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 Hundred. 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.
Garn says
I have BBQ'd chicken legs/wings many times and NEVER does it take as long as the recipes claim. To me 30 minutes on the grill is absolute max - and yes i use an instant read thermometer and yes the chicken is always cooked.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Grill surface temperature? If you cook at higher temperature, they will cook faster, but will dry more. But if you have the grill and final temperature under control, great. (I can't comment on wings on the grill)
Dan
Nick says
To add to what Dan said here, it's important to note that he's talking about 450-500 degrees for the grill surface. If you are going off of the thermometer built into the grill hood, keep in mind that the actual grill is usually 75-100 degrees hotter than what the hood thermometer is reading, due to the fact that it's closer to the heat source. If your hood thermometer is on the side rather than the top of the hood, it's closer to grill temp but probably still 25-50 degrees lower than grill temp.
So if he recommends a max of 500 degrees grill temp, you probably don't want your hood thermometer going above about 400 degrees it it's top-mounted. 425-450 if it's side-mounted.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Nick,
Welcome to the blog and you have some very good points. I want to add that the quality of hood thermometer is not good new and after some use, the crud covering the thermometer makes it even worse.
Good grilling (and all cooking really) is about applying heat with as much control as possible. There are other variables like thickness and initial temperatures that you can't control well. So control what you can, the best you can. You must know the amount of heat you are really applying to be a good griller.
Readers can see my beginner guide to grill temperature at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/grill-temperature/
Again, thanks for the note.
Dan
Grampa Tom says
I cooked drumsticks today for nearly 40 minutes. Turned them every six minutes and halfway through I reduced the heat from medium-high to medium-low.
Wow the texture was so much better than I was used to. I always thought it was the legs not the cooking method that mad them chewing and stringy. This old dog (57) learned a new trick!
Anastasia says
I was hesitant to make drumsticks on the grill because I don’t have a cooking thermometer. However I still ended up making this and it was absolutely delicious!! I highly recommend!!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Anastasia,
Welcome to the blog and glad it worked well for you.
You should pickup an instant read thermometer sometime. It will make your results consistently good.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
George says
Great recipe and info as I was weary of bbqing drumsticks but the time and temperature is just right and the tender meat literally fell off the bone.
Shana says
This recipe did not work on my grill.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Shana,
Welcome to the blog.
Let's trouble shoot if you have a moment. What type of grill and lid open or closed, what was the grill surface temperature and what happened?
Dan
michael silverstein says
Do you close the grill cover at any time?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Michael,
Closed. The general rules for lids: under 1/2 inch thick can be open or closed. Between 1/2 to 1 inch can be open but much better control closed. Over 1 inch is always closed.
Dan
Victor says
You preheat the gas grill first and then oil and clean the grates before cooking the legs?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Yep, Instruction #1.
I don't think the order is important but I find the grates clean better if hot. So I turn on, then clean and oil during or at the end of preheating.
Sandra S says
Dr Dan
My husband grills on an electric grill (condo rules) and tried these chicken legs the other day... omg they were the best. He's been grilling everyday for 54 years, but cooking for 2 is challenging, thank you so very much for your blog and recipes. Luv them. A happy wife who gets a meal off with great food.
Jen says
Thanks for this recipe! I've had several fails from other recipes for chicken drumsticks but this one was a winner! I had given up on making drummies before this but now will definitely make again. The skin was perfectly crispy with meat tender.
Reggie says
I loved this recipe, thanks for the detailed instructions! I substituted smoked paprika for the cayenne pepper and it turned out amazing.
Arden says
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 says
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
Joe K says
Says DO NOT MISS the step to pat dry
Caryn says
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 says
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 says
Great recipe, thanks for the clear instructions.
Will says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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!