Easy, Crispy Grilled Chicken Drumsticks - Real Simple Good
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Explore Recipes Home / Recipes / Chicken / Crispy, 5-Ingredient Grilled Chicken Drumsticks Dairy-Free Keto Paleo Whole30 Crispy, 5-Ingredient Grilled Chicken Drumsticks by Justin Winn 45 minutes 6 drumsticks 4.71 from 95 ratings With a simple and flavorful seasoning rub, these easy grilled chicken drumsticks are sure to be a hit at your next BBQ. Crispy skin on the outside with the best salty, smoky and juicy flavor! Jump to Recipe Step by Step posted on January 10, 2023 (last updated Jun 23, 2025) This post may contain affiliate links.
What other grillers are saying about this recipe
I love chicken drumsticks. This recipe is amazing. Easy to follow and the taste was delicious. It will definitely become one of our family’s favorite recipes. Thank you!
Wonderful Cook Read more reviews >>
Why you’re gonna love this easy grilled chicken recipe
- They’re ready in about 45-minutes from start to finish, including the time it takes to prep the chicken and heat up the grill!
- Grilled chicken drumsticks go with just about any side dish, like our rich and creamy coleslaw or pesto potato salad.
this recipe Related ->> Check out all of our delicious easy and approachable grilling recipes!
How to make the best grilled chicken legs (step-by-step)
Just a few simple steps will give you delicious grilled chicken drumsticks with crispy skin. Here’s how:
- First, heat up your grill to about 400° Fahrenheit. Any grill will work – charcoal, pellet grill, etc. See the recipe card below for oven-baking instructions.
Tips from an experienced grill master
- Don’t let your grill get too hot – You want the grill to be around 400° Fahrenheit. When testing, we’ve found that if it’s too hot you’ll get burned skin and undercooked chicken inside.
- Flip the chicken every 10 minutes – You want to get grill marks all over the drumsticks but avoid letting them cook on one side for too long and burning. When we let them go longer than 10 minutes the chicken skin would burn.
- Keep the lid closed on your grill – Opening the lid too often allows heat to escape and doesn’t cook the chicken as evenly.
- Watch for flare-ups – When fat drips on flame you’ll get flare-ups. If this happens, move the chicken away from the direct flames and reduce the heat.
- Use an instant read thermometer – Ensure the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
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4.71 from 95 ratings Get the Recipe: Crispy, 5-Ingredient Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 35 minutes Total: 45 minutes Servings: 6 drumsticks With a simple and flavorful seasoning rub, these easy grilled chicken drumsticks are sure to be a hit at your next BBQ. Crispy skin on the outside with the best salty, smoky and juicy flavor! Print Recipe Pin Recipe Leave a ReviewIngredients
½1x2x3x- 2 lbs chicken drumsticks
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
Get Recipe Ingredients Equipment
- Grill
Instructions
- Prepare grill to medium-high heat, around 400° Fahrenheit. (See notes for the instructions for baking in the oven)
- Mix the salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder together in a small bowl.
- Lightly coat the chicken drumsticks with oil. Rub the seasoning mix all over the chicken to coat.
- Grill on direct heat for about 30 minutes, depending on the size of the drumsticks. Flip every 10 minutes or so. Cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165° Fahrenheit.
- Remove from grill and allow the chicken to rest for at least five minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Last Step:
Please leave a star rating and comment to let us know how you liked this recipe! Your ratings and reviews help our business grow, thank you!
Notes
- To bake drumsticks in the oven, preheat oven to 400° F. Follow instructions above and place drumsticks on a sheet pan or in a baking dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the drumsticks (until they reach an internal temperature of 165° F).
- Nutrition facts are per serving (one drumstick for this recipe) and an estimate provided for those following a Ketogenic or low-carb diet. See our full nutrition information disclosure here.
posted by Justin Winn on January 10, 2023 (last updated Jun 23, 2025)
42 comments Leave a comment »
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We are Justin & Erica Winn
As the couple behind Real Simple Good, we are expert home cooks with 10+ years of experience making homemade recipes taste delicious. With a focus on real food, we share simple recipes that actually taste good.
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1.7K SharesPin1.7KShare Your vote: Name * Email * Something went wrong. Please try again. Tag » How To Grill Chicken Drumsticks
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I was always afraid of skin on chicken catching fire (happened before) but not this time! SO good & Moist!! Thanks
Glad the recipe worked well for you Kelli!
This rub is amazing. I’ve used it in on both drumsticks and thighs, grilled and baked. Will never make thighs or drumsticks again without it. I plan to try on skinless chicken and chicken breasts as well. So glad I found this recipe!!
We make them about once every 2 weeks. Easy, and great on the grill. Never disappoints! Thanks
You’re very welcome! Happy to hear that these are in the regular rotation 🙂
Used a mixture of thighs and drumsticks, skin removed. Great recipe for wanting to throw something on the grill last minute – easy on-hand ingredients, so little prep time, and so much delicious flavor! Huge hit with my family!
