BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
Drumsticks are the cheapest cut of chicken on the shelf and the most forgiving to cook, which makes this a $1.70-a-serving dinner that tastes like a cookout. The method is a two-stage bake: 25 minutes plain with smoked paprika and oil, then brushed with BBQ sauce and finished until the glaze goes sticky and dark at the edges. Baking them half-done before the sauce goes on is what keeps the sugar from burning, which is the mistake most oven BBQ chicken makes. Forty-five minutes, one sheet pan, about $6.78 for four. Serve with coleslaw or corn, and expect the pan to be fought over.
45 min
4
$6.78
$1.70
Ingredients
Estimated Aldi prices for the amount this dinner uses, based on regular shelf prices and the current weekly ad.
Steps
- 1Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pat the drumsticks dry and toss with olive oil, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- 2Arrange on a foil-lined sheet pan and bake 25 minutes.
- 3Remove and brush generously with BBQ sauce on all sides.
- 4Return to the oven and bake 15 more minutes, brushing once more halfway, until sticky and glazed.
- 5The chicken is done when it reaches 165°F and the sauce is caramelized.
- 6Garnish with cilantro and serve with coleslaw or corn.
Tips & swaps
- Thighs or wings work with the same timing — check for 165°F at the bone.
- A teaspoon of smoked paprika in the rub does most of the work of a grill.
- Two minutes under the broiler gives charred edges; watch it closely.
- Leftover drumsticks are excellent cold, which makes them an easy lunchbox item.
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Put BBQ Chicken Drumsticks into your week
Add it to a plan built around this week's Aldi deals, or browse all 50 cheap dinner ideas and pick the rest of the week yourself.
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