Easy Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

Easy Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks or Legs are super easy, baked in the oven, slow cooker or air fryer with the best homemade 3 ingredient buffalo wing sauce!

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Baked Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

I have to tell you that I love Buffalo Chicken Wings.  My only complaint, if you want to call it that, is that there is never enough meat on each chicken wing for all of the effort involved in eating each one of them. 

That is what motivated me to figure out and perfect this Buffalo Chicken Legs or Drumsticks recipe. 

Actually, now that I think of it, making and eating chicken wings is almost an entirely different kind of experience. All of the crispy skin underneath the buffalo wing sauce.

Yum.

Still, when I get a buffalo wing kind of craving, and I get them regularly, I have the option of making these Easy Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks as well as my crispy oven baked wings.  

I think I love these drumsticks most because I get to taste that amazing buffalo wing flavor and I get to enjoy more of the sweet dark chicken meat!   

Those are our two favorite baked buffalo chicken recipes. Wait, there are three. Our other buffalo chicken recipe involves chicken wings in our slow cooker. 

I will include that recipe here too. Just in case you want to give that a try sometime. It is a definite keeper. 

Actually, I think they all are or I wouldn’t post all of them up on our site.

Buffalo Drumsticks or Chicken Legs

If you are looking for an easy buffalo chicken drumsticks dinner recipe than you have come to the right place. Recipes don’t get any easier than this.

Even making this amazing homemade buffalo wing sauce, which takes only minutes to do and tastes so good with our secret ingredient that you’ll never guess is … molasses.

What a difference a little makes! We used honey off and on for years. Now molasses is all we use and no blackstrap either. The sweetness from light or dark molasses adds such amazing flavor.

First you season and get your buffalo chicken drumsticks into your oven.

Bake them.

Next, remove chicken legs or drumsticks from your oven and totally coat them with buffalo wing sauce.

Either store bought or our homemade, which I have to remind you requires only three ingredients and takes moments to make yourself. 😉 

Most, already have these ingredients in their home. 

Return your drumsticks to the oven for five minutes.

Remove pan from oven and coat your drumsticks in sauce again. 

Allow chicken legs to rest for a few minutes before serving.

That is it.

Almost too good for words.

Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks in Oven

My husband, and now my son, are huge dark meat fans and love chicken legs and wings.

Needless to say we have been making drumsticks in this house for a very long time.

Some days it even feels like an eternity.

Some days it felt like it was the only thing we ate. When I would ask my husband he would tell me that I was correct and it is the only thing we’ve been eating. 

We figured eventually that this too shall pass and luckily it did.

When my son was small he, or I should say we, went through a phase where we ate chicken drumsticks pretty much every day.

My son could not get enough of them.

We ate so many different versions until we or he finally settled on his favorite five. These baked chicken drumsticks, our Slow Cooker Honey Barbecue Drumsticks, Chinese Honey Chicken Drumsticks, Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks, and Honey Mustard Chicken Drumsticks.

All are super tasty in their own right and all are kid and husband approved!

Wife approved too if that matters! 😉

I just don’t recommend them being eaten daily. For weeks or months at a time. As my grandmother used to say, everything in moderation and she was correct!

I’m just glad my son decided to bake something else for dinner while my husband and I still liked chicken. Let me tell you it was a very long time before we ate chicken drumsticks again.

Baked Chicken Drumsticks

These Buffalo Chicken Legs are definitely best baked right in your oven. For us, making baked chicken drumsticks is the best way to cook them.

Even our recipe for Slow Cooker Honey Barbecue Drumsticks involves our oven. I always bake chicken drumsticks in the oven at the end to crisp up the outside of each drumstick.

You definitely don’t have to but I think you will be glad you did it.

With this recipe, I just love the way the outside tastes after having the Buffalo sauce baked on to the outside of each drumstick.

Every bite is oh so good.

So much flavor.

If you use that recipe to make buffalo chicken legs inside your slow cooker just swap out the honey barbecue sauce for the buffalo wing sauce. 

Now that I say that, I will include the slow cooker recipe. Just so you have it right in front of you, in case you need it.

Easy Buffalo Wing Sauce Recipe

Making Homemade Buffalo Wing Sauce is super easy and I hope you will try making it yourself. At least once.

It’s just so easy to do and you likely have the ingredients in your home already!

It is true that a little honey will sweeten your buffalo wing sauce but I really hope you will try it with molasses, at least once. We used honey for years and once I tried the molasses I never looked back!

Ingredients in Easy Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

• chicken drumsticks
• Buffalo wing sauce, store bought or our homemade
• salt
• pepper
• cooking spray
• blue cheese, caesar or ranch for dipping

How to make Easy Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil and a rack lightly coated in cooking spray. Set aside.

Rinse drumsticks and pat dry with paper towels.

Sprinkle drumsticks with salt and pepper.

Place on your prepared sheet spaced evenly apart.

Bake for between 30-35 minutes (DRUMSTICKS), 35-40 minutes (CHICKEN THIGHS) and 40-45 minutes (CHICKEN LEGS).

