Smoked Buffalo Drumsticks (keto + low carb)
These Smoked Drumsticks are smoked until perfectly tender then tossed in a tangy buffalo sauce! Ready in 30 minutes and a major crowd pleaser!
These smoked keto chicken drumsticks are SO easy! I love super quick, simple meals that are devoured in a heartbeat. It is the best of both worlds — hardly any effort, and absolutely no left overs!
Just like with the Smoked Drumsticks with Sriracha and Honey Lime sauce, I grilled these without a thing on them! Just put them straight on the grill! While the meat was cooking I made a really simple tangy buffalo sauce. After they were done, I tossed them in the sauce and that was it.
We had a delicious, albeit slightly messy dinner on our hands! If you are making dinner or snacks for a crowd, you can grill several pounds of drumsticks and make both the Sriracha sauce and this Buffalo sauce to give a couple options without the work of making an entirely different dish.
Ingredients in Keto Smoked Drumsticks
To make these Traeger smoked drumsticks, you’ll need:
- Chicken drumsticks
- Frank’s Original Buffalo Sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Coconut oil
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Low Carb Smoked Chicken Drumsticks
You can actually make the smoked chicken drumsticks on a real smoker or on your grill. This time I grilled them to speed up the process. Here’s how we make them!
First, heat your grill to 375 degrees. Place the plain drumsticks directly on the grill and let cook for 25 minutes, turning once while cooking. Meanwhile, add the sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan and let simmer on medium low while the drumsticks are cooking.
Remove drumsticks from grill and place in a large bowl with a lid. Pour the sauce over the drumsticks, place lid on bowl tightly and shake the bowl to evenly coat the drumsticks. That’s it! A delicious low carb dinner everyone will love!
Can I eat buffalo chicken on keto?
Absolutely! Chicken is a naturally low carb food that is very high in protein, so it’s a great choice for a keto diet. Buffalo sauce is also zero carbs, so the combination is made in heaven for a keto diet!
What to Serve with keto Buffalo Drumsticks
Serve these smoked chicken legs with your favorite grilled vegetables or a side salad. Some of my favorite side dishes for drumsticks are:
- Bacon-Wrapped Cabbage
- Air Fryer Green Bean Fries
- Cold Asparagus Salad
- Sweet Potato Wedges
- Sweet Corn Salad
Tips for Making low carb Smoked Drumsticks
- The sauce works great for chicken wings too. Or if you aren’t a fan of bone-in chicken, you can brush it right over boneless chicken breast!
- I highly recommend using Frank’s Original Buffalo Sauce for this recipe. It delivers the most authentic buffalo flavor.
- This recipe is easily to scale up to serve a crowd. Just double or triple the sauce, and you’ll likely have to cook the drumsticks in batches.
More Easy Chicken Dinners:
- Easy Blackened Chicken
- One-Pan Keto Cheesy Jalapeño Chicken
- Greek Chicken Power Bowls
- Keto Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry
- Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken
- Buffalo Chicken Tenders
Get the Recipe: Smoked Buffalo Drumsticks (keto + low carb)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds drumsticks
- 1/3 Franks Original Buffalo Sauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Heat a grill to 375 degrees F.
- Place the plain drumsticks directly on the grill and let cook for 25 minutes, turning once while cooking.
- Meanwhile, add the sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan and let simmer on medium low while the drumsticks are cooking. You do not want to boil, you just want to heat the mixture so the flavors meld and it thickens a tiny bit.
- Remove drumsticks from grill and place in a large bowl with a lid, pour the sauce over the drumsticks, place lid on bowl tightly and shake the bowl to evenly coat the drumsticks.
- Garnish drumsticks with any additional sauce left in the bowl.
Honestly the marinade on these sounds divine 🙂 I need to try Franks Buffalo Sauce now!! Love it!
Oh you will love it!! It is our favorite!
