Hot Honey Chicken Drumsticks (Oven Baked)

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.

A plate of hot honey chicken drumsticks. — Photo: Gayle McLeod

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

Ingredients for baked chicken drumsticks with hot honey sauce.

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).

Brushing hot honey sauce on baked chicken drumsticks.

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).

Baked hot honey chicken drumsticks on a sheet pan.

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

Hot honey chicken drumsticks with limes on a plate.

More 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

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. Watch the video below to see how I make this in my kitchen!

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.

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.

©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Behind The Scenes

Testing the hot honey chicken drumsticks recipe.

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!