Baked Chicken Teriyaki Drumsticks

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Pick up a chicken drumstick, caramalised in a rich, dark honied sauce. The chicken just ‘melts-in-the mouth’ Food at its best. Chicken is always a crowd-pleaser, whatever, the occasion!

The Ingredients:

• 150g skinless chicken drumsticks
• 1 peeled garlic, finely chopped
• 30ml cornflour
• 250ml dark soy sauce
• 120ml white wine vinegar
• 30ml clear honey

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, add the cornflour and soy sauce. Then, mix the corn flour and soy sauce to form a smooth paste.
2. Stir in the finely chopped garlic, white wine vinegar and honey.
3. Pour 3/4 of the marinade into a large, ovenproof shallow dish. Set aside 1/4 of the marinade.
4. Place the drumsticks in an ovenproof dish and coat with the marinade.
5. With the sharp blade of a kitchen knife, score the surface of each drumsticks 3-4 times (1 1/2 cm, 2cm apart).

Cover the drumsticks with cling film. Then, set drumsticks aside to marinade in a cool place for 4 hours. Turn the drumsticks 3 times in the marinade.

Baking the Drumsticks:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C, Gas 6 for 5 minutes.
2. Then, cook the drumsticks for 45 minutes at 200C, Gas 6, near the top of the oven.
3. Heat the reserved marinade in a small saucepan, stirring continuously, until the marinade thickens.
4. Then, use the thickened marinade to baste the chicken 3 times during the baking process.
5. Halfway through the baking process, remove the drumsticks from the oven. Turn the drumsticks. Place the drumsticks back in the oven to continue baking.
6. After 45 minutes, when the chicken has completely cooked, remove the drumsticks from the oven.
7. Before serving, check that the chicken has been thoroughly cooked by checking for signs of visible red, raw meat.
8. Do not reheat the chicken once it has been cooled. 
9. The Theory of Marinating: The meat inside the drumstick has a slightly higher fat content than the fat in a chicken breast. Basting the meat on the outside of the drumstick, during the cooking process, ensures that the fat inside the chicken breast keeps the chicken moist during the cooking process. Checking the Drumstick for Visible Signs of Raw Meat the golden rule for baking drumsticks is; ‘the chicken is cooked when it’s falling away from the ankle bone. 

‘There are two methods to check the drumstick for visible signs of raw meat and pinkness;

1. Insert a skewer through the drumstick, to ensure that the juices run clear.
2. ‘Split’ open one of the cooked drumsticks to check for visible signs of redness or raw meat.

Also check out our Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs recipe.