These sticky honey soy chicken drumsticks are the perfect kid-friendly snack!

Matt Jenner

Contributing Writer

Chicken drumsticks are the perfect meal for toddlers and young children. In this version, we bake the chicken in a sweet, sticky and savory Asian-influenced marinade to create an irresistible flavor that both kids and adults will love. It's also a delicious way to get a Chinese food "fix" without having to leave the house.

This recipe uses a range of traditional Asian ingredients such as soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine, and adds other familiar flavors such as garlic and honey to create a marinade that would work well on nearly any kind of protein. These drumsticks are sure to go fast, so you may want to prepare at least two drumsticks per person. Make these drumsticks a meal by serving them with fresh-steamed white rice or vegetables and a small green salad.

Cooktop Cove

Sticky Honey Soy Chicken Drumsticks

4 to 6

40 minutes

25 minutes

65 minutes

2 pounds chicken legs (drumsticks), cleaned

3 sprigs green onions, thinly sliced

For the marinade:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons rice wine (mirin)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, divided

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Freshly ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients until well-blended, leaving behind 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds. Set the remaining sesame seeds aside.

Add the chicken to a large plastic zip-top bag, and pour the marinade in the bag over the chicken.

Seal the bag tightly, and toss and massage the chicken inside until all sides of the meat have been coated.

Place the bag in the refrigerator, and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.

When ready to cook, heat the oven to 450 F, and grease a large sheet pan with oil or nonstick cooking spray. For even easier clean-up, cover the sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Remove the drumsticks from the bag, and arrange them in a single layer on the sheet pan.

Pour the remaining marinade over the drumsticks.

Place the sheet pan in the oven, and bake until the marinade is dark and sticky, and the chicken is fully cooked through, about 25 minutes. Turn the pan halfway while baking to ensure the chicken cooks evenly.

When cooked, remove the drumsticks from the oven, and place them on a large serving tray.

Sprinkle sliced green onions over the drumsticks, and garnish with the remaining sesame seeds.

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