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Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks

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Honey garlic chicken drumsticks are a little sweet with lots of big savory flavors as well. They cook in a flavorful sauce that helps to caramelize the skin and makes them finger licking good.

Small tray with baked honey garlic chicken legs served with mashed potatoes and a bowl of green beans, ready for dinner.

These baked chicken drumsticks have just a bit of heat, a bit of sweet, and lots of savory goodness. They cook in a fabulous sauce that is also great drizzled over potatoes or rice.

We have really been loving honey garlic type recipes lately. Honey sesame chicken has always been a favorite around here.

But honey garlic roasted pork captured our heart recently and now these drumsticks are part of our dinner rotation. There is just something about the mix of sweet and savory in a sticky sauce that makes our taste buds happy.

Easy Adaptations

Of course you could use chicken breasts or chicken thighs in place of the drumsticks. We just really like it when dinner has a convenient handle to pick it up by!

Plus the dark meat is almost guaranteed to be juicy and has such great flavor. But you can use whichever piece of chicken you like best.

Just adjust the baking time according to the piece of chicken you use. Thin chicken breasts won’t take as long to bake as whole pieces of chicken.

If you want, you can even make this chicken on a pellet grill instead of in the oven. Follow the same directions for a bit of smoky flavor and the benefit of not heating up the house.

As written, this recipe has just a bit of spicy heat from the red pepper flakes. You can easily turn the heat up or down by adding more or less pepper flakes.

What to Serve With Your Chicken

We like serving mashed potatoes or rice with the chicken so there is something to soak up some of the cooking juices. They are too tasty to just throw away.

Roasted green beans are a great vegetable option. Or make some garlic soy green beans in the Instant Pot for another simple green veggie.

If you are making your chicken in the fall, roasted acorn squash would be a fabulous option. Or make some ramen coleslaw or napa salad if you want a cold refreshing side dish.

Check out my full collection of side dish recipes for more tasty inspiration.

Tray with three caramelized honey garlic chicken legs topped with green onions, ready to eat.

Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks

Servings: 10 Chicken Drumsticks
Author: Carlee
Honey garlic chicken drumsticks are a little sweet with lots of big savory flavors as well. They cook in a flavorful sauce that helps to caramelize the skin and makes them finger licking good.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 10 chicken drumsticks
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
  • cup soy sauce
  • 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 Tablespoons honey
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions
 

  • Combined vegetable oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, garlic, pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes in a gallon zipper bag. Gently shake the bag a bit to combine the ingredients.
    1 Tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 Tablespoon sesame oil, ⅓ cup soy sauce, 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 3 Tablespoons honey, 2 Tablespoons minced garlic, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Add the chicken and seal the bag. Roll everything around to coat the chicken in the marinade. Refrigerate for as little as 1 hour, but up to 1 day.
    10 chicken drumsticks
  • Preheat the oven to 375℉.
  • Arrange the chicken in a 9×13-inch baking dish and drizzle the marinade over the chicken.
  • Bake for about 55 minutes or until the chicken registered 165℉ on a meat thermometer.

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days
You can drizzle the cooked juices from the baking dish over top of mashed potatoes or rice for a simple but flavorful side dish.
Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes up or down to get your desired level of spice. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1chicken legCalories: 179kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 14gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 814mgPotassium: 255mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 99IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

“Cooking With Carlee” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man!

Wednesday 28th of August 2024

This sounds really good. I love the flavors, and I'm a huge fan of chicken. Thanks!