These sweet & sticky baked chicken drumsticks are the perfect appetizer or easy dinner! Tender chicken legs are coated in a sticky, addictive glaze packed with Asian flavors and baked until juicy. These are the BEST baked drumsticks!
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Test Kitchen Review
Why I Love These Sticky Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Whether it’s Superbowl Sunday or just a weeknight at home with family, I LOVE making these drumsticks! They’re the best combination of sweet and sticky with tender meat that’s perfect for sinking your teeth into. When I first made a big batch of these drumsticks for game day a few years ago, I was pretty amazed at how quickly they flew off the plate. I didn’t have any leftovers, so I knew they were a hit! Here’s what makes them so amazing:
- Easy: Whisk together the Asian inspired sauce, let your chicken marinate and then bake until they are perfectly sticky and tender. While not a “quick” recipe, this sticky chicken recipe is so easy!
- Flavorful: Juicy drumsticks are baked in a sweet and sticky sauce flavored with soy sauce, ginger, balsamic vinegar, a little brown sugar and honey. So good, you won’t be able to resist seconds!
- Easy Freezer Meal: I always make a double batch and freeze the chicken in the marinade for a super easy dinner another day.
- Versatile: Serve these drumsticks as a meaty appetizer, brunch pairing or a simple dinner, they are perfect with just about any time!
If you love a good chicken dinner, be sure to check out my best oven baked chicken recipe! For a quick and easy poultry fix, enjoy this garlic brown sugar chicken or sticky chicken tenders!
Key Ingredients
With a few simple ingredients, most of which you will find in your pantry or spice rack, you will be marinating your drumsticks in no time. Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this baked chicken drumstick recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Chicken Drumsticks: You can also use chicken legs, wings or even breasts. I recommend using skin-on chicken as it holds onto the sauce the best. Adjusting the cooking time as necessary.
- Balsamic Vinegar: This adds a great depth of flavor to the marinade, do not substitute it!
- Brown Sugar: You can swap this for additional honey if you prefer, but I like the balance of both.
- Garlic: I highly recommend using fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor, jarred garlic will not be as pungent.
- Ginger: Freshly minced ginger adds a little bite and Asian flavor.
- Spice: Originally I used freshly cracked black pepper, but in the years since I have used crushed red pepper flakes or Sriracha hot sauce. Any of these options will work great!
How to Make Sticky Chicken Drumsticks
These chicken drumsticks with crispy skin and a sweet and sticky glaze are a super low-maintenance recipe. They are ready in just three simple steps: whisk, marinate and bake! Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and to watch the step-by-step video.
- Marinate: Whisk together the sauce and add the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Give the bag a shake whenever you think about it.
- Bake: Place a baking rack over a baking sheet lined with foil. Remove the chicken, reserving the marinade, and place drumsticks on the rack. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes.
- Thicken Sauce: Place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a full, rolling boil for about a minute. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook until thickened.
- Glaze: Remove the drumsticks from the oven and coat with the thickened marinade, using a silicone pastry brush. Bake for 10 more minutes. Coat the chicken once again and cook for 5 minutes more, until they reach an internal temperature of 175°F.
- Serve and Enjoy: Coat the drumsticks one last time with any remaining sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and parsley and serve immediately!
Chef’s Tips and Variations
- Doneness: I highly recommend an instant read meat thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 165°F for any cut of poultry for safety, but for dark meat aim for 175°F.
- Wire Rack: I highly recommend lining your baking sheet with a wire rack to keep the chicken elevated from any excess sauce. This creates a crispier baked chicken drumstick, all the way around.
- Less Dishes: No wire rack? Not a problem! Spray the baking tray generously with non-stick cooking spray. This ensures easily removable, super sticky drumsticks.
- Easy Freezer Meal: These baked chicken drumsticks make a great freezer dinner! Add the chicken to the marinade in a freezer safe zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as directed.
What To Serve With Baked Chicken Drumsticks
When serving these sweet and sticky baked chicken drumsticks as a dinner, you may need a perfect pairing. Here are some tasty side dish ideas:
- Starch: Crispy air fryer potato wedges are a good idea, but my favorite pairing for dinner would be this cilantro lime rice.
- Salad: This refreshing mango slaw is always a hit, but this light cucumber tomato salad would also be great.
- Vegetables: Add your favorite vegetable to the oven rack while baking the chicken, or try this air fryer asian roasted broccoli for the perfect side.
