Sweet and Sticky Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Marinate Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 45 minutes
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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!

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!

Ingredients arranged in bowls for baked chicken drumsticks recipe, from top to bottom: chicken drumsticks, honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, pepper, fresh herbs and sesame seeds.

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!
Two baked chicken drumsticks on a white serving plate topped with fresh herbs and sesame seeds with celery stalks on the side.

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 400ยฐF 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 175ยฐF.
  • Serve and Enjoy: Coat the drumsticks one last time with any remaining sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and parsley and serve immediately!
Sticky Asian baked drumsticks being topped with sesame seeds and fresh herbs on a cutting board lined with parchment paper.

Chef’s Tips and Variations

  • Doneness: I highly recommend an instant read meat thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 165ยฐF for any cut of poultry for safety, but for dark meat aim for 175ยฐF.
  • 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.
Juicy and tender baked chicken drumsticks in a sweet and sticky asian glaze on parchment paper.

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:

Sweet and sticky chicken drumsticks baked in a flavorful asian glaze stacked on a plate.
Sweet and sticky chicken drumsticks baked in a flavorful asian glaze stacked on a plate.
4.5 from 96 votes
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Yield: 6 Drumsticks

Sweet & Sticky Baked Chicken Drumsticks

⭐️Test Kitchen Approved!⭐️
Sticky chicken drumsticks are baked until oh-so-tender and juicy in an Asian-inspired sweet and savory glaze! They truly are the *best* baked chicken drumsticks!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Marinate Time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • ยผ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ยผ cup honey
  • ยผ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • ยฝ 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 400ยฐF. 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 165ยฐF is reached.
  • Coat the drumsticks one last time, with any remaining sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and parsley. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Store: Store cooled drumsticks in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Reheat on a baking tray sprayed with non-stick cooking spray at 400ยฐF. Bake until warmed through about 10 to 15 minutes. Check often to ensure chicken glaze doesnโ€™t burn.
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.
Chicken: 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.
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.
ย 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 drumstick, Calories: 263kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 116mg, Sodium: 269mg, Sugar: 21g

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Are you using full-sized drum sticks, or the โ€œdrummetteโ€ 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! Iโ€™m eager to try it out!

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

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?

Why only 160ยฐ when this is dark meat ?

I would love to make these with chicken wings. Any idea time and temp? The drumsticks were delicious.

5 stars
Love this recipe. Easy and yummy!ย 

5 stars
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 ideaโ€ฆ chicken legs and thighs are ALWAYS on sale and Iโ€™m always looking for recipes that help with the weekly budget! Weโ€™re entertaining for a football party this weekend so Iโ€™m going to make theseโ€ฆ winningโ€ฆ 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.

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 ?

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?

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 ?

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Jessica
For the past 15 years, Jorge & Jessica have loved getting to share their families' favorite recipes with all of you. They live in Florida with their 3 kids.