• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
101 Cooking For Two
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • FAQs/Help
  • Shop
  • Best Recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • FAQs/Help
  • Shop
  • Best Recipes
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • About
    • FAQs/Help
    • Shop
    • Best Recipes
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    🏠Home » Recipes » 101's Best Recipes

    Grilled Chicken Drumsticks—Quick and Easy

    May 4, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · Last modified: Aug 3, 2023 · 177 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Table of Contents Print     Email Pin
    4.53 from 505 votes

    Perfectly Grilled Chicken Drumsticks are easy and quick with this never fail recipe. Fall off the bone tender with delicious flavor. They will be the hit of any meal.

    chicken drumsticks cooking on the grill
    Jump To:
    • 🐓Ingredients
    • 👨‍🍳How to Grill Drumsticks
    • ⏰How long to grill chicken drumsticks
    • ✔️Tips and Options
    • 🌡️The best final internal temperature
    • ❓FAQs
    • Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖 Recipe
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Everybody needs great grilled chicken recipes, and this grilled chicken leg recipe is one of the easiest and best for home cooks. Crispy chicken legs that both picky kids and grandma will love.

    All you need to do is correct the grill temperature and final internal temperature. With only 10 minutes of preparation and simple seasoning, then about 35 minutes on the grill, you will have an economical meal.

    Please enjoy one of our favorite quick and easy grilled chicken recipes. If you want other grilled chicken recipes, check out Grilled Chicken Thighs or Grilled Chicken Breasts. For oven-based recipes, see Baked Chicken Legs or Oven Baked Chicken Thighs.

    This grilled chicken drumstick recipe is part of a group of recipes that started with Chicken for a Hundred.

    🐓Ingredients

    • Chicken legs(chicken drumsticks)—Trim loose skin and joint parts. Try to use legs of about the same size so they will cook in about the same amount of time.
    • Seasoning—Just some salt and pepper is fine. But we always use All Purpose Seasoning - 7:2:1 and 7:2:2, which is salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. But use the seasoning you love. Even marinade is fine. If using BBQ sauce, skip other seasoning and brush on near the end of cooking.

    👨‍🍳How to Grill Drumsticks

    1. Clean, oil, and preheat the grill to a surface temperature of about 450°—important.
    2. Prepare the chicken legs for grilling by trimming loose parts in the joint area and excess skin. Then pat dry with paper towels and season to your taste.
    3. Place over direct heat with a closed lid. Flip every 5 minutes until an internal temperature of 185°—about 30-35 minutes.
    4. Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

    ⏰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 are variables. 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. Chick the temperature with an instant-read or meat thermometer.

    ✔️Tips and Options

    • Chicken Tips
      • Drumsticks and chicken legs are the same thing. But there are also chicken leg quarters with the chicken leg and chicken thigh attached. If you are doing leg quarters, please follow Grilled Chicken Thighs.
      • Just pat dry with paper towels and do not rinse—which is not safe. 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.
    • Spicing and Cooking Tips
      • Spice as you want. I use my All-Purpose Seasoning Recipe, which combines kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder. A dry rub or seasoning mix can be used.
      • Skip the seasoning and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce the last 5 minutes to make great BBQ chicken drumsticks.
      • The grill and final internal temperatures are the two most important things needed to get the best results.
      • You must use a thermometer to be sure you get to 185°+. Do not guess.
    • Grill Tips
      • You may use a gas or charcoal grill, but the grill should be 450°-500° surface temperature which is medium or a bit more on most gas grills.
      • For a gas grill, see A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill for more details.
      • For a charcoal grill, you will need to adjust the venting, not build the hottest fire and have a reserved cooler area.

    🌡️The best final internal temperature

    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 that 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).

    You must use an instant-read or meat thermometer to get this right.

    ❓FAQs

    Should the grill hood be open or closed?

    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.

    Can I grill frozen drumsticks?

    No, you will burn the skin long before the meat is cooked. They must be fully thawed first.

    Should I use oil on the skin of drumsticks?

    It is not needed. The skin will be crispier without it, but with oil will be softer and feel thicker.

    My chicken legs still have some pinkness even though the temperature is correct.

    There are two common causes. First, if the chicken is older, the older meat may release some myoglobin which can cause some 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.

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect
    ↑Jump to Table of Contents

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    101's Best Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Grill Recipes
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    clean and oil grill crates

    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 chicken drumsticks with paper towels

    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.

    trimming loose parts from joint

    Trim off excess skin and loose bones/tissue, especially in the joint area.

    seasoning drumsticks on a red board

    Season to taste. Just Kosher salt and pepper will be fine, or you can use my 7:2:2 spice mix. Or use the seasoning of your choice. If you are using BBQ sauce, skip the seasoning and brush the chicken legs for the last 5 minutes of grilling.

    chicken drumsticks on the grill over direct heat

    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.

    chicken drumsticks cooked on the grill with corn

    Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. They are way too hot, anyway.

