My simple Baked BBQ Chicken Legs recipe is great for those lazy weekend days where you don’t feel like a lot of work. These fall of the bone chicken drumsticks are tossed with a simple rub, then baked, then topped with homemade BBQ sauce, and baked more so the sauce flavors the chicken.
As a kid, I didn’t eat a lot of barbeque meats, it just wasn’t my family’s thing. But as an adult, I can not get enough of this tangy finger-licking stuff. Chicken is one of my favorites to serve with BBQ sauce.
Baked BBQ chicken drumsticks are perfect for when you have a little more time, such as a weekend. There is not a lot of work that goes into making these slow baked chicken legs. And you will love how it turns out. The chicken is juicy and tender. The meat practically falls off the bone.
The bbq sauce is homemade, with ingredients that I am sure you have in your kitchen. This is another one of those simple recipes that we love and I am sure you will as well.
Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Legs Ingredients
- Chicken drumsticks
Chicken Rub
- Brown sugar
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Chili powder
- Salt
BBQ Sauce
- Ketchup
- Yellow mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Vinegar
- Brown sugar
Helpful Tips:
- I start with removing the skin from the drumsticks. I have made this recipe with the skin left on and I find that the skin is soggy and I usually remove it before I eat the meat. For best results remove the skin before adding the rub.
- Starting with a rub on the chicken adds extra flavor to the chicken. You can make it as spicy or as mild as you like.
- The rub can be applied the day before or hours before baking.
- If you prefer you can substitute your favorite store bought bbq sauce for the homemade.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Drumsticks in Oven
Step one
Prepare the chicken and the rub.
Step two
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Add the rub to the chicken.
Step three
Make sure each drumstick is covered with the rub. Place the chicken in a 9 by 13-inch baking pan, that has been sprayed with a non-stick cooking spray. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven.
Step four
While the chicken is baking make the BBQ sauce. Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl and mix them together.
Step five
After the chicken has baked for an hour remove it from the oven. Remove all of the liquid from the dish. Spread some of the BBQ sauce on the bottom of the dish, enough to cover it. Place the drumsticks back and pour the remaining sauce over the chicken.
Step six
Place the aluminum foil over the dish and place it back in the oven. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Bake for another hour.
Check out these other chicken recipes:
- Saucy Crockpot Chicken
- Potato Chip Chicken Tenders
- Honey Lime Garlic Chicken
- Taco Chicken Strips
- Skillet Chicken and Vegetables
- Saucy Crockpot Chicken
If you make these Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks I would love to hear about them! Please leave me a comment and a rating. Thank you!!
Slow Baked BBQ Chicken Legs
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks
Rub
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
BBQ sauce
- 1 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the drumsticks
- Make the rub. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
- Toss the chicken legs in the rub until well coated.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the drumstick in a single layer. Cover with aluminum foils and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour.
- While the chicken is baking make the BBQ sauce. combine the ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar together and mix well. Set aside.
- Once the chicken has baked for an hour remove it from the oven. Reduce the heat of the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Remove the chicken from the baking dish and remove any liquid that is in the dish.
- Spread enough of the BBQ sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Place the chicken back in the dish. Pour the remaining BBQ sauce over top of the chicken
- Cover with the aluminum foil and place back in the oven and bake another hour.
Notes
- Remove the skin from the drumsticks. I find that the skin gets soggy when baked with the sauce.
- You can add the dry rub to the chicken, several hours or the day before you bake it.
- For easier clean-up line the baking dish with aluminum foil.
- Add additional chili powder for more heat.
- The baked chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.
Mouthwatering recipe. I have not tried this recipe yet. I will make this dish tonight and serve in dinner. Thanks Dawn for sharing this post 🙂
I didn’t grow up eating much BBQ sauce either—but Bill sure loves it! This sounds perfect for a winter family meal!
BBQ chicken is always a hit, and drumsticks are so fun to eat! Homemade BBQ sauce always tastes so much better than store bought! Your homemade spice rub and BBQ sauce sound so tasty, and the chicken looks amazing!
OMG yum! These sound soooo good!
I loved this recipe so much!!
I can’t get enough BBQ either! Love the stuff. 🙂 This would be very welcome on our dinner table. Very. 🙂 Thanks!
Can we normalize not leaving comments unless you’ve tried the recipe? I do this recipe with my own extras often but I’ve never tried slow cooking. This was a great idea and basting every 10 min for the last thirty helped reach my desired coating of the chicken.
I made it but added hot sauce to my bbq sauce it cooked well and turned out juicy
Hi Dee, the hot sauce sounds like a yummy addition to the sauce. I am happy that the chicken turned out well for you!