Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

Our baked Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks are perfectly crispy and tossed in a homemade buffalo sauce that brings the heat! We're sharing oven instructions here, but check the notes for an air fryer version!

Course Chicken, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword baked chicken, baked chicken drumsticks, baked chicken legs, low carb buffalo chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 385kcal

Author Karly Campbell

Ingredients

Chicken:

8-10 chicken drumsticks about 2 pounds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Buffalo Sauce:

1/3 cup hot sauce
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional

Instructions

Wrap a baking sheet with aluminum foil and add a wire rack on top. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
Remove any moisture off of the chicken by blotting with a paper towel. Place the drumsticks in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil, tossing to coat evenly.
Whisk the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and chili powder together. Sprinkle over the drumsticks and then toss to make sure all the chicken is seasoned evenly.
Arrange the drumsticks on the wire rack and baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through cooking. The skin should be really crispy.
In the last 5 minutes of the chicken cooking, make the buffalo sauce. Add the hot sauce, butter, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne to a small sauce pan and heat over medium-low until the butter melts and the sauce is nice and smooth.
When the chicken is finished cooking, place into a large mixing bowl and drizzle the sauce over the drumsticks. Coat all the chicken with the sauce and toss so it’s evenly distributed. Serve right away while the chicken is still hot and crispy.

Notes

The buffalo sauce adds a bit of heat but if you like it really spicy you can add more cayenne pepper to the hot sauce and spice rub! Or just skip the cayenne if you don't want the extra heat.

For a sweet and spicy sauce, add in your favorite brown sugar substitute or a drizzle of sugar free honey to the sauce while cooking.

Make sure that you check that the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F but around 175°F will make the legs even more tender and fall off the bone.

When you are glazing the chicken with the sauce, do it as quickly as possible. You don’t want to leave the hot chicken in a bowl for too long. The heat will create a lot of moisture and make the exterior start to lose crispiness. You can even coat the chicken in batches to not overcrowd if you prefer.

To make these in the air fryer, cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.

Nutrition