Getting a cold in July is the pits! It’s sunny & warm, and all you want to do is go play outside, but you’re stuck on the couch with a box of tissues. That’s how I’ve spent the past four days. The weather was perfect for grilling this weekend, but even the thought of spending more than five minutes tending to dinner made me tired. Baked chicken is my favorite solution for times like these. Perfect for when I’m too sick to cook or just don’t feel up to fussing over dinner, but I still want to eat something tasty and homemade.
Chop, marinade, bake, eat. That’s it! The amount of active time required for this chicken is less than what it takes to heat up a bowl of chicken noodle soup. To be upfront with you, I didn’t bake this chicken this weekend while sniffly, but rather on a day when I just didn’t have any energy left to plan and prepare a meal. Oh, the life of a grad student studying for quals! However, given that I was able to muster up enough steam to make grilled cheese and spinach sandwiches on Sunday, I could have easily saved myself time by just sticking this chicken in the oven. If the hardest part of a dish is chopping some garlic and ginger, there’s really nothing stopping you from making it.
Rather than my go-to quick lemon pepper chicken, I swapped out the lemon juice with honey soy sauce marinade for a sweet and salty makeover. These drumsticks looked and tasted like they were tossed on the grill, but required way less hassle. When you’re feeling exhausted, this dish gives you the feeling of something that took time and forethought without all the work. Each bite is super moist and so addicting that you won’t be able to keep yourself from licking the sweet and savory glaze off your fingertips.
Honey soy sauce chicken drumsticks
Serves 2-3
- 6 chicken drumsticks
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced (about 1-2 cloves)
- ½ tablespoon ginger, minced
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- Combine the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger in a Ziploc bag. Add the chicken and seal, removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate to marinate for an hour.
- Preheat oven to 425ºF
- Lay chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 160ºF. Every 10 minutes, brush some of the remaining glaze on the drumsticks.
- Turn on the broiler and boil the chicken for 3-5 minutes, until crispy. Top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and serve.
Jolleen The Graffitied Gardenia -
Yum!
Sheri -
I can’t believe you had the energy to even write about this delicious meal! Beautiful!
Sarah Menanix -
Yeah, me neither…it took MUCH longer than usual. Here begins day number 5 of the cold…
chewoutloud -
LOVE honey soy chicken! You’ve got bok choy and shitake, too – mmm, so good :)
Sarah Menanix -
I could eat bok choy and mushrooms all day – one of my favs.
kat -
YUMMM! I love soy sauce and honey! This is going right on my Pinterest! :)
Kayla -
I made this a few weeks ago and they were so delicious! Soy sauce, honey and garlic go together so well – and the ginger adds a super satisfying kick. Next time I’ll probably score the chicken legs so they absorb more even more flavour from the marinade :)
Jane -
Wow! those chicken leggs really looks yummy to me :)
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks! Yummy and simple too!
Courtney -
I have made this recipe several times, all to very very satisfied bellies and plan on making a different take on this for a party soon with wings & mini drumsticks. Hope it turns out just as yummy!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks so much for sharing! I love finding out that people have made my recipes:) I’ll have to try the wings & mini drumsticks idea for my next party!
kathleen -
what recipe did you use to make the bok choy and mushrooms pictured. They look fantastic.
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you! I didn’t use a recipe, but I’m sure I just sautéed it in a pan with some sesame oil, then added a bit of soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds and cooked until heated through. Feel free to add some freshly grated ginger too – that’s what I did the other night for dinner and it was super flavorful!
Emily -
What is the calorie intake of this meet per leg?
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks for reading, Emily, The specific ingredients used in each recipe can vary extensively from one person to the next. If you’re looking for this information, please plug the exact ingredients you use into any of the free online calorie counters, like this one.