These hot honey chicken drumsticks will impress at any party, game night, or weeknight dinner. They’re coated in a spiced dry rub, then brushed with hot honey sauce as they roast to juicy perfection in the oven.
Why You’ll Love These Hot Honey Chicken Drumsticks
When it’s time to prep for a party, I love making these hot honey drumsticks. I’d say they’re just as delicious as these lemon pepper chicken wings, BBQ chicken, or crispy baked chicken thighs (which are also fan favorites). But in my opinion, drumsticks are much easier to eat with lots more juicy meat attached to them. And if you’re feeding a hungry crowd, these are guaranteed to satisfy! Here’s what else you’ll love about these chicken drumsticks:
- That hot honey sauce is irresistible. And it only takes three simple ingredients to make!
- They’re oven baked. And cleanup is a breeze if you line the sheet pan with parchment paper.
- It’s easy and foolproof. The prep is simple, and they always turn out juicy and flavorful. Perfect for Super Bowl, a 4th of July cookout, or any sort of dinner party.
Hot Honey Drumsticks Ingredients
- Chicken Drumsticks: The main ingredient! Try to find extra meaty ones if you can.
- Chicken Dry Rub: This savory spiced blend consists of garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Hot Honey Sauce: All you need are honey, your favorite hot sauce, and lime juice! I love using Tabasco sauce, but Frank’s Red Hot, Cholula, or Sriracha are great options.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Step one: In a small bowl, stir together the honey, hot sauce, and lime juice for the hot honey sauce. In another small bowl, stir together the salt, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, and pepper for the dry rub.
Step two: Place the chicken drumsticks in a large bowl and sprinkle the dry rub all over the chicken. Toss the chicken, making sure to coat all sides.
Step three: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the chicken drumsticks on top. Bake for 20 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
Step four: After the chicken has cooked for 20 minutes, use a silicone brush to brush the hot honey sauce all over the chicken. Cook the chicken for another 10 minutes and repeat one more time. If you have any leftover sauce, you can brush the chicken one last time, then cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. The chicken is done after 40 to 45 minutes of cooking, or when an instant-read thermometer reaches 175°F (80°C).
Cooking Tips
- For crispier skin, broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end.
- For saucier drumsticks, make a second batch of the hot honey sauce to drizzle on top or to dip into.
- To reduce the heat, omit the chili powder or use a milder hot sauce.
- To bump up the heat, add a bit more chili powder to the dry rub or add red pepper flakes to the hot honey sauce.
What To Pair With Chicken Drumsticks
- Cookout side dishes: If it’s peak summer grilling, serve these with grilled corn on the cob, grilled zucchini, or any other of your favorite grilled vegetables.
- Refreshing salads: This creamy potato salad, coleslaw (or vinegar coleslaw), fruit salad, or broccoli salad will balance out these drumsticks perfectly.
More Chicken Recipes
- Grilled Chicken: A staple for grilling season!
- Cilantro Lime Chicken: Zesty, cilantro goodness.
- Greek Chicken Burgers: The perfect healthy alternative.
- Greek Chicken Kabobs: A must-make for summer.
- Or browse through my list of chicken recipes!
If you make this hot honey chicken drumsticks recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Equipment
- Heavy Duty Sheet Pan My favorite sheet pan!
- Glass Mixing Bowls The best set of nesting bowls for mixing the sauce, spice rub, and tossing the chicken.
Ingredients
- 10 chicken drumsticks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the hot honey sauce. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). In a small bowl, stir together the honey, hot sauce, and lime juice. Set aside.
- Mix the dry rub. In a small bowl, stir together the salt, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, and pepper.
- Season the chicken drumsticks. Place the chicken drumsticks in a large bowl and sprinkle the dry rub all over the chicken. Toss the chicken, making sure to coat all sides.
- Cook the chicken. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chicken drumsticks on top and bake for 20 minutes.
- Glaze the chicken. After the chicken has cooked for 20 minutes, use a silicone brush to brush the hot honey sauce all over the chicken. Cook the chicken for another 10 minutes, then brush again. Cook the chicken for another 10 minutes. If you have any leftover sauce, you can brush the chicken one last time, then cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. The chicken is done after 40 to 45 minutes of cooking, or when an instant read thermometer reaches 175°F (80°C). If you'd like to crisp up the skin, you can broil for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Rest and serve. Remove the chicken from the oven, let it rest for a few minutes, then serve with fresh lime slices.
Lisa’s Tips
- You don’t need to flip the chicken drumsticks, as enough sauce slides all over the chicken.
- If you’d like to reduce the heat, you can omit the chili powder and/or use a milder hot sauce.
- Storage tip: These will last 3 to 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Reheating tip: You can reheat them in the oven at 375°F (190°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, air fry them at 350°F (175°C) for 5 to 7 minutes, or microwave for a couple of minutes until warmed through.
Nutrition
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Behind The Scenes
I made these recently for some family and friends and they went over fabulously! I took a poll on how spicy everyone thought they were, and the results were all over the place. So it’s funny how we all have a unique sensitivity to spice. For me personally, I feel like they’re fairly spicy (aka they get my nose running!). But as my casual poll showed, everyone is different. I’d love to hear on a scale of 1 to 10 how spicy YOU think they are. Maybe I’m just a wuss when it comes to spice, ha!
I made them twice. The first time I did not have enough “sauce” as the drumsticks I used were VERY large. After basting the drumsticks for the first time, I had to make an additional back of the honey/hot sauce to further basting the drumsticks two or three times total.
