Crispy Sheet Pan Drumsticks

Chicken drumsticks in the oven are super easy to make. This BBQ sheet pan drumsticks recipe is an easy weeknight dinner idea for family meals. Let’s bake them…

HEY THERE — I post more easy sheet pan meals on Instagram @sipbitego.

Why this sheetpan chicken drumstick recipe is so good…

• Super easy weeknight dinner idea.
• Minimal effort. 
• Always tasty! And juicy. 
• They turn out tender and almost fall off the bone.
• Pretty healthy – serve chicken and vegetables together with my side recommendations.
• New to making chicken drumsticks sheet pan style? See my step by step video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page). 

Tips to meal prep chicken drumsticks

This sheet pan BBQ chicken drumstick recipe is an easy weeknight meal. Sometimes I’ll season the chicken drumsticks in advance, and put them on a sheet tray in the fridge during lunch. 

Then when it’s time to cook, I’ll take them out to come up to room temperature for about 15 minutes while you preheat the oven.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make these drumsticks on a sheet pan.

• Chicken drumsticks – bone-in, skin on
• Smoked seasoning (or BBQ rub, or something with garlic powder in it)
• Olive oil
• BBQ sauce
• Fresh chopped cilantro

Also see how to spatchcock chicken and how to make butterfly chicken drumsticks…

Note: feel free to use any seasoning you’d like. Smoked salt, or smoked bbq seasoning is one of my favorites. If you’re using a BBQ seasoning on chicken drumsticks that does not have salt and pepper, you should add some to the chicken as well. 

How to make sheet pan drumsticks with BBQ rub

Now I’ll walk you through exactly how to cook a sheet pan of chicken drumsticks.

Quick look at this sheet pan chicken drumsticks recipe

1. Prep and season chicken drumsticks. 
2. Bake sheet pan drumsticks for about 30 minutes, until done.
3. Broil drumsticks on high until done. 
4. Serve when fully cooked with a sprinkle of cilantro.

Detailed recipe steps

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. Prep chicken drumsticks. Pat them dry with paper towel. In a large bowl, combine chicken drumsticks with smoked seasoning, BBQ rub, olive oil and bbq sauce. 
3. Add BBQ chicken drumsticks on a sheet pan with parchment paper, without them touching, skin side up. 
4. Oven bake sheetpan chicken drumsticks for about 30 minutes, or until they reach 165 degrees F, as measured with an internal read thermometer. 
5. Remove drumsticks from oven and set broiler to high. 
6. Once broiler preheats, add drumsticks back in and broil chicken drumsticks for about 3-5 minutes to crisp up the skin. Make sure the parchment paper doesn’t burn. 
7. Serve drumsticks when they’re fully cooked to 165 degrees F, as measured with an internal read thermometer and garnish with cilantro.  

Also see my recipes for pan grilled chicken breast, oven baked chicken thighs and al pastor chicken tacos. Soon, I’ll share a recipe for sheet pan chicken thighs, too. 

FAQs 

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Meat thermometer recommendations

Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly. 

On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:

1. Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
2. ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill. 

It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature. 

How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.

While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!

Are you a foodie, too?

Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about whipping up this easy drumstick sheet pan dinner with bbq sauce. 

See how to make smoked butterflied chicken legs…

If you don’t follow me on instagram you totally should @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.