Soy and Honey Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

Soy and honey glazed chicken drumsticks are finger licking good. They’re easy to make and the whole family will love them!

Tell me, are you all meal planners? Do you sit down on a certain day of the week and plan your meals for the entire week?

I’m kind of a half-hearted meal planner even though I’m pretty much a type A personality. When it comes to meals, for some reason I have a hard time thinking ahead. Maybe you have the same problem. That’s one of the reasons I’ve created free meal plans that are ready to go, including a grocery list.

Here’s how it usually happens. I sit down at the kitchen table. I open my computer to the grocery store ad. I have a sheet of notebook paper folded in half the long way. One side is for my grocery list and one side is for planned meals. On the side for the meals, I write each day of the week, noting activities that will impact dinner.

Long story short, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. For these chicken drumsticks, I saw that drumsticks were on sale so I put them on the list but I didn’t bother looking up or creating a recipe for them.

So yes, I just improvised when it came time to prepare them. I’m super happy with the way they turned out. Soy and honey glazed chicken drumsticks now make a regular appearance at our family meal times.

If you like the idea of honey glazed chicken, be sure to check out baked honey mustard chicken, hot honey chicken sheet pan dinner, and Instant Pot honey sriracha chicken. We also love this honey mustard chicken marinade!

About this Chicken Drumstick Recipe

The chicken drumsticks are sticky, sweet and so flavorful. This recipe makes a lot of sauce so enjoy the drumsticks with white rice or brown rice, oven roasted sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, or air fryer brussels sprouts, so none of the tasty sauce goes to waste.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy flavorful chicken. As always, you’ll find the complete printable recipe at the end of this post. 

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Chicken Drumsticks: I usually purchase about 3 ½ pounds but you can easily add more if you like. There’s plenty of sauce. If you prefer, use chicken thighs or chicken breasts. Wings are good, too.
• Olive Oil
• Soy Sauce: Use reduced sodium soy sauce to cut back on the salt.
• Ketchup: Look for a brand that doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup.
• Honey
• Dark Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar would work fine, too, add a teaspoon or two of molasses, if you want.
• Minced Garlic: A couple of cloves is good but if you like a lot of garlic, go ahead and add more.

How To Make Honey Glazed Drumsticks

This recipe is so simple. Put the drumsticks in a baking pan, stir up the sauce, and pour it over the chicken. Pop it into the oven and it’s ready in an hour. About halfway through the cooking time, flip the chicken over so both sides soak up the sauce, making the chicken juicy and flavorful.

Changes You can Make

Chicken choices: If you prefer white meat, use chicken breasts, either bone-in or boneless. Chicken thighs can be substituted or chicken wings. For crispy wings, after baking, remove the wings from the sauce, place them on a baking sheet, and broil lightly.

Prefer less sauce? You can cut the sauce ingredients in half if you don’t want as much sauce.

Less sugar: Omit the brown sugar.

Air fryer chicken: Try easy air fryer chicken drumsticks. Ready in 20 minutes, crispy and juicy, you’ll love them! Or, if you prefer chicken thighs, try delicious air fryer chicken thighs. Air fryer chicken wings and air fryer chicken breasts are great, too.

Sheet pan dinner: We love these herb roasted chicken drumsticks and potatoes!

Storage & Reheating Tips

Refrigerate/Freeze: Cool drumsticks slightly before wrapping or covering. Store extra sauce separately. They’ll keep for three to four days in the refrigerator. Cooked drumsticks can be frozen for a few months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheat: For larger quantities, reheat the drumsticks and sauce in a covered baking dish at 350°F for 20 minutes or until heated through. You could also reheat them on the stove in a skillet. Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave.