The study explored the impact of different vegetable oils, including soybean oil, rice bran oil, and safflower oil, on the generation of free and protein-bound heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in fried chicken drumsticks. All fried samples showed increased pH values, a*-values (the redness), and b*-values (the yellowness), while decreased L*-values (the brightness) and water content than the control sample (P < 0.05). Fried chicken drumsticks contained a total of 10 HAAs, including five types of free HAAs (MeIQ, MeIQx, PhIP, Harman, and Norharman), as well as five types of protein-bound HAAs (4,8-DiMeIQx, 7,8-DiMeIQx, AαC, Harman, and Norharman). Drumsticks prepared with safflower oil exhibited the highest levels of free HAAs (248.23 ng/g) and protein-bound HAAs (116.14 ng/g). In contrast, those fried in rice bran oil showed the lowest levels of free HAAs (172.92 ng/g) and protein-bound HAAs (99.13 ng/g) (P < 0.05). In conclusion, rice bran oil is an appropriate choice for frying chicken drumsticks due to its ability to reduce HAAs, which provides a scientific foundation for the production of fried chicken drumsticks.