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When I’m eating low-carb, but looking for a hearty, satisfying crunch from chicken drumsticks loaded with crave-worthy bbq sauce, these chicken legs, I use this simple technique I came up with to add a crunchy bark without drying out the chicken meat! Trust me – this recipe is so finger-licking good, you’ll crave them all the time!
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of contents
The Best Baked BBQ Chicken Legs
I love to grill anytime of year – summer, spring, fall – and even winter. There is something about delicious smoky, crunchy, and savory foods right off a hot grill that is so crave-able – but grilling can easily become a giant pain.
Thankfully, when I’m craving crunchy, smoky, and delicious chicken drumsticks, I can make them anytime of year, fuss-free!
This amazing baked chicken legs recipe isn’t done on the grill- we’re getting the crunchy, sticky, bark-covered chicken drumsticks from heaven – made right in your oven! This easy baked chicken drumstick method is then coated in layers of bbq sauce to develop a crunchy bark straight from the oven – as well as rich, smoky flavors.
If you’re on a keto or low carb diet – this recipe can be made with any keto bbq sauce you love.
Don’t Miss: For a crunchy baked chicken drumsticks recipe in an air fryer, check out my Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks recipe.
Ingredients for the Best BBQ Chicken Legs
To make this recipe, we will need the following ingredients:
- 4 lb chicken drumsticks, about 12: These are the main protein of the dish, providing juicy meat that is perfect for absorbing flavors.
- 2 tbsp garlic powder: Adds a savory depth and aromatic flavor to the chicken.
- 2 tbsp onion powder: Enhances the overall flavor with a sweet, earthy taste that complements the other spices.
- 2 tbsp chili powder: Contributes a mild heat and complex flavor, adding depth to the seasoning blend.
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika: Provides a smoky, rich flavor that enhances the BBQ profile of the dish.
- 1 tbsp ground ginger: Adds a hint of warmth and a subtle spicy sweetness to balance the flavors.
- 2 tsp salt: Enhances the natural flavors of the chicken and spices, while also helping to tenderize the meat.
- 1 tsp pepper: Provides a sharp, pungent flavor that adds a bit of heat and complexity.
- 2 cups BBQ sauce: Coats the chicken with a sweet, tangy glaze that caramelizes beautifully when baked, creating a signature BBQ flavor.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Drumsticks in Oven
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following method:
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly pat chicken dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl, mix together spices (all ingredients but chicken and bbq sauce) Coat chicken in dry rub, let sit 30 minutes to overnight.
- Bake. Add chicken to oven on a cooling rack sitting atop a baking sheet. Let chicken bake about 40 minutes before adding bbq sauce- until skin is crispy and fat has started to render. Flip chicken drumsticks every 10 minutes to ensure it crisps evenly on all sides.
- Layer sauce. With a silicone brush, lightly brush chicken with bbq sauce, flipping its side each time you add another coat of sauce, about every 10 minutes until sauce is used up (about 30 minutes.)
- Broil to crisp. When chicken is ready, turn on broiler and broil for two minutes on each side to give a little extra crunch to chicken skin.
- Enjoy! Serve immediately.
Tips to Perfect Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
This recipe is simple, but following a couple tried and true tips will help your baked chicken legs turn out perfect every time:
- First off, I prefer to add chicken to oven on a cooling rack – not directly on a baking sheet. This helps to lift your chicken off the baking sheet, so air can move evenly around the chicken and crisp it instead of getting soggy.
- Let chicken bake about 40 minutes before adding bbq sauce- until skin is crispy, and fat around the drumstick has started to render and melt away.
- Try to flip chicken drumsticks every 10 minutes to ensure it crisps evenly on all sides.
- I prefer using tongs coated with heat resistant silicone coated tongs so they don’t stick to the chicken skin and BBQ sauce.
- With a silicone brush, lightly brush chicken with bbq sauce, flipping its side each time you add another coat of sauce, about every 10 minutes until sauce is used up (which will take about 30 minutes.)
- When chicken is fully cooked, turn on broiler, and broil for two minutes on each side to give a little extra crunch to chicken skin.
- Remove chicken when skin looks bubbly and shiny – watch closely to make sure it doesn’t burn!
- Add Sauce Slowly Over Time. Layering bbq sauce slowly over chicken drumsticks as the chicken drumsticks bake helps the crust become crunchy and delicious.
- Don’t Rush the Magic! It’s hard to let chicken drumsticks cook for a while, especially when they smell as good as these BBQ Chicken Drumsticks do, but for the fat to render and the skin to become crunchy and irresistible, they need time! Let the chicken develop flavors and fight the urge to rush it too quickly, and let the fat and tendons break down on their own, resulting in perfect baked chicken legs.
