Delight your guests with BBQ marinade for chicken drumsticks

Chicken drumsticks—they’re loved by almost everyone, from kids to adults and even your grandparents! They’re easy to eat and you can prepare them in so many delicious ways, too.

If you’re having some guests over to enjoy a wonderful BBQ, a platter of juicy chicken drumsticks is a must-have! But while chicken drumsticks can be magical, the key to grilling up some amazing drumsticks is to let them rest in some BBQ marinade for chicken drumsticks before cooking them.

Marinades can add all kinds of delicious flavours to your chicken drumsticks, from spicy to sweet. In other words—marinades can take your drumsticks to another level! Also, chicken drumsticks, or chicken meat in general, can end up dry after cooking, so marinades can help the meat retain its juiciness.

But here’s the catch; marinating can be a little tricky. If you don’t do it the right way, you might not be able to get all those great flavours into your chicken drumsticks. So here is a guide on how you can marinate your drumsticks to perfection.

How to prepare your chicken for marination

Preparing your chicken drumsticks for marination is a simple but very important step. First, wash your drumsticks in some clean water and then pat them dry using paper towels. If you want, you can trim off the excess fat. But we recommend you keep as much of it as possible to add more flavour to your drumsticks. 

Next, you can cut grooves into the chicken drumstick. This will allow the drumsticks to absorb more marinade and will help speed up the cooking process. But be careful not to make the grooves too deep—this will cause too much of the marinade to pool in one place.

Now that your drumsticks are prepped, it’s time to give them a nice marinade bath!

How to marinate your drumsticks just right

First, place your chicken drumsticks in a marinade of your choice in a shallow dish. Then pour your marinade into it, making sure that you cover every drumstick evenly. If you’re using a plastic bag, after placing your chicken and marinade in it, close the bag and give it a good shake to make sure all the drumsticks are coated evenly.

When marinating your drumsticks in a dish, make sure to flip them a few times to ensure they’re doused evenly, but only use a pair of plastic tongs to do this as metal tongs can react with the acid in the marinade and this can be dangerous!

Now, just put your drumsticks in the fridge and give them some time to soak up those delicious flavours.

How long you should marinate your drumsticks

Now, you might be tempted to let your drumsticks sit in the marinade a little longer—that’s the key to making the meat tender and juicy, right? Yes and no; while letting your chicken drumsticks marinate for a long time may make the meat tender, it can actually make the meat a bit too soft for your liking.

Chicken meat is quite delicate, so letting it soak too long in marinade can make your drumsticks a bit mushy. So don’t let your drumsticks marinate for more than 12 hours. If you’re using a non-acidic marinade, you can leave your drumsticks to marinate a bit long but don’t go over 24 hours.

After you take the chicken drumsticks out for cooking, make sure to discard any leftover marinade—you shouldn’t reuse any of this marinade after it comes in contact with the chicken.

Now that your drumsticks are infused with BBQ marinade for chicken drumsticks, they’re ready to be cooked. So go ahead and delight your guests with tasty BBQ chicken drumsticks.

Get the perfect BBQ marinade for chicken drumsticks

By marinating your chicken drumsticks right, you can give your guests a treat they’ll never forget! Birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions—drumsticks are a great choice for any kind of social gathering.

But before you go about marinating your drumsticks, don’t forget to choose a good BBQ marinade!