Glad you enjoyed these drumsticks! You can always make more of the sauce if you prefer it to be saucier, especially with bigger drumsticks.
My new favorite way of making drumsticks. So delicious and so simple. But I was glad I toned down the heat level. I did about half of what the recipe called for and it was perfect for me.
Glad you were able to tweak this recipe to your liking, Lily!
Made this for the boys in my family. Delicious and easy. I think next time I will double the hot honey sauce to use as a dip as well. Thanks for putting in that the meat was supposed to be done at 175 degrees – I had thought all chicken was done at 165 and that this was a typo, then googled and learned that dark meat is more tender when cooked to between 175-190. You can teach an old dog new tricks!
Yes, you can definitely double the sauce for extra hot honey goodness! Glad the boys loved it, Wendy.
We made wings instead of drumsticks. They came out amazing! Great mix of flavors. I modified the heat and left out the chili powder. The glaze was just enough heat and perfect taste.
Thanks for a winning dinner
Awesome! Sounds like you tweaked it perfectly. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Lisa!
Amazing! I wanna make with wings also – how long did you bake them in the oven?
Lisa
Hi Lisa – You can bake them in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes at 425°F. Hope that helps!
I made these chicken drumsticks for dinner they all disappeared even the picky eater they really are good I would advise you to make these.I will be taking these to a next family cook out.I will be keeping the chicken in the dinner rotation 👍🏻
Yay, I’m happy to hear they were a hit, Lynn!
Another chicken dinner winner! Cooked up perfectly. The flavor was there and the meat was juicy and fully cooked. Thank you!
Glad your chicken drumsticks turned out perfectly, Sammy!
Just made this with thighs (because that’s what was in the fridge) and laoganma crispy chilli crisp. So good over salad.
Good to know this recipe worked out great with chicken thighs, Beth!
Hi Lisa, I made your Hot Honey Chicken recipe last night & thought it was great! It’s an easy & flavorful dish. I followed the recipe almost to a “T”, but did add some crushed red pepper for a little more heat. It’s a keeper & will add this one to my rotation & also plan to try on wings & thighs. Thanks for all your innovative & inspiring recipes!
Nothing wrong with adding a bit more heat! Glad these drumsticks are now a chicken staple, Lisa.
Definitely going on my rotation. What delish
Thrilled to hear you loved these chicken drumsticks, Diena!
I made the hot honey drumsticks ( it works with thighs as well). Turned out amazing, so juicy and delicious. I used a Sweet Heat Hot Honey that I had, which has quite a bit of heat so I dialed down on anything else with heat so it wasn’t too overwhelming. This is my new go to chicken drumstick recipe. Thanks downshiftology for another outstanding recipe.
Great use of your sweet heat hot honey! I’m so glad this recipe turned out great with drumsticks and thighs as well. Enjoy, Sheryl!
I used a combination of legs and thighs and added chopped up potatoes to the cookie sheet at one end. Made approx 2-3x the amount of sauce and everything was oh so yummy! Collect some of the pan drippings to put on top after. I did cucumber dill creamy salad as a side. Thank you Lisa!
Your meal sounds amazing, especially with the roasted potatoes and cucumber dill salad, Hilary!
This is the best recipe for chicken drumsticks! My picky eater loved these! I was able to get very good local chicken at a great price so the drumsticks were very large. I made the full recipe. There was just enough hot honey sauce for the large drumsticks. I backed off a little bit on the Sriracha not knowing how spicy it would be, but next time I will put in a little extra. I will definitely be making this again. My husband and daughter want me to do this for the chicken wings, too. I highly recommend!
I’m so glad you found a drumsticks recipe that satisfied the picky eaters! Enjoy, Sarah!
I used chicken thighs. I doubled the chii powder and doubled the garlic. I’ll probably triple both next time. But, we like it spicy. It was a 3/10 for spice level. I like 5-6/10 and my kids like spice level 15/10 – but my son-in-law is from Trinidad. 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️
Served with a lime rice and cucumber salad.
We’ll be making again.
Hi Leslie – Glad you were able to tweak the spices to your liking! Nothing wrong with adding more heat, haha. I’m sure this tasted well with lime rice and cucumber salad too. Enjoy!
Can you use boneless skinless chicken breast?
Hi Robin – Yes, you can! But, you’ll follow my baked chicken breast recipe instead for the proper temperature and cook time.
Absolutely love your recipes as they are easy with many staple products I have in my pantry
Thanks so much, Virginia! I do try to keep my recipes pretty easy with everyday ingredients. :) Enjoy these chicken drumsticks!
Hi Lisa,
This sounds like it’ll be a hit for my husband. I don’t typically cook with bone-in chicken, but this recipe isn’t intimidating like others I’ve come across. You mentioned we can broil the drumsticks if we want crisper skin. Is there a non-toxic pan/product you recommend for broiling?
Hope you and your hubby love this one, Brittany! And the sheet pan I use is linked in the recipe card, though you could use a stainless steel pan as well.
Could the chicken be placed on a BBQ after the hot honey is applied?
Yes, absolutely!
Looks absolutely delicious! I’ll be trying it on bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Hope it works as well.
Let us know how it turns out, Chuck!
These look delicious. Would it work well on boneless skinless chicken thighs?
Hi Lisa – Yes, you can use this dry rub and sauce for boneless, skinless thighs!
Looks delicious! I think I’ll try this for company on Memorial Day. Will Sriracha work for the hot sauce?
Hi Sarah – Yes, you can use Sriracha!