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
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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.
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.
DrDan says
I have never had fire. During my relatively extensive testing for the correct way to cook legs, I once tried high since one recipe used it... about 550 degrees but I got burnt skin and raw meat but no fire. Must have had a lot o fat or drippings from before. But I do like pizza.
Dan
Andy says
I was looking for a quick recipe for the pack of drumsticks I had in the fridge. Stumbled across this one and thought "simple enough". Fired up my webber Q to a med-low heat and threw on the chicken. Left for about 35 mins (turning every 5-7 min). And wow!!! Honestly one of the best chicken I have cooked. So simple yet so tasty! I don't normally comment on recipe sites but just thought I would say thanks and I highly rate this one for anyone thinking of trying!
Thanks!
Tom says
OMG this was great, thank you for posting
DrDan says
Thanks Andy and Tom
DrDan
John says
Going to try this recipe this weekend. I think it's going to solve many issues I've had. Was wondering if seasoning 30 minutes to an hour before (aka dry brining) will mess with the crispy skin?
DrDan says
I wouldn't bother. The skin will probably still be crispy but I don't think you will have much of any effect on the meat.
DrDan
Jeff says
Bought a extra large sleeve of dummies at the store for this weeks meal prep as I was looking to switch up my chicken. Came across your recipe, used my charcoal webber. I let the coals get to red with out flames, then threw them on, turned every four to five minutes open, and the last five to ten minutes (total cooking time for 18 drummies was right around 40mins) I basted them with Stubbs BBQ sauce. These were probably the best drummes I've ever eaten. So glad this was the first recipe I came across. Thanks for sharing DrDan!
Mike says
These rocked my world ;)
Steve Walker says
I tried this last night. Turned out pretty well, but I did singe them a bit. Had a lot of flare ups when I first started cooking.
Any way to avoid that?
DrDan says
Flare ups are usually from draining fluids with fat hitting flame. So to prevent it generally, trim all fat that is possible and be sure that your flames are covered. The later depends on the grill. My old grills needed lava rock or something similar. I now have metal covering the burners. Also if the drummies were frozen, then they are more juicy so more drainage.
Hope that helps.
DrDan
wayne says
great job
jules says
Never knew so much in the details.. I learned to use indirect heat in the grill - do you do yours over the flames ? or indirect ?
DrDan says
This is direct heat with the top down. You could do indirect but would need the temp in the 450 plus range and a lot of grills can't handle that. Also a lot of people have issues with doing indirect. Since I don't do this indirect I really can't give instructions but would think it would be about 35 minutes give or take some. As always cook to the final internal temperature.
DrDan
eddie.b says
Thank you for the recipe.I combined the dry with a little bit of bbq sauce, and it was amazing !
Elle says
This was amazing!!! Thank you!!!
DrDan says
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
Johnny says
Tried your recipe last week, first time grilling drumsticks. On new grill. Turned every 5 min. Med high heat. Put on top rack after 4th turn kept turning every 5 min for total of 40 min .With your recipe and barbecue sauce, they turned out fantastic. Making a bunch again tonight.
DrDan says
Thanks so much for the note.
DrDan
Whippy says
Thanks for the recipe! I tried your method a little while back and (like others) ended up with burned drummies, but I think I understand where I went wrong.
When you say, "surface temperature," I translated that to mean the temperature that the thermometer in the hood of my grill reads, when I am now thinking that is NOT what you mean and that you actually mean "surface temperature" like you said! lol
The only way I can think of to get an actual surface temp would be to use a laser thermometer (which I don't have) so I'm going to try this again tonight and just cook on low/medium setting (Ducane 3100) to see what happens.
Your tip of drying the skin is good and works really nice for baked drummies too!
DrDan says
Thanks for the note.
I use a $8 grill surface thermometer from Amazon but also they are also at Lowes and Home Depot. You are right about the thermometer in the grill lids... usually useless at best or miss leading at worse. Mine seemed right on the first few times only.
I now do the surface temp for posted recipes to helps problems with grill variations.
Thanks again for the note and tonight when I have time I may re-edit a little to be sure other avoid that issue.
DrDan
Ethan says
I have never cooked drumsticks on the grill before. Using your guidelines, I was very pleased with the results. Crispy skin, good an moist. I just need to dial in the burners on my grill and they will be perfect. Also used (roughly) your spicing recommendations and I was very pleased with the flavor. Thanks for the right up.
Ethan says
*write up
DrDan says
Thanks so much for the note and rating.
DrDan
Melody says
This is the third time I've used this recipe and each time the chicken just gets better and better(or I just better at grilling)! I'm somewhat new to grilling but with these results I'm encouraged to try more things. My boyfriend raved about them, thanks so much!
Claire says
WOW! I just found your recipe and made it tonight, my husband said this was the best chicken ever and wanted to know how I seasoned it. The cayenne pepper kicked it up a notch. It was spicy so I would definitely leave it out or minimize for kids. Thank you for giving detailed instructions, my chicken turned out perfect.
DrDan says
Some days I want the cayenne, some days not so much. But is is just a little touch anyways.
Thanks for the note
DrDan
Kira1965 says
I am so glad I came across this- I usually bake my drummies in the oven, but it is close to 40 c. here today, so too hot to have an oven on. I cannot wait to try this tonight and give feedback. It's just my mom and I tonight so a good time to test the technique. I do not have a surface temp gauge so will preheat the BBQ and will know within a few turns if it is too hot/cold.
Will let you know how we liked them a little later!!!