Chicken drumsticks often get overlooked but they are such a great option for easy dinners. They’re economical, simple to cook, and honestly pretty hard to mess up! These Honey Balsamic Drumsticks are a favorite in our house. Drumsticks are seared off and baked in a Dutch oven and then smothered in a rich, sticky honey-balsamic glaze that’s absolute perfection served over hot rice. This is one of those meals that you’ll want to put on repeat all year long.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Drumsticks
- Chicken drumsticks – There are different sizes of drumsticks. This recipe is for about 2 – 2 1/2 pounds, and for best results, look for the ones that are about 3-4 inches long and give you 5-6 drumsticks per pound or so. They’re on the smaller side, but not tiny like chicken-wing-size. I don’t really like the giant, meaty ones here. You could also use chicken thighs- bone in and skin on or boneless and skinless. Don’t use boneless skinless breasts or tenderloins. It will hurt my recipe’s feelings. Dark meat only!
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Paprika
- Onion powder
Sauce
- Honey
- Balsamic vinegar
- Ketchup
- Garlic
- Water
How to Make Honey Balsamic Drumsticks
- Rinse your chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. If there is any excess fat hanging off, use a pair of sharp kitchen shears to snip it off, but don’t remove all of the skin. That layer is what holds everything to the bone and they’ll fall apart without it. I trim it down about 1/3 of the way from the top, if it needs trimming.
- Whisk up a quick spice rub of kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder and paprika.
- Give the drumsticks a little drizzle of olive oil and then sprinkle with the spice mix. Use your hands (c’mon, be brave) to rub it all in and coat all of the pieces. While you’re doing this, have a large Dutch oven heating up on the stove.
- Drizzle in a little more oil and place your chicken in to sear for a few minutes on each side.
- While chicken is searing, mix up the quick sauce. The chicken will cook in this sauce and soak up a lot of the flavor, and then we’ll thicken it up for the glaze at the end. Start with a big drizzle of honey, add a splash of balsamic vinegar, a squeeze of ketchup, and several cloves of fresh garlic.
- Whisk it up and pour it over the chicken. Use a rubber spatula, or a good set of tongs, to toss the chicken around in the sauce, making sure each piece gets coated. Place a lid on the pan and pop it in the oven. After a few minutes, flip the chicken and put back in the oven.
- The chicken will cook in that sauce and stay super moist and flavorful. When it’s done, carefully remove the drumsticks (they might be falling off the bone) and cover them with foil to keep warm.
- Put your pan on the stove top and bring that sauce to a simmer. You just want to reduce it to a nice glaze-y consistency. It only takes about 5 minutes and you’ll see it thicken up so you can scrape the bottom of the pan like in the picture below and it almost has the consistency of a thin BBQ sauce.
- Toss that chicken back in and get it all coated in the sweet, sticky glaze. You can put them on a platter and drizzle all of the extra glaze right over the top or serve them right out of the pan. We love it with rice so it can sop up the sauce, but it’s great as a lean meal just over veggies. It’s a terrific week night dinner and nice enough to serve to guests (if they’re the kind of guests that don’t mind getting their hands dirty).
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- If using boneless, skinless chicken thighs, they will cook in about half the time of drumsticks or bone-in thighs.
- If your sauce gets too thick after sitting, simply thin with a little chicken broth or water.
- Have a house of sauce lovers? You’ll want to double the sauce here to make sure you have enough to drizzle over side dishes!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the sauce taste like vinegar?
Nope! Even the pickiest eaters won’t know that’s what’s in there. The sauce is sticky and sweet and the balsamic vinegar provides a slight tang and great depth of flavor.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Sure, but I would recommend using boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you plan on reheating later! Make the recipe all the way through, cool, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to reheat and eat. You may need to add a splash of water or chicken broth the sauce when reheating as well.
What should I serve these drumsticks with?
Our family loves them with hot white rice and a side of steamed, buttered broccoli. They would be delicious with mashed potatoes, brown rice, or even just alongside some mixed veggies for a lighter meal.