Simple and real good. I am about to make it again for the 4th time in a month! Thanks
You’re very welcome, thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review 🙂
This recipe is so good (and simple) I make it once a week!
Crispy drumsticks with excellent flavor right off the grill or cold out of the fridge as a snack. It is a great recipe for anyone that needs dairy free or gluten free.
This recipe sounds wonderful. I’m eager to try it. Thank you!
“Crispy Grilled Chicken Drumsticks.” Your recipe has totally changed my approach to grilling chicken drumsticks, and I am utterly delighted with the outstanding results I achieved. want to express my gratitude for sharing your expertise and passion for grilling. Your blog has become my go-to resource for exceptional and innovative recipes, and I eagerly await each new post.
With sincere appreciation, Zubair
Happy to hear that, thanks for the amazing review 🙂
I tried this seasoning mix tonight and my boys loved it! (Tip* I always grill chicken legs first then finish them in the oven about 20 minutes at 350 degrees to ensure they are completely cooked.) Thanks for the recipe – really easy and really good. 🙂
These were great, had to sub one ingredient (ginger for onion powder). I also appreciate the clear instructions. I grill a fair bit but not usually chicken. Now I have grilled chicken legs down after one try. Thanks.
Happy to hear that Eric! Thanks for coming back to leave a review, we really appreciate it 🙂
I agree with Justin; your grilling directions for these was spot on! Great recipe overall.
I love chicken drumsticks. This recipe is amazing. Easy to follow and the taste was delicious. It will definitely become one of our family’s favorite recipes. Thank you!
Happy to hear that, you’re very welcome!
Simple to make and delicious! I cut back on the salt, added dried coriander, smoked paprika, sumac and cayenne to the spices and rubbed the drumsticks with some of the mix about 4 hours before grilling. 30 minutes before grilling I brushed the drumsticks with the oil and rubbed them with the remaining spice mix, then let them sit at room temperature while the grill preheated. They were perfectly grilled in 20 minutes. The meat was juicy and fell off the bones.
Sounds delicious! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review, we appreciate it 🙂
I have not tried this yet but I am going to try on Saturday. What do you think about cooking them in the oven at 400 for 35 minutes and then topping them off on the grill. I will have the grill going for some other things.
That should work, but I’d recommend only about 20-25 minutes in the oven if you’re finishing them on the grill. Enjoy!
Yummy .
Easy and successful
We love hearing that! Thanks for giving our recipe a try and for coming back to leave a review. Appreciate it! 🙂
Great recipe. I’m not on Keto so I brushed mine with BBQ sauce in the last two minutes. Everyone loved them. I use 50/50 Sweet Baby Rays and G Hughes no sugar Original sauce. Just the right amount of sweetness to please a crowd.
Should I use the oil and seasos if I’m going to put barbacue sauce on them too?
I would, it will add more flavor.
When I said don’t over do it. It was not making it too salty!
I just rince them; dry them in a paper towel; rub them with a thin layer of vergin olive oil; after I cut off aii the yellow chunks of fatty bits; sprinkle them Montreal chicken spice. After ensuring they were Left on the grill at 175 long enough to raise the intirior temp was not too low. Turn up the temperature to 350 to start cooking; after the first flip, I sprinkle with Club house Garlic Plus; when I do a second flip; I sprinkle again with garlic Plus and pepper; It’s for a very short period of time this time. Remember; heat is very hard on Garlic. Also you don’t want to over do it.
Found it to be a bit too salty, but maybe I added a little extra after I rubbed it on. And thanks for the excellent grilling instructions. I’ve always been a little scared to bbq chicken, but this came out perfect with your directions. Very good.
You’re very welcome!
I cooked this on my new cuisnart 5 in one griddler/panini maker, and boy was it good! Thanks for this!
You’re very welcome, glad the chicken turned out well for you!
So good!! Perfect amount of spice and so easy. I never make grilled chicken because it seems like a hassle and now I won’t be able to stop!
Yay! You found another recipe to love! We’re glad you gave this one a try. It’s simple enough that grilling feels easy! Thanks so much for coming back to share! We really appreciate it. 🙂
I make baking powder rubs on wings and thighs all the time. So good. I am brining drumsticks and will grill them. I am concerned that the salt in the rub will make it too salty. Can I substitute the salt with something else or decrease or eliminate it?
You can simply decrease or eliminate the salt. Enjoy!
Just made these tonight and they were so good! I was skeptical to be honest because the ingredients are so simple but the family loved them. Thank you so much!
Sometimes keeping it simple is best! Thanks for trying these and I’m happy to hear you liked them :).
can I do it in oven
Absolutely, I just updated the recipe card to note the approximate cooking time for baking.