Baked honey soy chicken drumsticks, a spicy recipe easy to make and thoroughly delicious. Just a few ingredients but so much flavor!
Who doesn't love a good and easy chicken recipe? Well, unless you're vegan or vegetarian, you will have no reason to complain about these honey-soy chicken drumsticks.
I do love chicken, and I have been cooking it in countless ways over the years. Have a look at these cast-iron breasts, these peri peri legs, or the Slow Cooker Chicken Legs, for instance. Learn How to Cook Chicken Drumsticks on the Stove, or make Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Drumsticks (Chicken Legs), Spicy Curry Drumsticks (in the Oven), or Baked Chicken Drumsticks.
Roasting drumsticks is so easy. They are easy to handle, there is no cutting, deboning, or chopping involved, they only need a short time in the oven, and they are so amazingly versatile; there is so much you can do with them.
There are endless marinade variations; you can add a bit more of this or that, whatever you happen to have and to like; you can make them sweet or sour, spicy or salty, really whatever you like. Just using salt, pepper, and some ground paprika powder will still make sure that dinner will be delicious anytime.
Honey soy sauce marinade
All you need are a few cheap and tasty ingredients:
- Honey
- Soy sauce
- Hot chili paste: I've already used Sriracha, Gochujang paste, or simple hot chili sauce from a bottle.
- Sweet paprika powder
- Hot paprika powder
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
How to marinate the drumsticks?
- Mix all the ingredients used for the marinade in a small bowl.
- Place the meat in a Ziploc bag.
- You don't have to wash the poultry before cooking. Some people do, but it is absolutely unnecessary. Any bacteria will be destroyed during the cooking process, and any bacteria found on the bird will just spread in your sink if you wash it. For more information on that, see How to Roast a Whole Chicken in the Oven.
- Add the marinade to the bag, close the bag and rub the marinade into the legs.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours. I would leave them for at least 2 hours in the fridge, but you could also leave them overnight or prepare them in the morning and bake them in the evening.
How to bake?
- When ready to bake, take the honey soy drumsticks out of the fridge and let them stand for about 20-30 minutes at room temperature.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven. Place the marinated parts on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for about 30-35 minutes, turning after half the time or until they are cooked through.
- To check that, stick a toothpick or skewer in the thickest part of the leg; the juices should run clear.
- If the juices are still pink, place them back in the oven and check again after about 5 minutes.
How to serve?
My favorite side dish for any kind of roasted chicken is potatoes - Oven-Roasted Potato Wedges or Cornmeal Potatoes. Or try the Cast-Iron Skillet Potatoes. And a green salad with Yogurt Dressing. However, crusty bread makes a great accompaniment as well.
I love some roasted broccoli on the side, Green Beans with Garlic Sauce, or a Simple Cabbage Salad when it comes to vegetables.
More drumsticks recipes:
Honey Soy Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons hot chili paste to taste (Note)
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Place honey, soy sauce, chili paste, both sorts of paprika powder, and lemon juice into a small bowl. Whisk well.
- Place the chicken drumsticks into a Ziploc bag. Add the marinade, close the bag, and rub the chicken drumsticks with the marinade. Place the bag in a bowl, the bowl in the fridge, and let the chicken drumsticks marinade for 2-4 hours (up to 8 hours).
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before cooking. In the meantime preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit (fan oven 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the chicken drumsticks on the baking tray.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through. To check that the chicken drumsticks are cooked through, stick a toothpick or skewer in the thickest part of a roasted drumstick. The juices should run clear. If the juices are still pink, return to the oven and check again after about 5 minutes. Serve as suggested above.
angiesrecipes says
Very flavourful and delicious...love that marinade!