Easy BBQ Chicken Drumsticks In The Oven - Simply Recipes

Why Make This

• These oven-baked BBQ drumsticks are ready in about an hour, including marinating time.
• Using a wire rack gives you crispy skin and evenly cooked chicken every time.
• This dish works for family dinners or serving a hungry crowd with minimal effort.

Grilling might not be for everyone. But delicious, tender BBQ chicken drumsticks certainly should be.

If you don’t have a grill or the weather keeps you inside, this easy technique for making baked BBQ chicken in the oven is all you need.

How To Make BBQ Chicken in the Oven

Taking cues from the grilled version of this recipe, the chicken gets a quick sear under the broiler to brown the skin, and then a longer roast in the oven until the chicken is completely tender.

A quick marinade in the barbecue sauce before roasting helps enhance the flavor and improve the tenderness of the chicken. The barbecue sauce bakes into the skin and caramelizes during cooking.

Baked BBQ Chicken Tips

1. I like to cook the chicken on a metal rack over a baking sheet to allow even heat and continuous airflow on all sides. This helps prevent soggy skin. (Note that while the chicken picks up a nice "grilled" flavor from the broiler, the skin probably won't get quite as crispy.)
2. I usually make this recipe with chicken drumsticks, but you could also make it with a mix of drumsticks and thighs. For optimum baked BBQ chicken flavor, I recommend you stick with these dark meat cuts and avoid breast meat.
3. You can use any variety of thick, tomato, or mustard-based sauce with this method, so use your favorite! For this baked BBQ chicken recipe, I used a spicy store-bought tomato barbecue sauce made with vinegar and sugar.

More Baked Chicken Recipes!

• Baked Chicken Parmesan
• Lemon Chicken
• Ricotta-Stuffed Chicken
• Roasted Chicken Thighs with Fennel and Orange
• Spiced Chicken Drumsticks