Wow, these drumsticks look so tasty, Annie! And I’m loving all your chicken recipes, so keep ’em coming! I like the addition of apple cider vinegar and coconut oil in here, too. Sounds like a perfect snack for my husband and I when football (or hockey) is on this weekend!
I love buffalo sauce straight from the jar but adding the vinegar makes it extra tangy and I really think the coconut oil helps it kind of “cling” to the chicken. I think you will love them if you try them!
I can totally be like that too — once I find something I like, it might take some time before I move on. lol. These look amazing though, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t keep sharing chicken drumstick recipes!
Yes Ashley! That is exactly how I am! ha! Variety is not my middle name! 🙂
It would make Shawn’s day if I made him both versions of your drumsticks! He is a chicken drumstick/wing obsessed guy. Especially buffalo flavored.
Oh my goodness, so is Clayton! He would eat them every day if I made them, but bone in chicken can be a little tough for me to take night after night! But this sauce is amazing! We had it on shrimp last night! Omg, so good!
These look and sound so good. My guys would love these and they would be great for Football watching 😀
Absolutely! Just keep some napkins handy! 🙂
Smoked wings?! OMG – yes please. These sound super amazing and perfect for football season.
Thank you Rachel!! Your right! Perfect football food!
My husband would love these! He’s a huge fan of anything with buffalo sauce. Perfect football food!
Definitely!! 🙂
Ha! I seriously just thought “wait, those drumsticks kind of looked different yesterday!” 😀 I can get slightly obsessed with something I love too! These ones look just as delicious as the sriracha version!
Omg Nora I just laughed our loud! I really thought about putting these off another week or two, but I didn’t want to wait so long that it can’t still be considered “grilling weather” haha! 🙂
Gahhh! These drumsticks look so messy and finger-lickin’ good! My FAV. 😀
Thank you Sarah!!
These look delicious, I like the idea of smoked drumsticks! Excellent idea for football season 🙂 I totally understand your obsession, I’m kind of the same way, when I find something I like, I keep experimenting and changing the recipe 🙂
Yes Mira! That is just what I do! Drumsticks are just so cheap and easy to fix! I love finding new ways to prepare them!
I’m a total sucker for drumsticks, wings…basically any kind of messy dinner. Franks buffalo sauce is one of my very favorites and I put it on just about everything – eggs, sandwiches, veggies, etc. I love, love the flavors you’ve got going on in the sauce. I bet we would LOVE it!
Thanks Alyssa!! You put Frank’s on eggs?! I am so intrigued! I am so going to try that!
Yum! This is definitely a dish my family would love! : )
Yay! I love meals that everyone likes, it makes it so much easier!
Yummy football food! We can never have enough!
Yes, Annie! Your so right! 🙂
I need to buy some drumsticks after seeing your recipes this week! These all look so delicious, Annie!
One really good thing is that they are so inexpensive, I bought four pounds (for these recipes) and it was less than $5! You can’t beat that!
I want one of these drumsticks sooo bad right now!
Thank you!!
Yum… this looks incredible! I bet you can even use the marinade on your veggies if you are a vegetarian or just want some extra yummy sides. Eat it with a spoon? Yes, I will!
Yes! Absolutely! I really love the flavors of buffalo sauce on potatoes! 🙂
Yumm!! Buffalo sauce is my fave!! I especially love Franks– good choice! 🙂
Mine too! We love Franks!
Obsessive is the name of the game with blogging 😉 Mmm, buffalo is a treat around here (Not sure why we don’t have it very often but we don’t!) This recipe sounds finger lickin’ good Annie, pinned!
I really am obsessive, we have buffalo something or other like once a week! It is just kind of a “go to” when I can’t think of what else to make!
Haha I love both of the drumstick recipes you shared and so would my husband. He is a total chicken drumsticks/wing lover and would go nuts over how saucy these are! Pinned 🙂
Thanks Kelly!! There were definitely no leftovers! 😉