Buffalo chicken drumsticks make a great side dish, appetizer, or main meat. This simple recipe can be made ahead and then stuck in the oven at your convenience. Keto and Trim Healthy Mama friendly, this one is sure to go in your recipe book! Oh, and husbands tend to love them!
Background content: is this popular at certain times of year? Special holidays?
This recipe took me forever to finalize!
I am not a foodie! It might be strange to say that when I have a food blog, but I'm not. I'm in the 'game' for the health aspect of recipes. I love coming up with recipes that use wholesome ingredients. But I do not 'ooo' and 'awww' over recipes unless it's sourdough because that is just a beautiful art to me.
However, my husband is a FOODIE! He is a foodie to the max and could spend hours watching IG reels of recipes and creations if time allowed. He loves talking about food, exploring restaurants, and analyzing food.
When I started making this recipe, he started analyzing it. You should add this, or try this, or maybe reduce this. You get the idea. At first, it was fun, but then once my allotted number to try and conclude a recipe was passed, I started to wonder if the tweaks would ever subside!
All this to say, my husband should have a food blog! He would love to create all sorts of meat recipes, but it would most likely take him quite a while to perfect a recipe. It was truly fun perfecting this recipe with him and I hope that you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed testing it out.
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Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are very basic and chances are you probably have them on hand already.
- Chicken drumsticks
- Franks Red Hot sauce
- Parmesan cheese (green can)
- Garlic powder
- Coconut oil, lard, or butter
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
An alternative way to make these that are not in the instructions is to use a air fryer. We find that using our air fryer is just not realistic for our family because we eat more than 6 drumsticks at a meal, therefore it would take double the time to cook enough for our family.
If you chose to air fry start for 30 minutes with six of them single-layered in your air fryer. Check the internal temperature and air fry in 5-minute additions if the internal temperature is not 170 degrees F.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Place the drumsticks in a 9x13 dish and spoon the sauce over the drumsticks. Optional - you can let this marinate in the refrigerator if desired.
Bake at 424 degrees F for 45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F.
Additional hot sauce can be poured over the top if desired.
Hint: Letting the meat marinate with the sauce on top helps infuse the flavors throughout the chicken better. I recommend you start with at least 4 hours of marination.
Variations
There are many different variations that you could do to this basic recipe. Here are a few ideas that we have done.
- Spicier - add chili flakes to make it an even more spicy dish!
- Garlic - replace garlic powder with crushed garlic
- Kid-friendly - Reduce or remove Franks Red Hot Sauce. Add ¼ cup Braggs Amino acids to the remaining ingredients.
These would taste great with a side of veggies like my baked Brussel Sprouts!
Equipment
You will need very basic equipment for this recipe.
- Bowl
- Spatula
- Baking Tray
- Optional Air Fryer
You can find all our kitchen favorites at our Amazon storefront and Like to Know shop.
Storage
These stores well in the refrigerator for up to one week. They also freeze well! My recommendation is to cook them and then freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 6 months.
I love freezing food in reusable bags, but they often are weakly made, and eventually, the plastic seals break. One way to combat this is to buy reusable freezer bags that are made for the freezer. These reusable freezer bags are excellent if you are seeking a more sustainable way to freeze food.
Top tip
If you cook these in the oven, you can broil them for the last 3 minutes to give them a crispy top!
FAQ
Can I use wings instead of drumsticks?
Yes, the process is exactly the same. You may need a little less or more sauce depending on how many wings you use.
Can I cook these at a higher temperature?
You can if you'd like the chicken more crispy on top. The lower the temperature the more juicy chicken you will have. The higher the temperature the more crispy chicken you will have.
Can I use another hot sauce?
Absolutely! Pick your favorite! We also live Primal Kitchen's Buffalo sauce!
Related
Looking for other appetizers or side dishes to enjoy? Try these!
Pairing
Want to make this recipe into a meal for your family? Here are a few pairings that would taste delicious alongside these buffalo chicken drumsticks!
Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 12 chicken drumsticks
- ⅓ cup Franks Red Hot sauce
- ½ cup parmesan cheese (green can)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, lard, or butter
Instructions
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Place the drumsticks in a 9x13 dish and spoon the sauce over the drumsticks. Optional - you can let this marinate in the refrigerator if desired.
- Bake at 424 degrees F for 45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
- Additional hot sauce can be poured over the top if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 217Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 338mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 23g
Online nutritional calculators are estimates only. Use your best judgement when consuming.
Food safety
Because this is a chicken recipe, I always feel the need to remind everyone of food safety with chicken.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 170 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
