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Brined chicken gets a crispy, caramelized glaze for these restaurant-worthy Grilled BBQ Chicken Drumsticks in under an hour.
What You’ll Love About BBQ Drumsticks
- Simple Recipe: The brining and grilling process has simple steps and requires just ten minutes of prep time. This recipe makes an easy family dinner that takes the stress out of dinner.
- Flavorful and Juicy: The marinade infuses the chicken with flavor, while the short brining time helps retain moisture, resulting in juicy and tender meat the whole family will love.
- Crispy Skin: The two-step cooking process (indirect heat followed by direct heat) ensures perfectly cooked chicken with a crispy brown exterior that is a total crowd-pleaser.
What You Need
While the ingredient list is short, every ingredient is essential to this recipe.
- Water: essential for the simple brine. There is no need to get fancy with broth, juice, or soda.
- Table salt: an essential ingredient for brining and seasoning the chicken. If you want juicy chicken drumsticks, don’t skip the brining step!
- Cornstarch: when added to the brine, the cornstarch coats the chicken evenly. When the chicken is grilled, the cornstarch helps the skin get browned and crispy.
- Pepper: use pepper to taste when seasoning the chicken.
- Chicken drumsticks: skin-on, bone-in is the only way to go for this BBQ chicken drumsticks recipe.
- BBQ sauce: Use your favorite, we love Sweet Baby Rays.
How To Make BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
***This is just a teaser! To see the complete ingredient list and step-by-step instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Combine water, salt, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 15-60 minutes.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Place chicken on the cooler side of your grill, preheated on HIGH for 15 minutes. Cover, and cook for 30-34 minutes until browned.
- Move the chicken to the main burner. Brush with your favorite BBQ sauce, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Flip, brush again, and cook 5 minutes more. Repeat basting and flipping twice more.
- Transfer chicken to a platter and cover with foil for 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley (optional) and serve hot.
Make It A Meal
- Serve these drumsticks alongside our tri-color pasta salad or ambrosia salad for a delicious meal.
- We also like to serve corn on the cob, potato salad, a simple salad, or baked beans with these drumsticks.
More From The Cozy Fork
BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
Equipment
- measuring cups and spoons
- gas grill
- pastry brush
- large mixing bowl
- Cutting board
- Mixing spoon
Ingredients
BRINE:
- 4 cups water
- 2 Tablespoons table salt
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
CHICKEN:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 3 pounds chicken drumsticks
BBQ SAUCE:
- 3 cups barbecue sauce of your choosing
Instructions
BRINE THE CHICKEN:
- Combine water, salt, and cornstarch in a large bowl.
- Add chicken, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes, ensuring not to exceed an hour.
PREP THE GAS GRILL:
- As the chicken is brining, preheat the grill by turning the gas grill to HIGH and closing the lid.
- Ensure the grill is preheated for 15 minutes before placing the chicken on it. Prepare the grill grates by scraping and oiling them.
- Turn off all of the burners except for the main burner, keep that one HIGH.
PREP THE CHICKEN:
- Retrieve the chicken from the brine and transfer it to a sanitized cutting board.
- Swiftly pat the chicken dry using paper towels.
COOK THE CHICKEN:
- Position the chicken on the cooler side of the grill and cover it.
- Cook for 30-34 minutes or until the chicken starts to brown.
- Arrange the chicken in a single line close to the main burner that is still on.
- Brush the chicken with BBQ sauce, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Flip the chicken, brush it with BBQ sauce, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Repeat the process of flipping and brushing the chicken with BBQ sauce two more times. By this point, the chicken should have a crusted layer of BBQ sauce, and the internal temperature of the drumsticks should register 175 degrees F.
- Once cooked, transfer the BBQ chicken drumsticks to a serving platter.
- Cover with foil for 5 minutes
GARNISH AND SERVE:
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
- Serve hot and enjoy these deliciously grilled BBQ chicken drumsticks!
Notes
Storage:
Serve: You can keep the chicken out for no longer than two hours before it needs to be refrigerated. Store: Store the leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for three to four days. Freeze: Once cooled, place the drumsticks on a pan and flash freeze until frozen solid, about 2 hours. Transfer the chicken to a freeze-safe plastic bag and freeze for 2 months.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQs
How long do drumsticks take on the BBQ?
Cooking these drumsticks on the grill will take about fifty minutes. When they are done, their internal temperature should reach 175 degrees F.
Do you put BBQ sauce on chicken before or after baking?
The BBQ sauce will make the chicken brown quickly, so you do not want to put it on the drumsticks initially. Cook the chicken for about thirty minutes before applying the first coat of BBQ sauce. Then, you will flip the chicken, brush it with sauce, and cook for five minutes. This process will be repeated a few times to achieve that crispy skin we all know and love.
How can you tell when drumsticks are done?
The best way to know if the drumsticks are done is to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. If you do not have a thermometer, you can use a fork to stick into the thickest part of the drumstick. If the juices come out clear, the chicken is cooked through. Any traces of red, the chicken is not done and needs to continue cooking.
