This easy oven-baked, grilled, or air fried chicken drumsticks recipe! If you love buffalo chicken recipes, this will soon be a family favorite! Buffalo Chicken drumsticks easy and perfect for football food, an easy weeknight meal, or just about any time of the year.
Jump to:
- Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks Video Tutorial
- Easy Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
- Oven-Baked Drumsticks
- Easy Grilled Drumsticks
- Crispy Air Fryer Drumsticks
- How to make Homemade Buffalo Sauce
- Tips for Making Buffalo Sauce
- Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
- Oven-Baked Drumsticks
- Easy Grilled Drumsticks
- Crispy Air Fryer Drumsticks
Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks Video Tutorial
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If you love all things buffalo, be sure to check out this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Sauce. It's delicious on burgers, steaks, chicken and especially on this drumstick recipe. You'll also love Franks Buffalo Chicken Dip, Crockpot Buffalo Chicken, Buffalo Taquitos and the Best Buffalo Chicken Wings.
Easy Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
These chicken drumsticks can be grilled, baked in the oven, or made in the air fryer. Any way you decide to make them, they're sure to turn out amazing. We've also included the best buffalo chicken sauce, perfect for a drumsticks recipe, wings, or your favorite appetizers.
Oven-Baked Drumsticks
- Prepare the drumstick and remove any excess skin or fat. Pat dry with a paper towel, sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken on both sides.
- Place chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 30 min. Turn chicken over and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Toss the drumsticks in the prepared buffalo sauce.
- Serve with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.
Easy Grilled Drumsticks
- Prepare the drumstick and remove any excess skin or fat. Pat dry with a paper towel, sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken on both sides.
- Toss Chicken in a drizzle of avocado oil and cook in a 400-degree, preheated grill until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. The cooking time will be 30-35 minutes. Flipping halfway through. (Use a meat thermometer or cook until the meat starts to pull away from the drumstick bone. )
- Drizzle or brush the prepared buffalo sauce on the chicken, and serve with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.
Crispy Air Fryer Drumsticks
- Prepare the drumstick and remove any excess skin or fat. Pat dry with a paper towel, and sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken on both sides.
- Toss the Chicken in a drizzle of avocado oil and place in the air fryer. Cook on 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165 degrees. (Use a meat thermometer or cook until the meat starts to pull away from the drumstick bone. )
- Remove from the Air Fryer and drizzle or brush the prepared buffalo sauce on the chicken, and serve with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.

Favorite grilling recipes
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Grilled Pizza
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Drumsticks
- Grilled BLT Salad Recipe
- Grilled Southwest Chicken
What to Serve with Drumsticks
if you're wondering how long to bake chicken drumsticks, keep in mind, it varies depending on the size of the drumsticks and your baking method. Generally speaking, bake chicken drumsticks in a 400-degree oven for minutes or until an internal thermometer reads 175-185 degrees ? when tested in the thickest part of the chicken leg/drumstick. Chicken legs and thighs have dark meat at it takes a little longer to cook and also tastes better when cooked to a higher tempreture.
Yes, you can certainly air fry chicken drumsticks. Place the chicken drumsticks in the air fryer basket without overlapping or stacking. Air fry at 400 degrees ? for about 20 minutes. Flip chicken drumsticks halfway through the cooking time. Be sure to check the internal tempreture of your drumsticks. The internal tempreture should be 175-186 ?.
An average chicken drumstick weighs about 4 ounces and has about 1 ½ ounces of meat (without the bone or the skin)
Plan for about 2-3 drumsticks per person for adults and 1 drumstick per person for children.

How to make Homemade Buffalo Sauce
- Combine the Franks Red Hot Sauce and the brown sugar in a saucepan on the stove.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 1 minute.
- Let it cool and then pour it back into the bottle or a covered container and use for pizza, eggs, on chicken or steak.
Tips for Making Buffalo Sauce
- Make the buffalo sauce ahead of time.
- Make an entire bottle at a time.
- Use a funnel and pour it back into the bottle and use it in many different ways.

Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
Grilled or Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- 6 large chicken drumsticks
- salt and pepper
Homemade Buffalo Sauce
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the drumstick and remove any excess skin or fat. Pat dry with a paper towel, sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken on both sides.
- Place chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 30 min. Turn chicken over and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Toss the drumsticks in the prepared buffalo sauce.
- Serve with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.
How to Make Homemade Buffalo Sauce
- Combine the Franks Red Hot Sauce and the brown sugar in a saucepan on the stove.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Let it cool and then pour it back into the bottle or a covered container and use for pizza, eggs, on chicken or steak.
Notes
Oven-Baked Drumsticks
- Prepare the drumstick and remove any excess skin or fat. Pat dry with a paper towel, sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken on both sides.
- Place chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 30 min. Turn chicken over and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Toss the drumsticks in the prepared buffalo sauce.
- Serve with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.
Easy Grilled Drumsticks
- Prepare the drumstick and remove any excess skin or fat. Pat dry with a paper towel, sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken on both sides.
- Toss Chicken in a drizzle of avocado oil and cook in a 400-degree, preheated grill until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. The cooking time will be 30-35 minutes. Flipping halfway through. (Use a meat thermometer or cook until the meat starts to pull away from the drumstick bone. )
- Drizzle or brush the prepared buffalo sauce on the chicken, and serve with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.
Crispy Air Fryer Drumsticks
- Prepare the drumstick and remove any excess skin or fat. Pat dry with a paper towel, and sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken on both sides.
- Toss the Chicken in a drizzle of avocado oil and place in the air fryer. Cook on 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165 degrees. (Use a meat thermometer or cook until the meat starts to pull away from the drumstick bone. )
- Remove from the Air Fryer and drizzle or brush the prepared buffalo sauce on the chicken, and serve with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.
Nutrition
Here are more chicken recipes you'll love
- Green Chile Hasselback Chicken
- Chicken Salad Sandwiches
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Mississippi Chicken
- Red Chicken Enchiladas
- More Chicken Recipes
- More Appetizers
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This easy oven-baked or grilled chicken drumsticks recipe is a huge hit! If you love buffalo chicken, this will soon be a family favorite! Grilled Buffalo Chicken drumsticks easy and perfect for football food, an easy weeknight meal, or just about any time of the year.
Sam
These drumsticks were delicious! We loved them!
The Carefree Kitchen
Sam, So glad you loved them!
Christina
These are so scrumptious. A new family favorite.