Super easy, never fails, grilled chicken legs for the whole family. Pat dry, spice and cook over medium-high heat. Then you will have crispy goodness for all.
Introduction and My Rating
The "art" of the grilled chicken legs (drumsticks)... that is what I have been working on for several weeks.
All the recipes I looked at said things like until "fluid runs clear" or 30 minutes over medium-high heat. I need more precise instructions. Plus overnight marinades and lots of other magic cooking stuff. Not good for me.
My mistakes or at least the ones I remember. First, I cooked them to 165° just like I love chicken breast. They weren't done. They were tough and stringy.
Then I went to 180°-185°, yep just the right temp. But I cooked it too fast on high heat. Burnt skin. Char is good, burnt is bad.
I tried several spice mixes and settled on the one below. Just some kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper (but not too much of kids but just enough for the taste for adults). But just a sprinkle of salt and pepper is fine.
My Rating
An easy and tasty 5.
👨🍳Method
- DO NOT SKIP PAT DRY or you will not have crispy skin. (See https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/chicken-rinse-not-rinse/)
- Check the cut joint area for loose parts. You may be handing this to a child and don't need loose bone aspirated.
- You must use a thermometer to be sure you get to 180° plus. Do not guess.
- Spice as you want. I frequently add the Cayenne but if you have little ones, skip it.
- Scale to any amount you need
- Skip the seasoning and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce the last 5 minutes to make great BBQ drumsticks.
♨️The Grill
Gas Grill
The grill should be 450°-500° surface temperature. That is usually a bit above medium on most gas grills. If you have questions about grill set up, see A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
Charcoal Grill
In the interest of helping you charcoal people, this comment was posted by Craig on Nov 8, 2016. I believe you will find it helpful
"I’ve made these several times on a charcoal grill. I use about 4 lbs of charcoal (~50 briquettes) and distribute them on one-half of the grill. Cook the drumsticks over the direct heat, but use the other side for any flare-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!"
⏰Time
Chicken drumsticks, like all chicken, should generally be grilled over medium heat on the grill. That would be a surface temperature of about 450° and will take 30 to 35 minutes.
They will need to be flipped every 5 minutes or so to prevent burnt skin and to a final internal temperature of 180°-185° which is best for drumsticks and thighs.
You can use a lower surface temperature, but it will add time and tend to dry more. Again, cook to the correct final internal temperature. You can not get acceptable results with a grill temperature of 500° plus.
And finally, remember that the size and thickness of the drumstick is a big variable.
🌡️Temperature
Many recipes suggest cooking chicken drumsticks to 165° which is the minimum safe internal temperature for chicken for the FDA. There is a difference between safe and done. Pork is safe at 145°, but you sure won’t want your pulled pork to be cooked to 145°. It would be terrible.
Also, some recipes call for cooking “until fluids run clear” or “no pink at the bone.” How are you supposed to do that? Also, I suspect that it may even be below the safe minimum temperature since the pinkness disappears at about 155°.
While I cook my chicken breast to 165°, there is way too much fibrous tissue in chicken drumsticks and thighs. They will be tough and stringy. Just plan not done. Please use 180°-185° as you finish temperature. Check the comments if you need confirmation.
📖Related Recipes
Oven Baked Chicken Legs – The Art of Drummies
Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
Chicken for a Hundred The father of all of them.
🔪Instructions
Preheat 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.
Pat dry the drumsticks.
Trim off excess skin and any loose bones/tissue especially in the joint area.
Season to taste. You can use my 7:2:2 spice mix. A little cayenne is nice. You may want to skip the cayenne if cooking for little ones. Or use the seasoning of your choice.
Lightly sprinkle chicken on all sides to taste. Let rest at room temperature until grill is ready.
Check grill surface temperature and place chicken on the grill. Flip about every 5 minutes until internal temp of 180°-185° degrees. About 30-35 minutes.
Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. They are way too hot anyway.
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📖 Recipe
Grillied Chicken Drumsticks- The Art of Drummies
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken drumsticks
- 7:2:2 Seasoning or salt and pepper - to taste
- cayenne pepper - optional - to taste
Instructions
- Preheat 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.
- Pat dry the drumsticks. Trim off excess skin and any loose bones/tissue especially in the joint area.
- Season to taste. You can use my 7:2:2 spice mix. A little cayenne is nice. You may want to skip the cayenne if cooking for little ones. Or use the seasoning of your choice.
- Let rest at room temperature until grill is ready.
- Check grill temp if possible and place chicken on the grill. Flip about every 5 minutes until internal temp of 180°-185° degrees. About 30-35 minutes.
- Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. They are way too hot anyway.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Pat dry and season to taste. I like my All Purpose Seasoning - 7:2:1 and 7:2:2. You can add a pinch of cayenne pepper but not if children are involved.
- Medium grill with surface temperature of about 450°. Over 500° will not work well.
- Final internal temperature of 180° plus is the key to this recipe.
- Charcoal instructions are in the post.
- You can also cook chicken leg quarters this way.
Nutrition
Editor's Note: Originally published June 26, 2011. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos and a table of contents to help navigation.
Reggie
I loved this recipe, thanks for the detailed instructions! I substituted smoked paprika for the cayenne pepper and it turned out amazing.
Arden
I’m sorry but I was planning on trying this but I am confused by if you need to pat dry or not. The first half said don’t pat dry but the pictures and recipe say to pat dry. Maybe I missed something while reading but would like to know for sure before I try it.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Arden,
Welcome to the blog.