- Layer the flavor! Adding layers and layers of flavor helps bring out the rich, smoky flavor you’d normally only get from a hot grill!
- Let it crisp. Let the sauce crisp a bit and develop a lovely crunchy bark by layering sauce on as it cooks – don’t just coat it with all the sauce at once.
How to Store BBQ Chicken Legs
Chicken drumsticks can keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to four days.
How to Reheat Baked Chicken Drumsticks
To reheat on the grill:
- Get coals lit and arranged, or light gas grill and set to high, and bring to 350 degrees.
- Baste chicken drumsticks with BBQ sauce.
- Place chicken drumsticks in foil pouch.
- Add to grill and cook for 3-5 minutes per side, until chicken is piping hot.
- Finish directly on grill for crunchier chicken drumsticks.
To Reheat in a Pan:
- To reheat chicken drumsticks in a pan, use a heavy nonstick pan.
- Melt 1-2 tbsp butter on high heat until frothy.
- Add chicken to hot nonstick pan over medium high heat.
- Pan fry chicken legs, moving frequently, until crispy.
FAQs
This recipe can be made to be 100% keto compliant, since it just involves a spice rub and sauce.
If macros are too high in the spice rub, omit garlic and onion powder (though only do this if you are very strict with intake – as they provide so much flavor).
Use any keto approved BBQ sauce you love – or try a spicy sauce like Nando’s Peri Peri Sauce.
One of the most frequent questions I get about these crunchy baked chicken drumsticks is what type of BBQ sauce to use. This recipe was actually developed to work with ANY BBQ sauce you like – with one small caveat.
This recipe works best with slightly thicker sauces – anything too watery might make a big mess as it will roll off the chicken instead of coating it.
This is entirely up to you – but I personally love the crispy crunch from chicken skin and prefer to leave it on and let it crisp when baking.
Cook chicken drumsticks at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chicken is fully cooked when it has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a digital meat thermometer to probe the fattest part of the chicken drumstick, taking care not to touch the bone, to gauge the temperature.
For extra crunch, broil for 3-5 minutes per side, taking care not to let chicken burn under broiler.
What to Serve With BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
This recipe is fabulous with classic BBQ sides like Sour Cream Cornbread and Baked Beans – as well as my favorite Easy Rice Pilaf – but I’m sharing my favorite other dishes to serve with baked chicken legs as well:
You can find our complete side dish recipe archives here.
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BBQ Drumsticks in Oven
Ingredients
- 4 lb chicken drumsticks, about 12
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 cups bbq sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Thoroughly pat chicken dry with a paper towel.
- In a small bowl, mix together spices (all ingredients but chicken and bbq sauce)
- Coat chicken in dry rub, let sit 30 minutes to overnight.
- Add chicken to oven on a cooling rack sitting atop a baking sheet.
- Let chicken bake about 40 minutes before adding bbq sauce- until skin is crispy and fat has started to render. Flip chicken drumsticks every 10 minutes to ensure it crisps evenly on all sides.
- With a silicone brush, lightly brush chicken with bbq sauce, flipping its side each time you add another coat of sauce, about every 10 minutes until sauce is used up (about 30 minutes.)
- When chicken is ready, turn on broiler and broil for two minutes on each side to give a little extra crunch to chicken skin.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this last night following the recipe as written, turning the legs every 10 mins. I used Diana Original Bbqe Sauce (only sold in Canada I think). My husband, teenage sons and I all agree that they were the tastiest chicken legs we’ve ever eaten. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Made these tonight for dinner and the family loved them. I’m normally not a drumsticks person but they were on sale. I’m saving this recipe and I’m going to throw this in my rotation. This just replaced my previous BBQ chicken recipe. Great job
I tried this tonight and it was amazing it tasted just like I cooked it on the grill. The only thing I did different is I cooked it for 80 mins then I bbq and flipped it for another 20 mins. Thank you.
This is hands down Thee Best bbq chicken leg recipe I’ve ever tried! I didn’t have ground ginger so I substituted with 1tsp of ground cinnamon. Delicious!
I made this chicken tonight and it was absolutely delicious. I only had 5 legs so I cut it down to about 1/4 of this recipe. It was a big hit. Will definitely make again.
Hi! I’m excited to make this tonight…would you adjust the cook time if only making 2 lbs?
Elle – yes and no, just check in on it a bit, and see how it’s doing – but as long as the actual drumsticks aren’t mondo or teeny tiny and around the same size as each other, cooktime should be close to the same. The problem with chicken is it can vary so much based on how it’s raised, if they add saline after, etc – so cooktime can vary wildly depending on all sorts of things.