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+ servings

Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks

These drumsticks are brined for juiciness, grilled for a smoky flavor, and baked to perfection with a tangy homemade sauce.
Prep Time:1 hour
Cook Time:45 minutes
Total Time:1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 3 ½ pounds chicken drumsticks about 10
  • 2 quarts water
  • ¼ cup kosher salt
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • olive oil or other oil for greasing grates on the grill

Barbecue sauce

  • ¾ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup chili sauce
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or distilled vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon coarsely-ground pepper
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  • Brine chicken. Stir together water, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and add chicken or transfer brine to an extra-large 2.5-gallon Ziploc bag, add chicken, and seal. Place chicken and brine in the fridge for one hour.
  • Make barbecue sauce. While the chicken brines, whisk together the barbecue sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat slowly on low heat for about 15 minutes.
  • Grill chicken. Drain water and pat the chicken dry. Preheat a gas grill to medium heat and the oven to 375℉. Pour a little bit of oil on folded paper towels and using large tongs, use the folded paper towel to quickly grease the grates of the grill. Repeat if necessary. Place chicken on the grill and cook for 10 minutes, turning halfway through.
  • Bake chicken and add sauce. Transfer chicken to a lined baking sheet. Bake chicken for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and brush barbecue sauce all over the chicken. Return chicken to the oven and cook for 15 minutes, then remove chicken from the oven again and brush barbecue sauce on both sides of the chicken. Finish cooking the chicken for an additional 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked to 165℉, as checked with a meat thermometer.
  • Serve. Brush chicken with additional sauce and serve immediately.

Notes

I used Hickory liquid smoke flavor.
If you only have 15 minutes to brine the chicken, even a little bit will improve the flavor of the chicken, but I wouldn’t brine it for more than 2 hours. The chicken can get too salty in the brine for long periods of time.

Nutrition

Calories: 504kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 196mg | Sodium: 6523mg | Potassium: 843mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 422IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 3mg
Servings: 5
Calories: 504kcal
Author: Katie