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Dinners

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Drumsticks – Chicken Legs Recipe

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Level up your boring grilled chicken recipe by adding flavor, color and texture to make an unbelievable bite! These bacon wrapped chicken drumsticks will have everyone going back for seconds, and thirds!

Seriously, make sure to cook extra!

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Tray of raw chicken drumsticks and thighs with pale skin, arranged neatly on a dark platter. The wooden surface beneath has a warm, textured appearance.


Whether you’re throwing them on a propane grill, a smoker, or even baking them in the oven, this is one of those recipes that just works. Simple, loaded with flavor, and guaranteed to impress.

I’m cooking these on the Blaze Grills 40″ LTE Pro, I love it because it’s got all the room I need, and the chicken hangers are an awesome touch!

Hands wearing black gloves are stretching raw chicken skin off a piece of chicken meat over a wooden cutting board. The skin appears translucent as it is being pulled.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Crispy bacon, juicy chicken – what’s not to love? Cooking at higher temperatures breaks down the connective tissue, making the meat crazy tender. Easy to make with just a few ingredients and minimal prep.

A person wearing black gloves is holding a knife, skinning a piece of raw chicken on a wooden cutting board. The blade is angled to remove the skin neatly from the meat.

Ingredients & Tools

What You’ll Need:

  • 8 chicken legs (skin on or off)
  • 8 slices of bacon (regular or thick-cut)
  • Your favorite BBQ rub or poultry seasoning
  • BBQ sauce (enough to coat each drumstick) liberally
Gloved hands holding a raw chicken drumstick on a wooden cutting board, with one hand using a paper towel to clean or prepare the meat.

Tools:

  • Sharp knife (makes prep way easier)
  • Paper towel (helps remove skin easily)
  • Meat thermometer (to make sure they hit the right internal temperature)
A person wearing black gloves holds a piece of uncooked meat wrapped in bacon, secured with a toothpick. The background is a wooden surface with a patterned texture.

Click Here to Print this Bacon Wrapped Chicken Drumsticks Recipe and save for later

How to Make Bacon Wrapped Chicken Drumsticks


Step 1: Prep the Chicken
Get your grill fired up and stabilized between 350°F – 400°F. If your chicken drumsticks still have the skin on, grab a paper towel and pull it off—it comes off way easier this way.

Take a sharp knife and cut around the bottom of the drumstick, just below the meat.
Slice through all the connective tissue and pull the tendons down past the bottom. This turns them into chicken lollipops, which cook more evenly and look awesome.

Just be careful with that knife—it can slip if you’re not paying attention.Wrap each chicken leg tightly with a strip of bacon and secure it with a toothpick.

Grilled chicken drumsticks wrapped in bacon, suspended on hooks inside a barbecue grill. The grill grates below are slightly charred, and the chicken has a golden-brown, crispy appearance. Sunlight brightens the scene.


Step 2: Grill Time
Place them on the grill using indirect heat—this keeps the bacon from burning before the chicken is done. This is why I love hanging them!

Click Here to Print this Bacon Wrapped Chicken Drumsticks Recipe and save for later

Let them cook, until they hit an internal temperature of 165°F (use a meat thermometer to check). If they are cooking faster on one side than the other – be sure to rotate them halfway through.

  • Once they’re cooked, brush each one with BBQ sauce – though I prefer to dunk them to get a thicker coating.
  • Let them rest for 5-10 minutes, then dig in!
A cooked turkey leg, seasoned and browned, is upright on a grill. The grills metal bars and the ovens interior are visible in the background.  This image is of a bacon wrapped chicken drumstick

Click Here to Print this Bacon Wrapped Chicken Drumsticks Recipe and save for later


How to Serve Them

These go great with grilled corn, coleslaw, or even just some crusty bread to mop up that BBQ sauce. If you’re feeling extra, throw together a quick mac and cheese—trust me, it’s a killer combo.

Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
A paper towel makes skin removal way easier—just grab and pull.

Sharp knife = easy prep—cut through the connective tissue cleanly to make those chicken lollipops.
Indirect heat is key—keeps the bacon from crisping up too fast while the chicken drumsticks finish cooking.

A gloved hand holds a piece of meat coated in shiny, red barbecue sauce above a bowl filled with the same sauce. The background features a stainless steel surface, hinting at an outdoor cooking area.  Delicious bacon wrapped chicken drumsticks


If you don’t have a propane grill, this works great on a smoker or in the oven at the same degrees F.
These bacon wrapped chicken drumsticks are stupid easy to make and taste incredible. Fire up the grill, wrap those chicken legs in bacon, and get ready for the best bite of the night.

Watch Me Make Them

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Other Recipes You’ll Love

Close-up of two grilled chicken drumsticks coated with a glossy barbecue sauce, placed upright on a textured wooden surface. The background is a warm, rustic wood pattern.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Legs

The best BBQ Chicken!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 367kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 Chicken Legs skin on, or off
  • 8 Bacon Regular or Thick Cut
  • BBQ Rub or Poultry Seasoning
  • BBQ Sauce enough to cover each chicken leg

Instructions

  • Preheat your grill to stabilize between 350F – 400F
  • Start Preparing chicken legs, but first removing the skin if attached. Use a paper towel as a grabber to help remove easier. Using a sharp knife, run the blade around the bottom part of the leg right below the muslce. Cut all tendons and pull the meat and tendons down past the bottom. Using a paper towel here makes it easier.
  • Wrap each chicken leg in bacon and secure with a toothpick
  • Place on grill, either hang, or place them meat side down standing up for best results. This will keep them nice and juicy.
  • Using a meat thermometer, remove the chicken from the grill after it hits 165F and coat completely in bbq sauce.
  • Allow to rest for 5- 10 minutes before serving and serve hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 254mg | Potassium: 305mg | Vitamin A: 127IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

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