Perfectly Grilled Chicken Drumsticks are fast and easy with this never-fail recipe. Tender, flavorful, and budget-friendly, everybody from picky kids to grandma will love these crispy grilled drumsticks.
🐓Ingredients
Chicken Drumsticks (chicken legs)
Seasoning—salt, black pepper, and garlic powder mixture (All-Purpose Seasoning) OR
Optional seasoning of your choice
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Featured Comment from Jan: "
The best...the best..... chicken legs...ever....goodbye Bobby Flay...hello Doctor Dan....it is going to be an excellent chicken leg summer....thank you!"
You only need the correct grill and final internal temperatures to cook perfect chicken drumsticks. With only 10 minutes of preparation and simple seasoning, it only takes 35 minutes on the grill.
This grilled chicken drumstick recipe is part of a group of recipes that started with my work on Chicken for a Crowd. For oven-based recipes, see Baked Chicken Legs or Oven Baked Chicken Thighs. And don't miss Grilled Chicken Thighs.
👨🍳How to Grill Chicken Drumsticks—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Clean, oil, and preheat the grill to a surface temperature of about 450°.
2. Prepare the chicken legs for grilling by trimming loose parts in the joint area and excess skin.
3. Pat dry with paper towels and season to your taste.
4. Place over direct heat with a closed lid.
5. Flip every 5 minutes until an internal temperature of 185°—about 30-35 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏰How long to grill chicken drumsticks
It will take 35 to 30 minutes, assuming a medium-high grill surface temperature of 450°, to reach a final internal temperature of 185°+, which is best for chicken legs and thighs.
Variables are the drumstick's size, initial temperature, and exact grill temperature. You can use a lower surface temperature, but it will add time and tend to dry more. You can not get acceptable results with a grill temperature over 500°.
Always remember, you are cooking to a final internal temperature and never by time alone. You must use a thermometer to be sure you get to 185°+. Do not guess.
How to spice chicken drumsticks
Spice as you want. I use my All-Purpose Seasoning ·7:2:2), which combines kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder. But other spice mixes may be used.
For BBQ chicken drumsticks, use a dry rub and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce the last 5 minutes to make great BBQ chicken drumsticks.
Chicken tips and options
Drumsticks and chicken legs are the same thing. But there are also chicken leg quarters with chicken legs and thighs attached. If you are doing leg quarters, please follow the Grilled Chicken Thighs recipe.
Just pat dry with paper towels, and do not rinse—which is unsafe. See Chicken... To Rinse or Not To Rinse? for more discussion.
Allowing the chicken legs to rest at room temperature for 15-30 minutes while setting up the grill will help get the final internal temperature without burning the skin.
Grill setup
You may use either a gas or charcoal grill, but you must get the grill surface temperature correct, which is easier on gas. The grill surface temperature is temp on the grill's surface where the food cooks, not in the grill's hood.
The surface temperature should be 450°-500°, which is medium to medium-high on most gas grills—see A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill for more details.
For a charcoal grill, you must adjust the venting, not build the hottest fire, and have a reserved cooler area.
🌡️The best final internal temperature is 185°
The best final internal temperature for chicken legs (and thighs) is 185°. The FDA minimum safe internal temperature is 165°, but there is too much connective tissue in chicken legs and thighs. At 165°, they will be tough and stringy—just not done.
To get moist and tender meat, you need to melt the connective tissue, which starts at 170° but is mostly complete at 185°. But cooking up to 195° will still be okay and may be beneficial, according to American Test Kitchen (subscription required).
Suggested serving
Severe with other grilled side dishes like Grilled Corn on the Cob, Grilled French Fries, Grilled Stuffed Tomatoes, or Grilled Mixed Vegetables. Or picnic salads like potato salad, Caprese Pasta Salad, Broccoli Salad, or Broccoli Slaw Salad.
Storage and reheating leftovers
Store leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for 4 days. You may freeze for 4 months, but there is poor skin texture, so it is not recommended.
To reheat leftovers, heat in a 325° oven or air fryer for 10-15 minutes.
❓FAQs
Closed will be best and give you more control. Generally, grilling something less than ½ inch thick can be open. Between ½ and 1 inch can be open but is better closed. Over 1 inch should always be closed.
No, you will burn the skin long before the meat is cooked. They must be fully thawed first.
