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    Home » Recipes » Main Dish

    Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com · 15 Comments

    Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

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    Jump to Recipe
    Baked bbq chicken drumsticks pin with text header.

    Delightfully tangy baked BBQ chicken drumsticks combine crispy baked chicken legs with a smoky barbecue sauce that's cooked to perfection! This easy dinner is a favorite family go-to for nights when you can't fire up the grill!

    Baked bbq chicken drumsticks  garnished with some parsley and ready to serve.
    Incredibly easy barbecue chicken legs are a favorite family dinner for any night of the week!

    Enjoy all the flavor of the grill with half the effort with these delightfully sticky baked BBQ chicken drumsticks!

    These baked BBQ chicken drumsticks are perfect for those times you are craving BBQ but don’t have the right weather to fire up the grill. They are also so easy to prepare that you may just make them even when it is BBQ weather outside!

    Baking these drumsticks gives you a nice toasty outside that helps keep the chicken nice and juicy inside. It also makes it extremely easy for you!

    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe!
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🧂 Substitutions
    • 🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
    • 🥗 Sides
    • 💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
    • 🥡 Storing & Reheating
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Once the chicken is in the oven, you can let it do its thing until it’s time to add the BBQ sauce.

    With how easy these are to prepare, you also have plenty of time to make additional homemade side dishes and even desserts!

    ❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe!

    • Super Easy! When it comes to cooking chicken, it doesn’t get much easier than these baked drumsticks. Once you have seasoned them, just slide them into the oven and let them cook.
    • So Tasty! Think about why fried chicken is so yummy. It has a toasty outside that seals in all the juiciness of the chicken! These BBQ drumsticks do the same thing but with delicious barbecue sauce!
    • It's Versatile! I love making these with drumsticks, but you can use your favorite chicken pieces!

    🥘 Ingredients

    Just two quick stops inside the grocery store to get everything you need for these tasty drumsticks. Swing down the condiment aisle for BBQ sauce and liquid smoke, grab a couple of packages of chicken legs in the poultry section, and head home!

    • 12 Chicken Drumsticks – Chicken drumsticks are the same as chicken legs. These are often sold with the skin on, which is ideal for getting a nice juicy BBQ chicken.
    • ½ cup BBQ Sauce – You can use any brand of BBQ sauce that your store carries. Bulls Eye is a traditional one, but other brands like Kraft, Sweet Baby Ray's, KFC Masterpiece, Stubb's, Jim Beam, and Famous Dave's also offer some good sauce choices.
    • 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke – Liquid smoke is just what it sounds like, smoke in a liquid form! Look for it next to the BBQ sauces.
    • Salt & Pepper – I like to use my everyday salt and pepper shakers and just give a little shake over the chicken. Remember to rotate the chicken legs so you get everything evenly coated.

    🧂 Substitutions

    • Chicken Thighs. Chicken thighs are similar in size to drumsticks which makes them an easy swap. You can use 12 chicken thighs and follow the same directions as below. If you want variety, use 6 drumsticks and 6 thighs.
    • Chicken breasts are also delicious! Check out my easy BBQ-baked chicken breasts here. I love to marinate the chicken breasts (bone-in or boneless) with my easy bbq marinade too!
    • Not a smoky fan? Leave it out! If you don’t love the smoky flavor of a grill, just leave the liquid smoke out of the BBQ sauce. You will still get a great flavor from the BBQ sauce by itself.

    🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions

    Don’t forget to think about the sides you want to add to make this a complete meal! In addition to my suggestions below, southern baked mac and cheese and sauteed broccolini are delicious with this chicken!

