HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS
on Mar 31, 2025
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An easy, no-brainer recipe for all of your game day or hosting needs! These baked drumsticks are perfectly tender and beautifully crispy.
Let’s tackle this debate… Are you on team wing or team drumstick? While I’m a fan of both, sometimes I just don’t want to battle with the wing to get a tiny bit of chicken.
When I’m looking to get more bang for my buck, I opt for chicken drumsticks. One bite of these Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks and you’ll know exactly what I mean!
The sticky, sweet tamari and honey marinade bakes into the chicken. The result is a fall-apart-in-your-mouth tender piece of chicken!
You’d think the longer the chicken sits in the marinade the better, but honestly, I didn’t notice much of a difference between overnight and just an hour. This makes it a great choice for those last-minute friends you want to invite over to watch the game.
Regardless of when you make them, I know you’ll love this recipe! Adjust the spiciness to your taste buds—add more or less sriracha—and be sure to let me know what you think on Instagram, @olivia.adriance. Cheers!
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Ingredients for Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks
This marinade will be on repeat! Thanks to the optional addition of sriracha, it’s sweet and slightly spicy. It would work well on any cut of chicken, but I love it, especially for chicken drumsticks. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Honey: A key ingredient to sweet and sticky drumsticks!
- Avocado Oil: This creates a really crispy exterior in the oven. Olive oil could also work, but use avocado oil if you have it.
- Tamari: You can substitute regular soy sauce if you aren’t gluten-free. Coconut aminos could also work, but you may want to reduce the honey a tad as this ingredient is much sweeter than tamari.
Pin this recipe for later!
Pin It- Garlic: When baked, garlic becomes sweet and tender.
- Ginger: Grating the ginger ensures that every bite has a bit of a punch.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This helps tenderize the meat, making each drumstick incredibly juicy which we love!
- Sriracha: If you like a hot drumstick, add some sriracha! If you’re serving this to kids or those who prefer something less spicy, feel free to leave it out.
- Garlic Powder: Adding garlic powder as well as fresh garlic creates a more complex, lingering garlic flavor.
- Black Pepper: This infuses into the meat as it marinates. Because tamari is already pretty salty, I don’t add any salt to the marinade.
- Chicken Drumsticks: During football season, I always have a pack of drumsticks in the freezer— you never know when you’ll want to whip up a quick tailgate snack!
How to Make Honey Garlic Baked Chicken Drumsticks
First, make the marinade by adding the honey, avocado oil, tamari, garlic, ginger, vinegar, sriracha, garlic powder, and black pepper to a glass measuring cup or small bowl and stir to combine.
Add the chicken drumsticks to a gallon-sized plastic bag and pour the marinade over the top, massaging it into the chicken until it’s evenly coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or up to overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Line a sheet pan with tin foil or parchment paper and place a wire rack on top of the baking sheet. Note that you can skip that step if you don’t have a wire rack that fits on your baking sheet. If you have a wire rack, I recommend using it because it creates a more crispy exterior.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it on the wire rack, reserving the marinade. Bake the chicken for 30 minutes.
While the chicken cooks, add the marinade to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until thickened.
Remove the chicken from the oven. Baste the chicken with the marinade and return to the oven. Bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, serve with any remaining sauce, and enjoy!
Other Saucy Chicken Recipes:
- Crispy Gluten-Free Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Saucy Soy-Free Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- Sheet Pan Honey Baked Garlic Chicken Thighs
HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS
Ingredients
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- ¼ cup tamari
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sriracha (optional)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 ½ – 3 pounsd chicken drumsticks
Instructions
- Make the marinade by adding the honey, avocado oil, tamari, garlic, ginger, vinegar, sriracha, garlic powder, and black pepper to a glass measuring cup or small bowl and stirring to combine.
- Add the chicken to a gallon-sized plastic bag and pour the marinade over the top, massaging it into the chicken until it’s evenly coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for an hour or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a sheet pan with tin foil or parchment paper and place a wire rack on top of the baking sheet. Note: You can skip that step if you don’t have a wire rack that fits on your baking sheet. It is preferable as it creates a more crispy drumstick.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it on the wire rack, reserving the marinade. Bake the chicken for 30 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, add the marinade to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to slow boil for 15 minutes until thickened.
- Remove the chicken from the oven. Baste the chicken with the marinade and return to the oven. Bake for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, serve with any remaining sauce, and enjoy!
These were 10/10. I did add about a teaspoon of arrowroot starch to the marinade once it was on the stove to thicken. Thanks for the recipe!!!!
Thank you so much, Haven! So glad you loved these.
can these be made ahead of time and kept warm in a crockpot?
Absolutely!