It is not needed. The skin will be crispier without it, but with oil, it will be softer and feel thicker.
There are two common causes. First, if the chicken is older, the older meat may release some myoglobin, which can cause pinkness. The second reason is if the drumsticks have been frozen, the bone marrow can break down and come out into the meat. Neither is harmful and as long as the temperature is correct, it is safe to eat.
Food safety
Raw chicken and other poultry should be considered contaminated and handled with care. Wash your hands carefully before and after touching raw chicken.
We do NOT wash raw chicken routinely due to water splatter. See Chicken... To Rinse or Not To Rinse? for more information.
You must cook chicken to an internal temperature of 165° for safety, although for texture, cook to 185° for chicken legs and thighs. See the USDA for more information. You need to check this with an instant-read thermometer.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
📖 Recipe
Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken drumsticks
- Salt and pepper - to taste or seasoning of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to get a surface temp of about 450°. That is medium-high on a standard gas grill and medium on a hot gas grill. Clean and oil the grill grates.
- Pat dry the chicken legs (chicken drumsticks) with paper towels. Rest at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before grilling if you have the time.
- Trim off excess skin and loose bones/tissue, especially in the joint area.
- Season to taste. Kosher salt and pepper will be fine, or you can use my 7:2:2 spice mix. Or use the seasoning of your choice.
- Check grill surface temperature and place chicken legs on the grill. Close the grill hood. Flip about every 5 minutes until the internal temp of 185° degrees—about 30-35 minutes.
- Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
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Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Pat dry and season to taste. I like my All Purpose Seasoning - 7:2:1 and 7:2:2. Seasoning mixes or dry rubs work well. A light touch of cayenne pepper adds a bit of heat that most adults like but do not use with kids.
- Medium grill with a surface temperature of about 450°. Over 500° will not work well. 400° minimum.
- The final internal temperature of 185°+ is the key to this recipe. While 165° is safe, the texture will be much better at 185°.
- If you are cooking chicken leg quarters, use the Grilled Chicken Thighs recipe to learn to control the fat flair-ups.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
© 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.
Editor's Note: Originally published June 26, 2011. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Kim says
Could I prep the chicken the day before or a few hours before then refrigerate until ready to cook?
Also, would a spray bottle be suitable for flare ups?
Also again, sorry. I want to make a lot, could I put
Kim says
Phone fail
Could I put cooked ones in a crock pot to keep warm?
DrDan says
Yep prepping ahead is fine. See my Chicken for a Hundred post. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/chicken-for-hundred/ . I used a large cooker to keep them warm after cooking. Now if you are doing a large number, you might want to consider the oven method since it would be easier to do a large number correctly. Again see the chicken for a hundred post.
DrDan
DaisyCat68 says
O.M.G.! First time grilling chicken w/ the bone. Did not have any thermometers, but followed your advice & comments. Made half w/ Lawry's & onion powder, the other half w/ s/p & Herb de Provence (my husband is obsessed w/ that stuff). Dried the chicken! Took about 40-45 minutes, but then I was opening that lid every 5 mins, so maybe I'll be better next time! Skin was beautifully crispy. My 11-yr-old, who shuns meat of any kind almost always, ate FOUR. At one sitting. Best directions for grilling ever!
Tami says
Wonderful chicken! Kudos on the instructions. So delicious. Not dried out, just perfectly cooked.
DrDan says
Thanks Tami
DrDan
deb says
Thanks for the recipe. I had a problem with the skin getting blackened and burnt. Can you help? ( I have a gas grill that does not indicated temp so I set the heat on medium. ) Thanks.
DrDan says
I frequently use a surface thermometer... About $8 on Amazon. I do that frequently so I can tell people what temperature to have. So pick one up somewhere. Second, flip and reposition more often. My old grill had many "hot spots" that ran much higher temp then other spots. Lastly make sure you have no "flair ups"
Hope that help
DrDan
Roger Williams says
I only use a charcoal grill, and mainly indirect heat. I'm a recipe junkie so I would love to know if you have any charcoal grill tips and recipes. I have bookmarked this site and will check in often. Keep up the great job. I gave it a 4 rating mainly for the responses from those that have tried it.
