauce should be applied to chicken drumsticks.
- Put drumsticks of chicken in a foil pouch.
- Add to grill and cook for three to five minutes on each side or until chicken is thoroughly heated.
- For more crunchy chicken drumsticks, finish right on the grill.
Reheating in a Pan
- Use a sturdy nonstick pan to reheat chicken drumsticks.
- Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter till foamy.
- Chicken should be added to a hot, nonstick pan over high heat.
- Pan-fry chicken legs until crispy, stirring regularly.
Which BBQ Sauce to Use?
What kind of BBQ sauce to use is one of the most frequent inquiries people have regarding these crispy baked chicken drumsticks. With one little exception, this recipe was actually created to work with ANY BBQ sauce you like.
Any sauce that is too watery could result in a mess since it will roll off the chicken instead of coating it. Thicker sauces work best for this dish.
Do you Take the Skin off the Chicken Before Cooking it?
It’s really up to you, but people personally prefer to leave the skin on and let it crisp when baking because people enjoy the crispy crunch it gives food.
How to Choose the Best Kind of Chicken?
You can use bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks for this dish. Although skin-on is acceptable, but prefer skinless. No matter what people do, the skin never actually becomes crispy on the grill. Skinless meat, though, can often be more expensive or difficult to get.
For this procedure, chicken breasts are not the best choice. However, chicken breasts with the bone in and the skin on are preferable if you truly want to.
Is the Grill Hood Supposed to be Open or Shut?
The ideal option is closed, which gives you more control. In general, open grilling is acceptable for food that is less than 12 inches thick. It is preferable to shut but can be open between 1/2 and 1 inch. Always close anything that is over 1 inch.
Why are My Chicken Legs Still Pink?
Even if the Temperature is Right, the Chicken Legs are still Somewhat Pink
There are two typical reasons. First off, older meat in chicken may release some myoglobin, which can result in some pinkness. The bone marrow may disintegrate and leak into the flesh if the drumsticks have been frozen, which is the second cause.
Both are safe as long as the temperature is appropriate and neither is damaging.
How are Chicken Leg Quarters Cooked?
Chicken leg quarters consist of one intact chicken leg and thigh. The procedure is the same, but because there is greater mass, it will take a little longer. The grill configuration and terminus are the same.
Best Way to Serve Chicken Drumsticks
Present the chicken hot and with additional barbecue sauce on the side.
Conclusion
Since there is no need for marinating, they are simple to create and take a little extra time to prepare. Since chicken legs are cheap, feeding a large group or your family won’t break the bank. The homemade BBQ sauce is produced with just a few basic components and has an incredibly tasty, amplified flavor. They are sweet, sticky, smoky, and juicy. A stack of napkins is all you need!
