Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks
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Tender, juicy and finger lickin’ good Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks are a quick and easy dinner recipe that the kids will love. They are crispy and full of flavor from the honey garlic sauce brushed on them.

This Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks Recipe is such a great way to take an inexpensive cut of meat and make it delicious! The honey garlic sauce that the chicken legss are coated in at the end take it up a notch.
Perfect for a quick family meal, the kids always gobble them up! You all like quick, simple, and delicious recipes, so I hope these baked chicken legs live up to your expectations.
Why this recipe works:
- Chicken is an extremely popular protein and these drumsticks are inexpensive to make.
- Tender, juicy and full of flavor.
- Use store bought sauce to save even more time.
- Finger lickin’ good! Just grab them and dig in. The kids love to eat them.
Ingredients Needed

Chicken Drumsticks
- Chicken drumsticks
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and Pepper
Honey Garlic Sauce
You can also use a store bought honey garlic sauce to save on time.
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Soy Sauce
- Chicken Broth
- Small onion
- Garlic
- Cornstarch
Steps to Prepare
- Prep – Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Place wire rack on top if possible.
- Sauce – In a small saucepan over medium heat, add oil. When hot, stir in garlic and onions: cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add honey and soy sauce. Stir together the broth and cornstarch. Pour into pan and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Prep Chicken – Pat chicken so it is dry. Place onto rack and season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Bake – Place into oven and cook for 10 minutes. Flip chicken and cook for another 10 minutes. Coat chicken with some sauce and cook for another 5 minutes. Flip one more time and coat the other side of the chicken. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until chicken reaches 180-190 degrees F and juices run clean.




Helpful Tools!
Expert Tips
- Pat your chicken completely dry before seasoning! This ensures crispy skin.
- No oil needed if you do step #1.
- Apply honey garlic sauce AFTER the chicken has time to crisp.
- Use a store bought sauce to save time in a pinch.
- Substitute chicken thighs if you want to mix things up. Adjust the baking time.
- Chicken legs are done at an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. You will notice we wrote to cook them until they are 180-190 degrees F. This helps so there is no blood around the joint of the chicken leg and they aren’t stringy. They will still be juicy and delicious, not dry!
- Serve over rice and pair with a bag of mixed veggies for a full meal.
More Chicken Dinner Recipes!
- Have you ever tried chicken legs in an Air Fryer? They are so nice and crispy without the oil and stink from the oil!
- Cripsy, delicious and easy Baked Chicken Legs are perfectly seasoned!
- Baked Chicken Wings are great for an appetizer or little fingers love to pick them up and eat them for dinner.
- Maybe dark meat is more your thing! Then try this easy Baked Chicken Thighs.
Take the plunge with these drumsticks and see how a different cut of meat can really transform a meal!

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Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs chicken drumsticks
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Sauce
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 c. honey
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 c. chicken broth
- 1 small onion diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Add a wire rack on top if possible.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add oil. When hot, stir in garlic and onions: cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add honey and soy sauce. Stir together the broth and cornstarch. Pour into pan and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Pat chicken so it is dry. Place onto rack and season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Place into oven and cook for 10 minutes. Flip chicken and cook for another 10 minutes. Coat chicken with some sauce and cook for another 5 minutes. Flip one more time and coat the other side of the chicken. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until chicken reaches 180 – 190 degrees F and juices run clean.
- Serve chicken with rice and steamed veggies if desired (and do not forget to pour on any extra sauce that is remaining!)
Eryn says
Have you tried these in an air fryer and if so, how long would you cook it for?
Michelle Sperr says
Hi Eryn, I haven’t tried this recipe in an air fryer. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
Amylou says
Hey guys I did try this in the air fryer and they were absolutely delicious. I just kept opening the top and slathering them in the sauce every 5 mins or so. They were sooo good!!
Joe says
I was just looking for an easy quick recipe to make. As much as I love to cook, some nights you just want a quick recipe.
This recipe was HORRIBLE. Sauce was just okay. Àdding chicken broth and cornstarch to thicken sounds like a quick eay, but it just dillutes it. Its defintely not a typical honey garlic sauce.
Will never make again and you are better off with recipes from other sites.
Julie says
I’m really sorry this one didn’t work out for you, Joe.
Louise says
Hi Julie! These sound and look amazing! I will definitely be trying them soon. I do need to ask…did I miss something in the directions? The picture of ingredients lists mayonnaise, but I do not see it in the instructions or in the pre recipe write up. Just wondering if it is used on the chicken before cooking it??? Look forward to trying it!
Julie Evink says
Hey Louise, that was text accidently left on the picture. I’ve updated it. No need for mayonnaise!
Lynn says
Loved it!! So easy and the perfect blend of sweet and tangy. I will definitely make this again.
Julie says
Great! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Erika says
I love this recipe…my drumsticks came out really crispy following your exact instructions and are super delicious with this simple homemade bbq sauce! Definitely will make these over and over!
Sadie says
Onions were not enjoyed on this chicken. There were far too many. The cooking time was also way too short, especially when the chicken loses heat when being flipped many times.
Julie says
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy these, I have several other drumstick recipes I hope you can try!
CS says
Tool longer than it said but good!
Julie says
Glad you enjoyed them!
Nicole says
I’d love to try this on the barbie. Do you have any tips for that?
Julie says
Hi Nicole – here is a link to our Gimme Some Grilling blog for grilling drumsticks. Hopefully you find the grilling portion helpful!
https://gimmesomegrilling.com/grilled-bbq-chicken-drumsticks/
Trisha says
The flavor was delicious but after cooking for 40 minutes the skin still wasn’t crispy…I finished both sides on Low Broil and that did it! Great recipe!
Julie Evink says
Great tip Trisha!
Alexea says
Thank you so much. It’s very nice of you to reply, especially so quickly! I am really looking forward to making these as they look and sound amazing! I’ll write a review once I’ve made (and eaten) them!
Alexea says
So it turned out I actually did have drumsticks, not wings! I followed the recipe and instructions exactly. The skin didn’t really get crispy, but my boyfriend and I didn’t even care because the chicken was simply freaking delicious! He came home while I was cooking and said it smelled amazing, he could smell it as he was walking up to the house. The whole time it was cooking we were just drooling with anticipation! Overall, absolute A+, five star rating, would definitely make again!
Alexea says
For some reason I was thinking this was a wing recipe and I bought a bag of wings to try it out on! Now I’m worried about cooking times and what-not. I’m not great at adjusting times and I don’t want to overcook them and dry them out. Is there any way someone could let me know how long and at what temperature I should cook these if I’m using drum-style wings instead of drumsticks?
Julie Evink says
Hi Alexa! My best guess is that the cook times are going to be pretty similar. Just watch the internal temperature of the wings during the final few minutes!
Aura T Sanchez says
Delicious everyone loved!
Thank you for sharing.
Julie Evink says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a comment and rating 🙂
Shirley Williams says
I just found your site! So impressed! I can hardly wait to start trying some of them ….actually a lot of them! I’mgoing to Begin with the HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS! Thanks for sharing all those recipes!
Julie Evink says
Awww thank you! I hope you enjoy them!
Carrian says
These flavors look so tasty! Can’t wait to try it!
Julie Evink says
Hope you enjoy it! So delicious!
Layne says
Honey garlic is my son’s favorite – I’ll have to make these for him!