    grilled chicken drumsticks on a white plate
    ↑Jump to Table of Contents

    📖 Recipe

    chicken drumsticks cooking on the grill

    Grillied Chicken Drumsticks-Quick and Easy

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Perfectly Grilled Chicken Drumsticks are easy and quick with this never fail recipe. Fall off the bone tender with delicious flavor. They will be the hit of any meal.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.53 from 505 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 6

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 6 Chicken drumsticks
    • Salt and pepper - to taste or seasoning of your choice
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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.
      clean and oil grill crates
    • 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.
      pat dry drumsticks with paper towels
    • Trim off excess skin and loose bones/tissue, especially in the joint area.
      trimming loose parts from joint
    • Season to taste. Just Kosher salt and pepper will be fine, or you can use my 7:2:2 spice mix. Or use the seasoning of your choice. If you are using BBQ sauce, skip the seasoning and brush the chicken legs for the last 5 minutes of grilling.
      seasoning drumsticks on a red board
    • 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.
      chicken drumsticks on the grill over direct heat
    • Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. They are way too hot, anyway.
      chicken drumsticks cooked on the grill with corn
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    Your Own Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. 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 most adults like but do no use with kids.
    2. Medium grill with a surface temperature of about 450°. Over 500° will not work well.
    3. The final internal temperature of 185°+ is the key to this recipe.
    4. If you are cooking chicken leg quarters, use the Grilled Chicken Thighs recipe.

    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

    Calories : 120 kcal (6%)Carbohydrates : 1 gProtein : 13 g (26%)Fat : 7 g (11%)Saturated Fat : 2 g (10%)Cholesterol : 70 mg (23%)Sodium : 660 mg (28%)Potassium : 169 mg (5%)Vitamin A : 35 IU (1%)Calcium : 8 mg (1%)Iron : 1 mg (6%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main Course|Main dish
    Cuisine : American

    © 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.

    dogs int the yard with their favorite trees

    More Best Recipes

    • the soft inside of a wheat dinner roll.
      Honey Wheat Dinner Rolls
    • General Tso Chicken on white plate with rice.
      Easy General Tso's Chicken Recipe
    • two lemon bars on a white plate.
      Old Fashioned Lemon Bars
    • breaded pork chop on blue plate
      Baked Breaded Pork Chops

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a comment or ask a question. See comment policy for details. Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. amber

      June 16, 2017 at 5:47 pm

      Have you ever tried sous-vide the drumsticks ... then throw them on grill for quick char? saves slaving over the grill for 30 min

      Reply
      • DrDan

        June 16, 2017 at 7:30 pm

        Hi Amber,
        No, I haven't. For the readers, the term sous vide is French I believe for under vacuum. The food is vacuum sealed and cooked in hot water to a final temperature and then can be seared or finish however you want. Somewhat like reverse searing a steak but involves the sealing and water. I think it is an interesting technique and if you are so equipped, it would be interesting to try.
        Dan

    2. Ron Garstka

      May 13, 2017 at 7:19 pm

      Well I just finished my dinner of drummies. Had a bit of a problem getting my grill DOWN to 450 during the first 5 min. Weber Spirit 310. At MEDIUM my grill surface registers in excess of 600. To get to 450 I had to turn all 3 burners to LOW. Had a bit of char after the first 5 min. but they finished up just short of 30 min total and were absolutely delicious. I have to give both the grilled chicken thighs and now the drummies a 5. Also looking forward to some ribs and steaks soon. Great library of recipes. Nice work, continue to enjoy it. Best wishes.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        May 13, 2017 at 7:41 pm

        Hi Ron,

        Thanks for the note. I’m glad it worked well for you.

        I have a Weber Summit s470 and it doesn’t run that hot. All burners on low will be about 300 range. Medium is 450 plus minus. I get almost 700 plus on high with long preheat or if I add in the 5th burner. But I’m on natural gas which will be a bit cooler than propane. The variance in grills is tremendous so those cheap little grill surface thermometers are so worth the $10. I go through 2-3 per year since they get unreadable after a while.

        Dan

    3. Johnboy

      April 03, 2017 at 7:58 pm

      I did this but added one thing: After spicing the chicken, I carefully coated them with spray oil (Pam, etc.) It didn't affect the taste and the chicken was extra crispy.

      Reply
    4. Jackie Treehorn

      January 08, 2017 at 5:23 pm

      Great, really easy recipe. Drummies were perfect. Meat was fall off the bone tender and skin was nice and crispy. Having a meat thermometer and slathering sauce at the end in order to avoid sugar burn was key. 5 stars!

      Reply
    5. Dave

      August 28, 2016 at 7:14 pm

      Made this today, very salty. I'd suggest halving the salt if you're going to add barbecue or any other sauce. Was fine for naked legs.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        August 29, 2016 at 9:18 pm

        If I add sauce to these, I cook them bare of any spices and add the sauce for the last 5 minutes or so.

        Thanks for the note
        Dan

      • Cat

        May 09, 2020 at 4:17 pm

        5 stars
        Hello, did you used to have a recipe with the cayenne pepper measurement added in? I could've sworn this was the case as this has been a go to recipe the times I have grilled chicken over the past year. If so, are you able to provide that ratio?

