Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Chicken Drumsticks
I am a big fan of combining sweet and savory flavors, and these brown sugar bacon-wrapped chicken drumsticks are one of my family’s favorite recipes. This meal is proof of how simple ingredients can be turned into something extraordinary. Sweet, slightly spicy, smoky, salty, all in one bite.
This is the perfect party food, and it’s always a big hit with everyone. What’s not to love about it? I usually make these bacon-wrapped chicken drumsticks along with Crack Turkey Pinwheels, Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders, and serve them with honey mustard sauce.
Table of contents
These little guys are a keeper. Once you try this recipe, you’ll want to come back to it time and time again. These drumsticks combine everything good in this world! The brown sugar caramelizes onto the crispy bacon coating, while underneath, the meat is juicy and succulent. Crunchy, sweet, and savory, with a tender inside, makes it one of the most satisfying quick and easy meals I have ever made.
Why you will love this recipe
- A simple dinner that looks classy: I can prepare this elegant dinner with just a few basic ingredients, making it perfect for a party. It never fails to impress.
- It only takes minutes to prepare: With a prep time of just 15 minutes, I can quickly get everything in the oven and have extra time for other things.
- Very inexpensive: With just some chicken legs, bacon, and seasonings, this whole meal costs less than $15.
- Dinner or appetizer: These can be served as a hearty dinner with side dishes or alone as appetizers.
What you will need
- Chicken: I use organic chicken drumsticks; you can either keep or remove the skin.
- Bacon: Any bacon will do, but thick bacon is not recommended because it takes longer to cook and produces more grease. Also, make sure it is at room temperature, so it is easier to handle.
- Seasonings: I prefer dark brown sugar for its richer flavor, similar to molasses, which results in a stickier glaze. Chili powder gives these drumsticks a layer of earthy, warm flavor and a bit of heat. Garlic powder adds a pungent taste to balance the salty bacon and sweet brown sugar. Onion powder enhances the overall taste profile with a complex savory base—plus salt and pepper.
How to make
Preheat the oven: First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Then, place a broiler rack on a baking sheet and spray it with cooking oil.
Seasoning: Then, I mix the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and chili powder in one medium bowl and the brown sugar in another bowl. After patting dry the drumsticks, I roll them through the seasonings before placing them on a cutting board.
Wrap: I wrap each one in two pieces of bacon, making sure to secure them with a toothpick.
Roll in sugar: Next, I roll each wrapped drumstick in brown sugar until completely covered, then place it on the broiler rack.
Bake the chicken: Once it is all on the rack, I bake it for 50 to 60 minutes or until it reaches 165 degrees F. The internal temperature of a chicken leg is supposed to be 175 degrees F, but it will continue to rise as it rests.
Rest and serve: Finally, I let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Expert tip
How to lollipop chicken legs
To make these drumsticks easier to handle and more fun for a dinner party, I like to lollipop them. It is a technique that is not difficult and only takes a few minutes. It just involves removing the skin and meat from one end of the bone and pushing it down to the other end. This gives my guests (and me) a clean bone to hang onto. It also makes the chicken legs stand up, allowing them to cook more evenly and achieve a crispy, caramelized finish.
To do this method, I use kitchen shears to cut through the flesh and tendons around the knuckle at the bottom end of the drumstick. Then, I use a paring knife to shave off any skin and flesh down toward the knuckle, pulling it over and off the end of the drumstick. Afterward, I hold the knuckle and push the meat to the top, making it resemble a lollipop, and then remove the small loose bone in the handle. Before cooking, I cover the handle with foil to prevent it from burning.
More tips to consider:
- Use regular bacon. Thick-cut bacon is too hard to wrap and takes too long to cook.
- Also, let the bacon come to room temperature. It is almost impossible to wrap bacon when the fat is cold.
- Pat the drumsticks completely dry before adding the seasoning so it sticks.
- Finally, don’t forget to tuck the end of the bacon under or use toothpicks to keep the bacon secure.
Recipe variations and add-ins:
- Other cuts of chicken: If white meat is your favorite, use thick cuts of boneless chicken breast and follow the recipe in the same way. Just bake it for 30 minutes instead of 50 to 60 minutes.
- Different meat: In fact, it can also be made with turkey or pork in the same way.
- Ranch chicken: I like to add a tablespoon of ranch to the seasoning; it’s so good.
- Sweet and spicy chicken: I sometimes add red pepper flakes to the chicken seasoning for a sweet and spicy taste.
Serving suggestions:
These drumsticks are fancy enough to serve as appetizers at a dinner party, paired with my homemade barbecue sauce for dipping. It is sweet, tangy, and a little spicy, which goes great with these legs. Another appetizer that pairs well with these drumsticks is my bacon-wrapped shrimp with brown sugar. I usually have to make a few batches of these because they are so popular.