    1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C).
    2. Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the ½ cup BBQ sauce and 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, mix, then set aside.
    3. Prepare the chicken. Rinse and pat dry the 12 chicken drumsticks with paper towels. Arrange the drumsticks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season the drumsticks with salt and pepper.
    4. Bake the chicken and apply the sauce. Place the baking sheet into your oven and bake at 400°F (205°C) for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and using a brush apply the BBQ sauce to the chicken, return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes. *If you don’t have a basting brush, you can spoon the sauce onto each piece of chicken and then use the back of the spoon to spread it around.
    5. Check if the chicken is done. When the last 10 minutes is done, remove from the oven. Use an instant-read temperature probe and verify that your chicken is at least 165°F (I prefer to cook any bone-in chicken to 180°F even though USDA says 165°F is safe to eat).
    6. Serve. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

    If you are finishing side dishes when the timer goes off, just leave the chicken on the baking sheet and cover it with tin foil to keep the heat in. You can let the baking sheet sit on top of the oven if you are going to be ready to eat in 20 minutes or less.

    If it’s going to be longer, turn the oven down to “warm” and then return the covered chicken to the oven to stay warm.

    🥗 Sides

    What to serve with bbq chicken for the best dinners image of bbq chicken.

    Some of my favorite sides to pair with this chicken are white cheddar mac, ground beef and bacon baked beans, and roasted green beans. For dessert, try this delicious pineapple upside down Bundt cake!

    See all my favorite sides for BBQ chicken here, Enjoy!

    💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes

    • Skin or no skin? The purpose of baking the chicken with the skin on it is to help seal the meat's juiciness. The chicken is more likely to dry out without the skin while cooking. If you don’t want to eat the skin, simply make an extra batch of BBQ sauce that you can use for additional flavor when you remove the skin (after baking) for eating. *You can use skinless chicken if you prefer. You will follow the same directions listed above.
    • Make some extra sauce. The BBQ will bake into the chicken, so if you like a saucier chicken, make up some extra sauce to serve with the chicken. Make this in a separate bowl that has not had a brush/spoon in it that was used during cooking.
    • Parchment paper makes clean-up easy! Trust me when I say you do not want to make a super easy meal only to have to spend forever scrubbing baked BBQ sauce off a baking sheet. The parchment paper will keep the baking sheet clean and keep the chicken from sticking to the pan. Once you remove the cooked chicken, just crumple up the parchment paper and toss it! In a pinch, you can use non-stick cooking spray if you don’t have parchment paper. Simply spray the pan before placing the chicken on it.
    • Start with a basic BBQ sauce: Choose a basic BBQ sauce with no additional flavoring for your first round with this recipe. Once you’ve tried the traditional flavor with liquid smoke, you can explore other BBQ sauce flavors, such as honey BBQ or hickory.
    Overhead of the baked bbq chicken drumsticks on metal tray.

    🥡 Storing & Reheating

    BBQ chicken is great for leftovers! Transfer it to an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

    Baked BBQ chicken drumsticks are best reheated in the oven to keep that “just grilled” taste. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, lay them out on the baking sheet, and pop them in the oven at 400°F (205°C) until they are warmed through.

    This chicken is also super yummy and served cold on salads or in sandwiches.

    Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
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    📋 Recipe

    Baked bbq chicken drumsticks garnished with some parsley and ready to serve.
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    Love This Recipe?Click On A Star To Rate It!
    5 from 166 reviews

    Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

    Delightfully tangy baked BBQ chicken drumsticks combine crispy baked chicken legs with a smoky barbecue sauce that's cooked to perfection! This easy dinner is a family favorite go-to for nights that you can't fire up the grill!
    Author | Angela
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 282kcal
    Prep 5 minutes minutes
    Cooking 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time 45 minutes minutes
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    Ingredients
     

    • 12 chicken drumsticks
    • ½ cup BBQ sauce
    • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
    • salt & pepper (to taste)
    Help Us Out!If you love a recipe, be sure to come back and share your ratings. This helps future users, and allows me to continue sharing free recipes! Angela

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C).
    • In a small bowl combine the BBQ sauce and liquid smoke, mix then set aside.
      ½ cup BBQ sauce, 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
    • Rinse and pat dry the chicken with paper towels. Arrange the drumsticks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season the drumsticks with salt and pepper.
      12 chicken drumsticks, salt & pepper
    • Place the baking sheet into your oven and bake at 400°F (205°C) for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven, and using a brush apply the BBQ sauce to the chicken. Return the chicken to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes.
    • When the last 10 minutes is done remove the bbq chicken from the oven. Use an instant-read temperature probe and verify that your chicken is at least 165°F (74°C). Serve immediately.