      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        May 09, 2020 at 4:37 pm

        Hi Cat,

        Welcome to the blog.

        The original recipe, now called Chicken for 100, was for an adult retirement party. This and the oven-baked version are cut down and slightly modified versions. Many readers had problems anytime I specified the amounts of spices in any of these recipes. So I changed to the 7:2:2 suggestion.

        For the cayenne, use about 1/8 to 1/4 of the amount of pepper. So if you make a mix of 3-4 teaspoons kosher salt to 1 teaspoon each of pepper and granular garlic powder. Add about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne. That is too much seasoning for 6 drumsticks. That is enough for 12-24 drumsticks depending on size and your taste.

        Hope that helps.

        Dan

    6. Brian

      August 06, 2016 at 10:01 pm

      I didn't know food could be this good...

      The seasoning was great and I added a light coating of barbecue sauce for the last couple of flips - they were amazing. Will be making these again soon.

      Reply
    7. DrDan

      June 18, 2016 at 7:12 pm

      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

      Reply
    8. Andy

      March 04, 2016 at 8:08 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Tom

        June 04, 2016 at 9:13 pm

        OMG this was great, thank you for posting

      • DrDan

        June 04, 2016 at 9:43 pm

        Thanks Andy and Tom
        DrDan

    9. John

      September 02, 2015 at 11:00 pm

      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?

      Reply
      • DrDan

        September 02, 2015 at 11:09 pm

        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

    10. Jeff

      August 04, 2015 at 3:57 am

      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!

      Reply
    11. Mike

      August 02, 2015 at 3:38 pm

      5 stars
      These rocked my world ;)

      Reply
    12. Steve Walker

      July 26, 2015 at 10:07 am

      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?

      Reply
      • DrDan

        July 26, 2015 at 10:32 am

        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

    13. wayne

      July 19, 2015 at 7:48 pm

      5 stars
      great job

      Reply
    14. jules

      July 04, 2015 at 11:24 am

      4 stars
      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 ?

      Reply
      • DrDan

        July 04, 2015 at 11:58 am

        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

    15. eddie.b

      April 04, 2015 at 6:10 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for the recipe.I combined the dry with a little bit of bbq sauce, and it was amazing !

      Reply
    16. Elle

      February 11, 2015 at 6:11 pm

      This was amazing!!! Thank you!!!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        February 12, 2015 at 8:49 pm

        Thanks for the note.
        DrDan

    17. Johnny

      January 30, 2015 at 6:50 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        January 31, 2015 at 9:24 pm

        Thanks so much for the note.
        DrDan

    18. Whippy

      October 10, 2014 at 12:01 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        October 10, 2014 at 1:13 pm

        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

    « Older Comments
    Newer Comments »

    Primary Sidebar

    DrDan image Hi, I’m DrDan, and welcome to 101 Cooking for Two, the home of great everyday recipes with easy-to-follow step-by-step photo instructions. About DrDan

    Join the club
    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Chicken, Chicken, and More Chicken

    • pile of chicken legs on a white plate
      Baked Chicken Legs - Quick and Easy
    • Large plage of chicken thighs
      Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
    • cut baked chicken on white plate
      How to Bake Chicken Breasts in a Convection Oven
    • Grilled Chicken Breasts on a blue plate
      How to Grill Chicken Breasts on a Gas Grill
    • grilled chicken drumsticks on a grill
      Grilled Chicken Drumsticks—Quick and Easy
    • grilled chicken thigh with some char
      Grilled Chicken Thighs—Quick and Easy

    Steak, Steak, and More Steak

    • cut ribeye steak on a gray plate
      How to Grill a Ribeye Steak on the Grill
    • filtet mignon with potatoes on a white plate
      Pan Seared Oven Roasted Filet Mignon
    • Grilled filet mignon on a white plate
      How to Grill Filet Mignon
    • NY strip steak cut on an orange plate
      Pan Seared Oven Roasted Strip Steak
    • a strip steak with grill marks on a gray plate
      How to Grill Strip Steak on a Gas Grill
    • porterhouse steak with fries on blue plate
      Grilled T-bone Steak and Porterhouse Steak
    graphic of sites that I work with or have had recipes featured or referenced.
    SITES THAT I WORK WITH OR HAVE HAD RECIPES FEATURED OR REFERENCED.

    Footer

    ↑Jump to
    Table of Contents
    Join the club
    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    About

    • About DrDan and the Blog
    • Comment Policy
    • Guest Posts, Partnering, and Business Questions

    Content

    • Food FAQ
    • Kitchen Reference Sheets
    • Recipes Featured in the Videos
    • Guide To Cooking for Two
    • Saved Recipes Collections

    dogs by the pond

    ↑ back to top ↑a

    Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Contact

    COPYRIGHT © 2010-2023 101 COOKING FOR TWO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | BASED ON FOODIE PRO THEME

    • Email
    • Pinterest