These quick and easy Honey BBQ Chicken drumsticks are loaded with sweet and spicy flavors that everyone loves. These delicious drumsticks are always tender, juicy, and flavorful, and the perfect dish for meals or appetizers.

Barbecue is a classic cooking tradition from spring through fall. As long as the weather holds, you can always find someone outside cooking up something delicious on the grill.
Of course, we all love that tasty barbecued flavor, but what happens when it’s rainy or you’re smack in the middle of winter? Well, don’t worry. You can still have a delicious barbecue. Just fire up your oven!
This honey BBQ drumsticks recipe brings all the delicious flavors of barbecued chicken to your table no matter what time of year it is because it’s cooked in the oven.
Honey BBQ Chicken Recipe
I love barbecue in any form. From slabs of meat smoked for hours outside and then slathered with sauce to slow cooker pulled pork and other indoor barbecue recipes, I love them all, and I’ve made most of them!
Living here in Texas, barbecue is a way of life, so you can count on finding it on everyone’s table in some form year-round. I’m no different! During the summer, I love to grill barbecued meat, and I don’t let the cold winter months or a rainy day stop me, either.
When the weather outside is frightful, recipes like this honey BBQ chicken are so delightful. All I need to do is use my oven! This recipe is absolutely overflowing with delicious barbecue flavor that is both sweet and spicy.
It’s also easy to make, which is a huge bonus. It only takes a handful of simple ingredients to make a fantastic barbecued chicken dish that is perfect for weeknight meals, game day parties, and even potlucks. You’ll be in and out of the kitchen in no time, and you’ll have a recipe that everyone loves.
Honey BBQ Drumsticks Tips
This recipe is super easy to make. It only takes a few ingredients, a few minutes of prep, and a little bit of baking to make it. Of course, as you know from my other recipes, even simple recipes have little nuances to them that make them even better.
I’ve included a few tips here to help ensure that your honey BBQ chicken comes out as tasty and tender as possible. They’re simple tips, so be sure you read over them.
Don’t Skip the Buttermilk
If you’re in a hurry or particularly impatient, you might be tempted to skip the buttermilk marinade and simply jump right into making the chicken. Letting the drumstick marinate in the buttermilk will make the meat even more tender and juicy, making a much better counterpoint to the barbecue sauce.
Line Your Baking Sheet
It might seem redundant to both line your baking sheet and use non-stick spray, but trust me, you’ll be glad you did. Non-stick spray helps keep the chicken from sticking to the foil as it cooks, and the foil helps reduce cleanup.
We all know that chicken drumsticks are fattier than breasts, so they’ll release some grease as they cook. Grease is notoriously difficult to remove from baking sheets, so do yourself a favor and use both foil and non-stick spray.
Don’t Forget to Flip
Flipping the chicken is an important part of his recipe. Although the chicken will fully cook if you don’t flip it, flipping the drumsticks allows for more even cooking of the exterior and also further limits the possibility that your chicken will stick to the cooking surface.
Honey Barbecue Drumsticks Variations
One of the great things about this recipe is how easy it is to switch things up. Because it uses bottled barbecue sauce, you can easily change the entire flavor and feel of your recipe by simply changing the sauce that you use.
In addition, if you’re not a fan of spicy food simply leave out the Slap Ya Mama seasoning! That’s it. In two steps, you can modify this recipe into an almost endless variety of honey barbecue drumsticks.
Serving
There are two ways to approach serving these drumsticks – as a dinner or as an appetizer. For potlucks or game day get-togethers, simply place your drumsticks on a tray and let everyone take as many as they like. Also set out bowls of various dipping sauces like ranch, more barbecue sauce, bleu cheese, and other game-day favorites.
If you’re making these for lunch or dinner, pair them with something like rice and a vegetable. Green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, or any other favorite veggies that you and your family love works well with this recipe. That’s all there is to it!
Try This Honey Barbecue Chicken for Yourself
These honey barbecue drumsticks are one of the best barbecue recipes you’ll ever make. Quick and easy, they only take a few ingredients, a little prep, and some baking. That’s all it takes to get you to delicious barbecued chicken that everyone loves.
It’s the perfect dish for dinner, game day parties, and potlucks, and because it’s so easy, you can make it almost any time you want. You can’t beat that combo!
Ingredients to make Honey Barbecue Chicken
- Drumsticks
- Buttermilk
- Slap Ya Mama®
- Pepper
- Garlic salt
- Paprika
- Barbecue sauce
- Honey
How to make Honey Barbecue Chicken
- Soak drumsticks in buttermilk.
- Remove chicken from buttermilk and season.
- Bake in oven, flipping halfway through baking time.
- Mix barbecue sauce and honey together.
- Remove chicken from oven, brush with honey barbecue sauce, and place back in oven.
- Remove from oven and enjoy.
Try This Easy Chicken Recipe Today
And, here are a few more recipes that can be found on the blog:
- Buffalo Chicken Nuggets
- Barbecue Dry Rub Lime Chicken
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
- Crunchy Chicken Strips
And, here’s a delicious Barbecue Chicken Nuggets from our other blog, Deliciously Seasoned.
Honey Barbecue Chicken
Ingredients
- 12 chicken drumsticks
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 2 teaspoon slap ya mama
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add drumsticks and buttermilk. Stir to coat, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or can leave in the fridge overnight.
- Take chicken out of buttermilk, shake off excess liquid and add to a large bowl.
- Add seasonings and stir to coat.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with a non-stick cooking spray.
- Place chicken on a prepared baking sheet.
- Place in a 400 degree preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes, flip over after 20 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix barbecue and honey together until combined.
- Remove chicken drumsticks from oven and brush with honey barbecue sauce on both sides
- Return to the oven and bake for 10-15 additional minutes.
- Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Here are a few pics that are perfect to save to your favorite Pinterest boards.
Enjoy, Terri
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