Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
BBQ Chicken Legs (Baked Or Grilled)
Sticky barbecue sauce and a well-browned chicken leg are a welcome sight at dinner. These drumsticks get their coating toward the end, so the sauce has its own turn to settle onto the chicken. Keep a little extra sauce nearby if you like a particularly generous finish.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Original yield
- Serves 12
- Ingredients
- 5 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted · Grilling
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Dry the drumsticks
Blot the chicken with paper towels before brushing it with oil and adding seasoning.
2. Choose your cooking path
Follow either the oven section or the grill section; each has its own sauce-adding stage.
3. Sauce both sides
Brush barbecue sauce over both sides during the finishing stage for your chosen cooking method.
Get to know the ingredients
Chicken drumsticks
Arrange the legs meatier side down for the first oven or grill stage.
Olive oil
Brush the oil over every side of the dried chicken before seasoning.
Barbecue sauce
Save the sauce for the later cooking stage instead of adding it with the initial seasoning.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 12. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 12 steps completeMake room for BBQ Chicken Legs (Baked Or Grilled)
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Check before serving
Use the stated internal-temperature target for the chicken, then add extra barbecue sauce if desired.
A little more help as you go
For more oven caramelization
The oven directions allow a brief broil after the drumsticks finish baking.
Finish off the lit burner
For grilling, move the chicken to the unlit side before the final sauced stages.
A few questions you might have
Can I bake these instead of grilling?
Yes, separate oven and grill directions are provided; follow the full path you choose.
When does the barbecue sauce go on?
After the first unsauced cooking stages, following the timing in your chosen oven or grill directions.
Do I oil the chicken first?
Yes, brush all sides with olive oil after blotting the drumsticks dry.
Can I make the oven finish more caramelized?
The oven directions suggest broiling briefly after baking if you'd like more caramelization.
Should grilled legs finish over a lit burner?
Move them to the unlit side of the grill for the final sauced cooking stages.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: wholesomeyum.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.