Sweet & Sticky Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes or sriracha
- 6 chicken drumsticks, about 1.25 pounds
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted
- a few pinches chopped fresh parsley, or cilantro
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Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and cracked black pepper. Pour into a large ziplock bag and add chicken drumsticks. Shake to coat chicken and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight, giving the bag a shake whenever you think about it.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a cooking rack on top.
- Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade, and place the drumsticks on the rack. Bake the drumsticks, on the middle oven rack, for 25 minutes.
- While the chicken is baking, place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring as needed, for about 15 minutes or until thickened.
- Remove drumsticks from oven (after first 25 minutes of cooking) and heavily coat with the thickened marinade, using a silicone pastry brush. Return to the oven and cook for 10 more minutes.
- Coat the drumsticks again and return to oven to cook for 5 more minutes, or until an internal temperate of 165°F is reached.
- Coat the drumsticks one last time, with any remaining sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and parsley. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Are you using full-sized drum sticks, or the “drummette” half of a chicken wing? In one of your photos the chicken drumstick looks bite size. Also, have you used this marinade/technique on chicken wings, and if so how would you adjust the cook time?
Just curious! I’m eager to try it out!
Hi Krissy! These are full sized drumsticks, not the part of the chicken wing. And yes, it’s great on chicken wings as well! If you are doing them in the oven, 425°F flipping them ever 20 minutes until they are cooked through and reach an internal temp of 165°F.
Chicken Drumsticks: Chicken legs will probably work too Legs ARE drumsmticks hehe
Can this recipe work for a whole chicken that has been dismantled? I like to buy whole chicken and I’m wondering if I can just convert the recipe by adjusting the weight
Sure you could use it as a marinade for a whole chicken if you like!
I love this recipe and so does my family! Drumsticks are often pretty cheap in bulk but I never know what to do with that many. I double or triple the recpienand throw it in a bag in the freezer as meal prep. This is one of the tastiest freezer meals you can make!
What can be use as I can’t get balsamic vinegar?
You can use 1 tablespoon cider or red wine vinegar plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar to substitute for 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar! Hope this helps!
Why only 160° when this is dark meat ?
I would love to make these with chicken wings. Any idea time and temp? The drumsticks were delicious.
Hi Pam! Glad you enjoyed them!
For wings – Place the wings in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 35-45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Oof. 165°F. Thank you for catching that typo, I will update it now!
Love this recipe. Easy and yummy!
i love it
The whole family loved these. I cooked them exactly as written other then I separated, the sauce so that it did not come directly from the chicken when it was raw. They were not really crispy, but they were spectacular and I plan to make them many more times.
Five star recipe!
I love this idea… chicken legs and thighs are ALWAYS on sale and I’m always looking for recipes that help with the weekly budget! We’re entertaining for a football party this weekend so I’m going to make these… winning… both reasonably priced and full, of yummy flavors!
Hi my husband is can’t have honey is there anything I can replace the honey with
Wow! Jessica this looks delicious, I’m going to suprise my husband this weekend. I am sure he will love it too.
This is a winner! I doubled the marinade ingredients because I was preparing double the amount of drumsticks. So delicious! I’m looking forward to using this recipe on wings and meatballs.
So glad you liked it! I have to try it on meatballs – good idea!
Made these and we all enjoyed them. So good!
Oh my goodness here I was thinking I was the only one that didn’t eat meat off the bone, yet hubby loves it. Great idea about cooking a chicken breast for yourself. This recipe has made my man a happy fellow indeed. Thanks for sharing!!
Could I use thighs with skin on but boneless ?
You can use any piece of chicken you would like – it works on all of them!
I pinned this recipe TWO YEARS ago, and just got around to making it tonight! It was worth the wait! Scrumptious! Nice and sticky and sweet, just as the title says. I have no idea why others said the sauce didn’t thicken– mine was perfect. Will make again, and often.
I have chicken breasts marinating in this marinade tonight for dinner tomorrow. My question is, what did you serve as a side dish?
Usually I serve these as an appetizer, but when I am serving them as a main meal I like to serve them with rice and a veggie.
Is there a minimum marinading time vs. overnight? I don’t wanna wait that long :p lol
Great recipe! I reviewed it on my blog. Check it out at http://anneopinion.com/2014/10/sweet-sticky-baked-chicken-drumsticks.html Thanks!
ive made this recipe twice, both times DELISH! My only problem is the sauce takes some time to thicken. What am I doing wrong, i’m following instructions, and it still takes 20+ mins to get thick…should that be ?