Honey Balsamic Drumsticks
These Honey Balsamic Drumsticks are a fantastic quick-and-easy dinner that everyone will love!
Servings drumsticks
Equipment
Ingredients
For the drumsticks
- 2 – 2 ½ lbs chicken drumsticks 10-12 drumsticks
- 3 teaspoons olive oil divided
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Rinse chicken, pat dry. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil, toss to coat. Add seasoning mixture and use hands to massage into all pieces.
- Heat large dutch oven (or heavy oven-proof skillet with an oven proof lid) to medium heat. When hot add 2 teaspoons olive oil and use a brush to make sure it’s distributed over the entire surface of pan. Brown chicken 2 minutes per side (in batches if necessary.)
- While chicken is searing, whisk sauce ingredients together and add to pan. Gently toss chicken to coat. Cover pan and bake for 20 minutes, flip chicken pieces and baste with sauce and return to oven for 20 minutes more. Remove chicken from pot and cover to keep warm.
- Bring sauce to a boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes until thick and glaz-y. Return chicken to pan and gently toss in glaze. Let sit for a few minutes before serving, so glaze will thicken and chicken won’t burn your mouth!
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- If using boneless, skinless chicken thighs, they will cook in about half the time of drumsticks or bone-in thighs.
- If your sauce gets too thick after sitting, simply thin with a little chicken broth or water.
- Have a house of sauce lovers? You’ll want to double the sauce here to make sure you have enough to drizzle over side dishes!
Nutrition
Serving: 1drumstick, Calories: 153kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 224mg, Potassium: 193mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 100IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 153kcal
Cost: $12
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
Questions & Reviews
I need these in my life, right about now! So I’m having a baby soon and feeding the freezer with freezer meals, but I’m a newbie. How would these work in the freezer, and how far would I prepare a batch before freezing it?
Stacy, I’ve never done these as a freezer meal, but I might just make the whole thing start to finish, let them cool, and then freeze them in a bag with the sauce. Then you could probably just pop the whole frozen clump in a covered baking pan, or your slow cooker, and re-heat to eat them up. Let me know how it works, if you try it, and congrats on the pregnancy! I’m expecting too- jealous you’re toward the end!
You’re expecting?!?! Congrats, Sara!!!
I made these for dinner last night and they were delicious!!!! Very easy. I even have leftovers for lunch today…..lucky me!!!!
I was so excited that I already had all of the ingredients for these at home! I made them today and we LOVED them! You were right, the chicken was so moist it was practically falling off the bone. Loved the little extra sauce over rice, too.
This sounds soooo good. I love drumsticks and so do all of my kids!
What is the philosophy behind rinsing the chicken?
I always rinse my meat. Drumbsticks and thighs in particular tend to have a sticky (sometimes stinky) residue straight out of the package. Rinsing removes that, and also preps them well for their drizzle of oil and sprinkle of seasoning.
Praise the Lord I was hoping you would have a great dinner idea today!
You had me at balsamic
I don’t have a dutch oven, and it seems like a good one is pretty pricey. What size would you recommend getting that would be the most versatile? Do you think the ceramic glazed ones are the way to go?
This looks delicious, btw 🙂 I might just pop it in the slow cooker!
Honestly, you can find great quality ones for $50-$75 (which I know, is still pricey, but really reasonable compared to the name-brand ones.) Check Amazon, or Costco- I’ve bought them there before! As for size, I’d go for at least 6 quarts.
my kids fight over the drumstick too – I am def trying this recipe – thanks!!
This glaze looks really yummy and my family loves drumsticks! How did you get char marks on your chicken after just pan searing and baking in a covered pot? Did you broil or grill the chicken at some point?
Oh I was going to mention that! Totally unnecessary (I just think they look prettier, and are more photogenic that way, and I love a little char 😉 So when the sauce was thickening, I just popped them under the broiler for a minute.
Great suggestion! And who doesn’t love char? 🙂