DrDan says
I haven't done charcoal for almost 30 years but I realize many do. I have tried to do grill surface temps more and hopefully that helps. The trouble I had with charcoal was the ability to maintain a consistent temperature. I have too much science in me... I need things reproducible. Same method and same result every-time.
The old hand heat temp should be somewhat useful.
Thanks for the note and rating.
DrDan
Craig says
I've made these several times on a charcoal grill. I use about 4 lbs of charcoal (~50 brickettes) and distribute them on one half of the grill. Cool the drumsticks over the direct heat, but use the other side for any flair ups or if you have smaller drumsticks that cook faster. I've never measured the surface temp, but rotating every 5 minutes to get a good char until the temperature is right seems to work out perfectly. I usually end up with 40 min of coin time and apply BBQ sauce liberally in the last 10 min. We've only had success with this recipe and we've found it's hard to overlook the chicken, just avoid flames and burning early on!
DrDan says
Hi Craig,
Thanks for the excellent instructions for charcoal. I'm editing the post and adding your comment for the charcoal people.
Thanks again
Dan
DrDan says
Thanks for the note and I hope it worked well for you.
DrDan
Eric says
I'm giving your recipe a shot tonight. Doing 40 burgers, 24 drumsticks, 8 Brats and 8 weenies. I will start the drumsticks 1st.
Sandra says
I did exactly as you said and the drumsticks were perfect !! Used the cayenne too. I can't thank you enough. We have cooked a lot of chicken on the grill in 68 years and this was the best. Crispy outside and moist inside!!
DrDan says
Thanks for the note Sandra. I thought it was relatively simple but some are having issues. As we say in science, it needs to be reproducible.
Again thanks for the support.
DrDan
WB says
Just curious if you have tried Chilli Powder instead of Cayenne. I much prefer this.
Cj says
I tried it, but I still burned the legs, should I keep the legs away from the flame
DrDan says
Actually I just did this recipe again tonight. Yep flames are always bad and always be avoided in any grilling. You should not have flames...
A couple of possible issues. Some fat from the drummies causing the flames. And be sure to know the surface temp of your grill and that the thermometer is accurate. My grill has two hot spots. They are small but I was cooking 14 drumsticks so it was hard to avoid completely but I was able to work around them.
If you are getting burning anyways, flip at 4-5 minutes and move them around some. Also a little lower surface temp since you are cooking to an internal temperature and not by time here. Never by time...
Hope that helps some and please let me know if you have more problems.
DrDan
Bradford says
Who is manning your grill, 7 minutes at 450, burnt thanks for the recipe maybe you should try it out sometime.
DrDan says
Sorry you had trouble but it works fine for me (at least 20 times) and many others have no issue.
DrDan
DrDan says
I have never done wings on a grill but would think they would be faster and since they are "white meat" maybe a 165-170 end point.
Good luck with the cookout
DrDan
BBQ Wifey says
Too funny about you not 'winging' on the grill! That is a "go to" BBQ regular here, even in the snow-I get one of my nephews or my DH to shovel a path to my grill so I can make wings for weekend football! I got to your site looking for temps for drummies! I have made undercooked, stringy drummies too many times! THANKS for the great detailed instructions! Mwha!♡
DrDan says
Now if I could get my wife to do the cooking....
Thanks for the note
DrDan
Harry Newhall says
We invited some great friends over for grilled chicken wings n legs.I will cook with your recipe tomorrow.Thank you very much.,,
lilzero11 says
Would this work without skin?
TRINITY says
excellent
Dan Mikesell says
Danke
costanza says
I've bookmarked your page-- thanks so much!
costanza says
When I told my boys I was going to do chicken on the grill, one of them suggested "indian food chicken" instead, because the chicken on the grill is boring. Well I'd planned to grill, so that's what I did, using your recipe. I made 12 drumsticks and left the two boys home while I drove my daughter to gymnastics. When I returned 20 minutes later, 4 drumsticks were left. Out of 12.
The boys claim the dog got one of them, but I think they were so good they just couldn't control themselves, even though my daughter, husband and I had yet to eat : 0 The grilled veggies are good, so we won't starve, but this is the best grilled chicken I've made to date.
Dan Mikesell says
Great... I'm glad they liked them. Since it's so easy, you will just need to cook more next time. Also you might want to check the oven method for future use. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/the-art-of-drummies-oven-baked-chicken/