How to Cook an Easy BBQ Chicken Drumsticks in The Oven

A crispy main dish for a family or a crowd is baked BBQ chicken drumsticks. Including marinating and cooking time, this recipe takes an hour to prepare and works with any barbecue sauce.

Baked BBQ Chicken

Some people might not enjoy grilling. However, succulent BBQ chicken drumsticks unquestionably ought to be.

This simple method for baking barbecue chicken in the oven is all you need if you don't have a grill or the weather is keeping you indoors.

Elizabeth Stark

How to Make BBQ Chicken in the Oven

Following the lead of the grilled version of this recipe, the chicken is given a fast broiler sear to brown the skin and a longer roast in the oven to get the desired level of doneness.

Before roasting, the chicken benefits from a brief marinate in barbecue sauce to improve taste and softness. During grilling, the barbecue sauce bakes into the skin and caramelizes.

Elizabeth Stark

Baked BBQ Chicken Tips

• I like to cook the chicken on a metal rack over a baking sheet to provide constant airflow and equal heating on all sides. This avoids skin that is too wet. (Take note that while the broiler gives the chicken a lovely "grilled" flavor, the skin probably won't become quite as crisp.)
• I usually make this recipe with chicken drumsticks, yet, you could also create it using a combination of thighs and drumsticks. I advise avoiding breast meat in favor of these dark meat cuts for the best cooked BBQ chicken flavor.
• You can use any variety of thick, tomato, or mustard-based sauce with this method, thus choose your preferred! I used a hot, store-bought tomato barbecue sauce prepared with vinegar and sugar for my baked BBQ chicken recipe.

Relate: How Long to Cook Chicken Breast in Oven

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (any tomato- or mustard-based sauce), divided
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, optional

Method:

1. 1. Marinate the chicken:

   Salt the chicken legs on both sides and place them in a shallow dish. Add liquid smoke to the barbecue sauce if you're using it. Reserve 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce and use it to brush the legs all over.

   Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours to marinate.

   

   
2. 2. Prepare the chicken for cooking:

   Broiler should be on high with rack a few inches below. A metal cooling rack (like those used for baking) should be placed inside a baking sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil (or use a broiler pan).

   Place the chicken legs on the wire rack with a little space between each leg that have been marinated.
3. 3. Sear the chicken:

   Broil the chicken on one side for 5 to 7 minutes, sliding the pan under the broiler as you watch for dark brown scorched patches. For another 3 to 5 minutes, flip the food over and cook the other side until it is browned as well.

   
4. 4. Preheat the oven and adjust the rack:

   Reposition the rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350°F.
5. 5. Finish cooking the chicken:

   With the exception of one tablespoon, evenly coat the chicken with the remaining sauce. Insert the pan and bake for 15 minutes. After flipping the chicken, brush the remaining sauce wherever it is required.

   Bake the chicken for a further 15 to 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the cavity.

   
6. 6. Serve:

   The chicken should be served hot and with additional barbecue sauce on the side.