Asian Glazed Chicken Drumsticks (Printable)

Tender drumsticks in savory-sweet Asian glaze. Juicy, fall-off-the-bone chicken ready in 4 hours.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 12 chicken drumsticks (approximately 3.3 lbs), skin removed if desired

→ Asian Glaze

02 - 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
03 - 1/4 cup honey
04 - 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
05 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
06 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
07 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
08 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
10 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
11 - 1 tablespoon cornstarch
12 - 2 tablespoons water

→ Garnish

13 - 2 scallions, thinly sliced
14 - 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

# How to Make It:

01 - Whisk together the soy sauce, honey, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
02 - Arrange chicken drumsticks in the slow cooker. Pour the prepared glaze over the meat, turning each piece to ensure even coating on all sides.
03 - Cover and cook on low setting for 4 hours or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and meat is tender enough to pull from the bone easily.
04 - Transfer drumsticks to a serving platter using tongs. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to maintain warmth while preparing the sauce.
05 - Pour the cooking liquid from the slow cooker into a small saucepan. In a separate bowl, whisk cornstarch and water together until smooth to create a slurry.
06 - Stir the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan with the cooking liquid. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes until sauce reaches desired consistency.
07 - Brush or spoon the thickened sauce generously over the drumsticks. Sprinkle with sliced scallions and sesame seeds immediately before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The slow cooker does all the heavy lifting while you go about your day
  • That sticky finger licking glaze is something you'll want to put on everything
  • Feeds a crowd with almost zero active cooking time
02 -
  • Resist the urge to peek during cooking, every time you lift that lid you add 30 minutes to the cook time
  • The broiler trick for 2 minutes at the end creates restaurant quality caramelization
  • This sauce reduces beautifully, so don't panic if it looks thin when you first pour it off
03 -
  • Pat the chicken dry before adding the glaze for better adherence
  • Use tongs to turn drumsticks instead of piercing them with a fork

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