Skin should be crisp and internal temperature should be 165 degrees.

Once cooked, coat them with your buffalo wing sauce, using a brush if possible.

Bake for another 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and coat with more buffalo wing sauce.

Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.

Serve with additional buffalo wing sauce and blue cheese, caesar or ranch dip or dressing on the side if desired.

Enjoy every bite!

If you are a fan of chicken drumsticks like we are I have listed some of our favorites below!  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Easy Chicken Drumstick Recipes

Slow Cooker Honey Barbecue Drumsticks

Chinese Honey Chicken Drumsticks

Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks

Honey Mustard Chicken Drumsticks

We serve everything from carrots and celery sticks to a salad with these Easy Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks!  Have a peek at our video!  See how easy they are to make!

Easy Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks Video

5 from 1 vote

Print

Easy Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

Easy Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks or Legs are super easy, baked in the oven, slow cooker or air fryer with the best homemade 3 ingredient buffalo wing sauce!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword baked chicken, buffalo, chicken, chicken drumsticks, drumstick

Ingredients

Making Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks in the Oven

• 12 chicken drumsticks, assuming 4 drumsticks per pound or 1/4 pound each
• 3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• cooking spray
• blue cheese, ranch dressing or caesar dip

Buffalo Wing Sauce

• 1/2 cup hot sauce
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Creamy Blue Cheese Dip

• 3/4 cup bleu or blue cheese, crumbled
• 3/4 cup mayo
• 6 tablespoons sour cream or greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
• 1 pinch pepper
• 1 pinch garlic powder

Buttermilk Ranch Dip

• 1 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 4 teaspoons fresh chives, minced
• 4 teaspoons fresh cilantro, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper or cayenne pepper

Caesar Parmesan Dip

• 1 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon anchovy fillets, minced to paste (2 fillets)
• 1 pinch black pepper

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

• 12 - 16 drumsticks, 3 to 4 pounds or 1/4 pound each

Spice Rub

• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt or seasoned salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper

Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

Spice Rub

• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or seasoned salt

Making your Drumsticks

• 4 chicken drumsticks, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Buffalo Sauce Coating

• 6 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 4 teaspoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

Making Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks in the Oven

1. Combine all ingredients in small bowl. This easy sauce results in 3/4 cup of Buffalo Wing Sauce which is enough for this recipe.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil and a rack lightly coated in cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Rinse drumsticks and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle drumsticks with salt and pepper. Place on your prepared sheet spaced evenly apart.

4. Bake for between 30-35 minutes (DRUMSTICKS), 35-40 minutes (CHICKEN THIGHS) and 40-45 minutes (CHICKEN LEGS). Skin should be crisp and internal temperature should be 165 degrees.

5. Once cooked coat them with your buffalo wing sauce.

6. Bake for another 5 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and coat with more buffalo wing sauce.

8. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

9. Serve with additional buffalo wing sauce and blue cheese or ranch dressing on the side if desired. Enjoy!

Creamy Blue Cheese Dip

1. Using a handheld or stand mixer, blend ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour, if not longer, before serving. Store in an airtight container in your fridge for up to one week.

Buttermilk Ranch Dip

1. Whisk ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. The longer the better. Store in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 5 days.

Caesar Parmesan Dip

1. Whisk ingredients together until smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Store in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 2 days, including the day you made it.

Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

1. Combine paprika, pepper or cayenne and salt in bowl.

2. Pat drumsticks dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife or metal skewer, poke 10 to 15 holes in skin of each drumstick.

3. Rub with oil and sprinkle evenly with spice mixture.

4. Arrange drumsticks in air fryer basket, spaced evenly apart, alternating ends.

5. Place basket in air fryer and set temperature to 400 degrees.

6. Cook until chicken DRUMSTICKS are crisp and register 195 degrees, 22 to 25 minutes, flipping and rotating chicken halfway through cooking.

7. Cook until chicken LEGS are well browned and crisp and register 195 degrees, 27 to 30 minutes, rotating chicken halfway through cooking but do not flip the chicken.

8. Transfer chicken to large plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

9. Meanwhile, microwave hot sauce, butter, molasses, and cornstarch in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until hot, about 1 minute.

10. Add chicken and toss to coat. Serve.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

1. Place paprika, salt and pepper or cayenne in a large resealable bag.

2. Prepare your slow cooker with cooking spray.

3. Add chicken and toss until coated.

4. Place inside your slow cooker.

5. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked and tender, 4 to 5 hours on low.

6. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from your broiler element and turn it on.

7. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil and a rack coated with cooking spray.

8. Transfer chicken to prepared rack.

9. Broil chicken until lightly charred, about 10 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through broiling.

10. Whisk hot sauce, butter and molasses or honey together in a small bowl.

11. Brush chicken with sauce and continue to broil until lightly charred, about 5 minutes, flipping and brushing chicken with more sauce halfway through broiling.

12. Brush chicken with remaining sauce.

13. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Part of this recipe has been adapted from CooksCountry.com