Definately pat dry. I have searched the post several times and don't see where it says otherwise. If you didn't misread something, please let me know so I can correct it.
Dan
Caryn
Just curious if you keep the lid open or closed between turning intervals. I’m trying this for the first time tonight!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Caryn,
Welcome to the blog.
Closed lid between flipping.
A good rule about the lid is under 1/2 inch thick can be open. Between 1/2 to 1 inch can be open or closed but better control with closed. Over 1 inch this is always closed.
Dan
Mark
Great recipe, thanks for the clear instructions.
Will
Tried these tonight on my gas grill... it maxes out at 500° but it cooked perfectly. My wife and kids just had montreal chicken seasoning while I added a blackened pepper seasoning to a couple of the drumsticks. Turning every 5 minutes is key to not burning. Anyone tried any marinades with this recipe? My wife and I discussed possibilities for that. We have used a teriyaki marinade for chicken thighs before. Just wondered about other thoughts. Without any marinade though, they were fantastic. The kids loved them... and mine are pretty picky with food.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Will
Welcome to the blog.
I don't do marinade with these but will occasionally with skinless breasts. The important key is getting to the right internal temperature while not getting any sugars in the marinade burnt. So cook at the low end of the grill temperature range. Flip a little faster and use a very oiled grill. That will usually work. I think some of the comments mentioned using marinade but there are too many to go through.
Glad it worked well for you and thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Lorenia Cervantes
Hi all,
would love your recommendation - I have a gas grill - would I leave the cover open or closed during the 5 minute intervals between flips?
Many thanks!
-Lorenia
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Lorenia,
Welcome to the blog.
The general rule about the grill hood, that does apply here also, is for things under 1/2 inch - open is ok. For 1/2 to 1 inch thick - either but closed is preferred to help stability. Over 1 inch is always closed.
So closed.
Dan
CD MAHON
Tried this recipe today it was VERY good . . . . . IT was done between 25 - 30 mins but NO big deal as I followed directions and used a Thermapen® Mk4 which is ALWAYS dead nuts on . . . . . . will use again . . . . thanks for posting this.
Charlie
Dan,
Thank you for the insight. Cooked well, I have never been a grilled but more of a smoker. This grilling recipe was choice. Blackened seasoning (my little ones like the heat) awesome stuff. Thank you!
Robin
Your recipes have greatly improved our grilling, thank you!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Robin,
Welcome to the blog.
That was the goal. Glad it is helping
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Erin
PERFECTION!! I had never mastered the art of how to get delicious drumsticks and this method worked beautifully!! I just seasoned with some grill seasoning I had on hand and followed the directions and they were AMAZING. Crisp on outside, moist tender and delicious meat. Thank you!!
Lizette M Gonzalez
Thank you so much.... I actually have it mixed in an old spice container and use it like that, but missing that kick... going to fix it!!! Thanks again... Stay safe!!!!
Lizette M Gonzalez
Hello Dr Dan...
I have been using your recipe for a over a year now, but I always had it saved and never written down... For some reason... I did the recipe yesterday and it was different... Did you change it since Feb/March and also more or less how much cayenne do I add...
Liz
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Lizette,
Welcome to commenting.
The update this year was the re-editing of pictures and the table of content for easy navigation. There was minimal change to the wording to make it fit the TOC sections. The recipe has not changed for years.
I had an issue with people over seasoning and 3-4 years ago removed the suggested spice mix and went to just say "to taste."
When I said to mix a tablespoon of kosher salt with a teaspoon of pepper and granular garlic with the option of 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne. It is too much seasoning for 6 chicken legs. I said that many times but people kept over seasoning.
So there you have what was removed. Just remember it is enough for 12+ legs for most people (1/4 teaspoon of salt per lag is the most you want). The cayenne should be about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of pepper if you are using it.
The technique had not changed other than the seasoning.
Dan
Lizette M Gonzalez
Thank you so much.... I actually have it mixed in an old spice container and use it like that, but missing that kick... going to fix it!!! Thanks again... Stay safe!!!!
Bob
I did 7:2:2 once.....but never again,
Maybe 3:2:2 the next time.
Made 4 drumsticks on the grill because I was hungry.
Had the first 2 and decided this is way too salty.
Fridged the other 2 and will strip the salt before reheat.
I know some regions love salt, but this was too much for me.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Bob,
Sorry you over-salted your drumstick but I did say "to taste" six times in the post and never said how much to use. I have removed your low rating since it seems to be a user error.
Have a good day.
Dan
Rene Carts
Dr Dan - Thank you so much for keeping this website going! My dad always cooked perfect grilled chicken legs and thighs. Yet, now, decades later it’s been very difficult to get my husband to understand that drumstick are much better cooked longer (aka higher internal temperature) than the standard grill temperature guidelines. He was a high-rise, city boy, therefore, he wasn’t a grilling man. Yet, moving to acreage two years ago opened the door for grilling, etc. He has mastered steaks, pork chops, pork ribs, lamb, even short ribs, and other difficult cuts. However, his chicken legs/thighs were awful. I simply quit buying legs; it wasn’t worth the price of an argument.
Last night, May 25, 2020, I cooked our Memorial Day BBQ. And, having bought drumsticks, hubby was resigned to stay out of my way. He stubbornly waited until the end of the meal before even tasting the legs. He then smiled and admitted that they were the best grilled drumsticks he had ever had! I showed him your website and your explanation concerning fat and tendons. He got it!
Again, thanks a million! This recipe is spot-on perfect. I now will have drumsticks back on my “grilled meals” rotation. 😊