    Equipment You May Need

    Baking Sheet
    Silicone Kitchen Tongs
    Instant Read Temperature Probe

    Nutrition

    Calories: 282kcal (14%) | Carbohydrates: 10g (3%) | Protein: 27g (54%) | Fat: 14g (22%) | Saturated Fat: 4g (25%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 139mg (46%) | Sodium: 404mg (18%) | Potassium: 393mg (11%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 8g (9%) | Vitamin A: 123IU (2%) | Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) | Calcium: 23mg (2%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
    Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can’t wait to see your results! Mention @bake_it_with_love or tag #bake_it_with_love!
    Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks, chicken legs, easy dinners
    Course BBQ, Chicken Dishes, Dinner Recipes, Main Dish
    Cuisine American
    author profile photo
    Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com

    Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!

    bakeitwithlove.com/about/
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Karma says

      August 17, 2023 at 10:30 am

      5 stars
      Geweldig, beste kip die ik óóit heb gemaakt en heb geserveerd.
      "Amazing, best chicken I've ever made and served."

      Reply
      • Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says

        August 17, 2023 at 10:31 am

        Fantastisch! Bedankt voor het delen van je succes!
        "Fantastic! Thanks for sharing your success!"

        Reply
      • piet says

        August 19, 2023 at 9:13 am

        400 minuten boven 200 graden. toch 5 sterren. knap
        "400 minutes above 200 degrees. still 5 stars. good looking"

        Reply
    2. Jo says

      July 18, 2023 at 3:38 pm

      5 stars
      Cooks perfectly and loved by all my grands.

      Reply
    3. William Hodges says

      January 18, 2023 at 10:29 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you!!

      Reply
    4. Virginia says

      September 23, 2022 at 6:13 am

      5 stars
      Super easy and delicious

      Reply
      • Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says

        September 23, 2022 at 9:39 am

        Thank you Virginia 🙂

        Reply
    5. Anonymous says

      August 25, 2022 at 5:12 pm

      5 stars
      Wonderfully simple and delicious. I did add some bourbon infused honey to our sauce. 😋

      Reply
    6. Desiray Mueller says

      August 21, 2022 at 6:36 pm

      5 stars
      Want a fast quick way to dinner for the family or yourself? This is it! So delicious and tasty. My kids are very picky eaters but they are every piece. This recipe was simple and fast but the time & temperature was perfect.

      Reply
    7. ED says

      June 22, 2022 at 7:01 am

      5 stars
      Great way to make BBQ chicken when you can't fire up the grill because of rain. It came out juicy and was very good. The only question I have is how do you keep the chicken from splatterinh all over the oven.

      Reply
      • Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says

        June 22, 2022 at 7:54 am

        Thank you! To keep splatter down you can lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the dish with your chicken. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    8. Stacy s says

      May 06, 2022 at 6:49 pm

      5 stars
      I made this tonight. So juicy and delicious.

      Reply
    9. John says

      April 26, 2022 at 10:29 pm

      5 stars
      Very tasty. I baked for 30 minutes then brushed on my fav hot sauce then bbq sauce,, It turned out fantastic!!

      Reply
    10. Anonymous says

      March 29, 2022 at 6:50 pm

      5 stars
      Yummy thanks!

      Reply
    11. Brenda says

      February 19, 2022 at 2:46 pm

      5 stars
      Super juicy and easy. ❤

      Reply

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