Sticky and sweet, these Honey Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks will be a meal that the whole family will devour! They are a budget friendly dinner that really brings the flavor.
For more chicken favorites, try this Honey Soy Chicken or this Chicken and Rice.
Every time I make chicken drumsticks, I think to myself – “why don’t I do this more often?”
They are affordable, they are easy to cook, and the whole family loves them. I definitely need to be making them more of a regular occurrence!
These Honey Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks were originally posted as part of a review for the cookbook 400 Calories or Less with Our Best Bites. We loved this recipe back when I first posted it in 2015, and we still love it today!
I’ve made a few small changes over the years, but this has become one of those meals my family will always eat. Serve it up with some rice and and a veggie, and dinner is a cinch!
Ingredients
- Chicken Drumsticks: These should be fairly easy to find at your grocery store. Usually one of the bigger packages is around 5 pounds of drumsticks.
- Spices: For the spices, you need onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Oil: I like to use avocado oil, but olive oil will work as well. You’ll use some of the oil on the chicken, which will help the spices stick, and the rest of the oil will be used to brown the chicken.
- Honey: When making the sauce, I will usually heat up the honey just a bit so that it stirs in easier.
- Vinegar: You will want balsamic vinegar for this recipe. You could swap it out for another vinegar, but you wouldn’t get that balsamic flavor anymore.
- Ketchup: This helps to bring the sauce together and adds another layer of flavor.
- Garlic: This may seem like a lot of garlic, but it’s important for flavor. I like to use freshly minced garlic.
- Cornstarch: The original recipe that I posted here did not have the cornstarch, but I wanted to thicken up the sauce a bit more. Feel free to leave it out, if desired.
How to Make Honey Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks
STEP 1: I like to take the skin off of the drumsticks. You can leave it on, but I prefer the texture and I like to save a few calories. I find this is easiest using a paper towel. Take the drumstick in one hand, and using the paper towel, pull the skin right off. You shouldn’t even need a knife.
STEP 2: Rub half of the oil over the chicken, then season with the onion powder, salt, paprika, and pepper.
STEP 3: In a bowl, whisk together the honey, vinegar, ketchup, water, and garlic. Set this aside.
STEP 4: Heat the remaining oil in a Dutch oven. Working in batch, brown the chicken. Once it is browned, add all of the chicken back into the Dutch oven and pour the sauce over. Stir to coat. Then bake the chicken for 20 minutes, remove and rotate the chicken, then bake an additional 20 minutes.
STEP 5: Remove the chicken to a foil lined baking sheet. Place the pot with the sauce over high heat and bring to a boil. Combine a few tablespoons of the sauce with the cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir this into the sauce. Once the sauce is thickened, take each of the drumsticks and coat in the sauce, then return them to the baking sheet.
STEP 6: Place the chicken under the broil to char the outside. You can then brush the remaining sauce over the top, or serve it on the side.
Tips and Tricks
I have only ever tried this recipe with drumsticks, but I would think it would work on any bone in chicken. I would just adjust cook time depending on what cut you use.
You can skip the broiling step a the end, but I think it brings in an extra layer of flavor, along with making sure the sauce is nice and thick and sticky. It makes for a messy dinner, but it’s totally worth it!
Don’t forget to rotate the chicken halfway through the bake time. Since you are cooking so much chicken, you will want to make sure the chicken was at the top gets moved to the bottom, and the bottom gets moved to the top for even cooking.
More Chicken Drumstick Recipes
Crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Slow Cooker Sweet Chili Chicken Drumsticks
Hoisin Glazed Chicken
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Honey Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 5 lbs chicken drumsticks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil divided
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup water
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Pat the chicken dry, and using a paper towel, pull the skin from the drumsticks.5 lbs chicken drumsticks
- Combine the onion powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. Drizzle the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the oil, then season the chicken with the spice mixture.1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, 1 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- In a bowl, mix together the honey, vinegar, ketchup, water, and garlic.1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup water, 8 cloves garlic
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the remaining oil, and working in batches, brown the chicken.1 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- Once all of the chicken is browned, add it all back into the Dutch oven, and pour the sauce over. Toss the chicken in the sauce to coat. Place the lid on the pan, and transfer to the oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the chicken, basting with the sauce. Cover and cook another 20 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and turn the oven to broil. Remove the chicken from the pan place on a foil lined baking sheet.
- Add a few tablespoons of the sauce to a small bowl and whisk in the cornstarch.1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Place the Dutch oven over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture. Boil until the sauce has reduced and is thick. Add the chicken back into the dutch oven, gently stirring to coat the chicken in the sauce.
- Transfer the chicken back to the baking sheet. Place the chicken under the broiler until it is lightly charred, just a minute or two.
- Brush with any leftover sauce before serving.
Kelsey says
Followed the recipe to the T… you did not lie. These were awesome. Thank you for sharing!
Deborah says
Awesome – so glad you enjoyed them!
Caroline says
I have made this recipe twice and it has never failed me; Thank you for sharing (I made used my chicken with the skin)!
Deborah says
I’m so glad that it has worked well for you!
Caroline says
Perfection is what this recipe is. i just made this and i’m trying hard not to lick off the pan! Thank you so very much!
Catalina says
Do I leave the skin on when I cook the drumsticks?
Helen says
Recipe exactly as is got 8 thumbs up in our house! Rarely do you find a recipe that is just right but this one is. I used precut, jarred minced garlic. All perfect.
Julia says
One of my favourite recipes. Really tasty, and my daughter (picky eater) likes it too.
Catherine says
Dear Deborah, sounds like such a wonderful book! Definitely one I must look into. Your chicken looks absolutely wonderful. xo, Catherine
Julie @ Table for Two says
Haha, this is so funny – I ended up choosing these to make because I LOVE drumsticks. Great minds 🙂 yours looks amazing! They tasted so freaking good!!
Deborah says
It just means that we both have great taste!! They were awesome!
Eva Jo Mitchell says
Yep, this cookbook is on my wish list. Thanks for sharing.
Joanne says
I could totally see my hubby going gaga for these!! Love that glaze.
Chels R. says
This looks like a cookbook I’m going to need to buy. I love drumsticks too! They just scream summer to me.
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
I totally need to get my hands on that book! 400 calories or less to AH-MAY-ZING meals like these drumsticks? Sign me up!
I think my hubby would have totally picked these too…they look so crunchy, sweet and perfect! Pinned!