For a casual dinner, I often serve these drumsticks with coleslaw and potato salad for a backyard grill party. My homemade coleslaw is easy to make with just a few ingredients. And this BLT potato salad has even more bacon to go with what’s on the drumsticks for those who really love it. For dessert, these pumpkin muffins with brown sugar streusel are perfect any time of the year.
How to store leftovers:
- Refrigerate: I put leftover chicken in a sealed container in the fridge for up to five days.
- Freezing: To freeze leftovers, I wrap them in plastic and put a few in each freezer bag so I can take out what I need when I need it. They will stay fresh in the freezer for three months.
- Defrost: I thaw them overnight in the refrigerator for the best flavor.
- Reheating: To reheat, I put them in the air fryer for just a few minutes at 350 degrees F to get them crispy. If I am in a hurry and don’t mind them not being crispy, I can reheat them in the microwave for about a minute.
Frequently asked questions
This is why I suggest removing the skin from the chicken and using a broiler pan. Although many people really love chicken skin, the trapped fat leads to more grease. I think the bacon can be used as chicken skin. However, if the skin is left on, I drain the grease when I flip the drumsticks over, halfway through the cooking time. I might use paper towels and tongs to soak up some of the excess. Most of the grease usually goes through the broiler pan, though.
If the bacon is not crispy, it may be from leaving the skin on or using fatty bacon. It doesn’t matter the reason. It can be fixed. First, be sure to use a broiler pan so the grease goes through to the bottom. Drain the grease from this pan now. Then, remove the chicken, piece by piece, and pat them dry. Finally, broil the chicken for three minutes to crisp them up.
Any meat, not just chicken, needs to cool down completely before being put into the refrigerator because this prevents it from putting other foods into the danger zone. The danger zone is 40 to 140 degrees F because it encourages bacterial growth. For example, if I put hot chicken in the fridge next to the cold leftovers I put in there yesterday, it can raise the temperature of yesterday’s leftovers enough to cause them to grow bacteria.
Although the USDA and many chefs recommend cooking chicken legs to 165 degrees F, the optimal temperature for them is actually 175 degrees F. According to many, the dark meat has more connective tissue that breaks down into a rich, tender gelatin at a high temperature. At 165 degrees F, the meat is cooked and tastes good, but has a slightly chewy texture. The ideal range, from 175 to 185 degrees F, results in juicy, “fall off the bone” meat that has broken down effectively.
Bacon-wrapped food:
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Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 12-14 chicken drumsticks
- 2 lbs sliced bacon room temperature
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Place a broiler rack on top of a pan, spray it with cooking spray, and set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Place the brown sugar in a separate medium bowl and set it aside.
- Make sure the chicken drumsticks are dry. If necessary, use paper towels to pat them dry.
- Gently roll the chicken drumsticks through the chili powder mixture and place them on a cutting board or flat dish.
- Roll two pieces of bacon around the chicken drumstick one by one and secure with a toothpick.
- Toss and roll the bacon-wrapped chicken drumsticks through the brown sugar until well coated. Shake off any excess and place them on the prepared broiler rack. Repeat this process with the remaining chicken drumsticks.
- Bake for about 50 minutes or until cooked through.
- If you prefer the bacon to be crispier, place it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes at the end of baking, but first check the bacon texture to make sure you won't burn it.
- Serve with honey mustard for dipping. Enjoy!
Notes
How to lollipop chicken legs
To make these drumsticks easier to handle and more fun for a dinner party, I like to lollipop them. It is a technique that is not difficult and only takes a few minutes. It just involves removing the skin and meat from one end of the bone and pushing it down to the other end. This gives my guests (and me) a clean bone to hang onto. It also makes the chicken legs stand up, allowing them to cook more evenly and achieve a crispy, caramelized finish. To do this method, I use kitchen shears to cut through the flesh and tendons around the knuckle at the bottom end of the drumstick. Then, I use a paring knife to shave off any skin and flesh down toward the knuckle, pulling it over and off the end of the drumstick. Afterward, I hold the knuckle and push the meat to the top, making it resemble a lollipop, and then remove the small loose bone in the handle. Before cooking, I cover the handle with foil to prevent it from burning.More tips to consider:
- Use regular bacon. Thick-cut bacon is too hard to wrap and takes too long to cook.
- Also, let the bacon come to room temperature. It is almost impossible to wrap bacon when the fat is cold.
- Pat the drumsticks completely dry before adding the seasoning so it sticks.
- Finally, don’t forget to tuck the end of the bacon under or use toothpicks to keep the bacon secure.