Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 6 chicken drumsticks
Glaze
- 60 ml sriracha sauce
- 80 g honey
- 30 ml soy sauce
- 15 ml rice vinegar
- 3 garlic, minced
- 10 g ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 10 ml toasted sesame oil
Garnish
- 5 g sesame seeds, toasted
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 272 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbohydrates
- 15 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 12 g
- Sodium
- 631 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 3 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 127 mg
- Potassium
- 329 mg
- Calcium
- 30 mg
- Iron
- 1.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 30 mg
- Phosphorus
- 204 mg
- Zinc
- 2.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 35 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 7 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 7 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.6 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.14 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.34 mg
- Niacin
- 6.5 mg
- Folate
- 11 mcg
- Water
- 117 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil to catch drippings and set a wire rack on top. Lightly grease the wire rack to prevent sticking.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sriracha sauce, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced garlic, grated ginger, and toasted sesame oil until the honey is fully dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
Pat the chicken drumsticks completely dry with paper towels to ensure the skin crisps. Place them in a large bowl, pour half of the prepared glaze over them, and toss until evenly coated. Reserve the remaining glaze for basting. Thoroughly wash your hands and any surfaces that came into contact with the raw chicken to prevent cross-contamination.
Arrange the coated drumsticks on the prepared wire rack, making sure they do not touch each other. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Using a basting brush, generously coat each drumstick with the reserved glaze. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat (avoiding the bone) registers an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F.
To deeply caramelize the sticky sauce, adjust your oven setting to broil. Broil the drumsticks for 2 to 3 minutes, watching them continuously as the high sugar content in the honey can easily burn.
Remove the chicken from the oven and let the drumsticks rest on the rack for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish evenly with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Chef's Notes
- Elevating the drumsticks on a wire rack allows hot air to circulate 360 degrees around the meat, preventing the underside from becoming soggy and ensuring an even caramelization.
- For deeper flavor penetration, you can marinate the drumsticks in the first half of the glaze for up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Just be sure to wipe off excess marinade before the initial bake so it doesn't scorch.
- If your sriracha is particularly fiery, you can tame the heat by adding an additional 20g of honey and a splash of orange juice to the glaze.
- Avoid touching the bone when checking the internal temperature with your meat thermometer, as bones conduct heat differently than meat and will give an inaccurately high reading.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container once fully cooled.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze in a single layer before transferring to a freezer bag. Garnish after reheating.
Reheating: Reheat uncovered in a 175°C oven for 15 minutes or until warmed through to restore the sticky texture.
Troubleshooting
The glaze is burning before the chicken is cooked through.
Cause: The oven runs hot, or the sugar in the honey is reacting to radiant heat from being too high in the oven.
Fix: Loosely tent the drumsticks with a sheet of aluminum foil for the remainder of the cooking time to deflect direct heat.
Prevention: Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and verify your oven temperature with an independent thermometer.
The glaze is thin and watery on the finished chicken.
Cause: The chicken was not dried properly before coating, causing it to release excess moisture into the sauce.
Fix: Transfer any drippings to a small saucepan and simmer until reduced to a syrup, then brush back onto the cooked chicken.
Prevention: Thoroughly pat the raw chicken completely dry with paper towels before tossing in the sauce.
Cultural Context
This dish bridges classic American barbecue baking techniques with beloved Southeast Asian flavor profiles. Sriracha, originally hailing from the coastal city of Si Racha in Thailand, pairs beautifully with honey and aromatics to create a dynamic glaze that balances sweet, salty, sour, and intensely spicy notes in every bite.
