An easy recipe for sticky, saucy, delicious teriyaki chicken drumsticks, made with a low-sugar sauce. Simply bake the drumsticks in the oven, quickly thicken the tasty glaze, then brush the chicken pieces with the glaze. Easy and very, very tasty!
I'm always on the lookout for ways to make chicken more interesting (I mean, simply baked drumsticks are great, but sometimes you want variety!). This recipe certainly fits the bill. I adore teriyaki sauce - it's so very flavorful. Adding it to chicken really elevates this simple dish.
That's why I make this recipe so often. While it looks impressive when served, it's truly easy to make, and everyone likes it - the kids (even the Picky Eater!) as well as the adults.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make teriyaki chicken drumsticks. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Chicken drumsticks: I like to keep the skin on, but you can remove it if you wish.
Avocado oil spray: An ideal cooking oil because of its neutral taste and high smoke point.
Light soy sauce: Or use a gluten-free alternative. I rarely use traditional soy sauce. I find it too salty.
Cornstarch: Just a little to help thicken the sauce. It adds a negligible amount of carbs per serving. But you can try using an alternative such as Konjac flour if you wish.
Dry white wine: I like sauvignon blanc, which also goes very nicely with this dish!
Honey: You can try replacing it with a sugar-free liquid sweetener if you wish.
Aromatics: Minced garlic and minced ginger. I'm lazy, so I use the stuff that comes in a jar, even though freshly minced tastes better.
Sesame seeds: Used purely for garnish. So you can omit them if you don't have any on hand, although they do make the dish look pretty!
Instructions
Making teriyaki chicken drumsticks is so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the full details. Here are the basic steps:
Bake the chicken. You start by coating the chicken with oil, then baking it for 30-45 minutes in a 400°F oven. How long to bake the chicken will depend on the size of the pieces and on how hot your oven runs. Use an instant-read thermometer, and aim for an internal temperature of 165 ºF when not touching the bone.
Make the sauce. Just before the chicken is done, quickly make the teriyaki sauce. It takes about 10 minutes on the stove.
Assemble the dish. Brush the cooked chicken with the sauce, garnish with sesame seeds, and you're all set!
Frequently asked questions
The classic sauce is made of soy sauce, sake, sugar, and ginger. In my version, I use white wine instead of sake simply because that's what I always have on hand. I also replace the sugar with honey or with a sugar-free liquid sweetener.
No, it's not. Teriyaki sauce is more complex. It uses soy sauce as the main ingredient, but then it adds more ingredients, including sake, sugar, and ginger.
Yes! Teriyaki sauce is amazing. But the longer I eat low carb, the more often I find that overly sweet sauces interfere with my enjoyment of meat. Hence my desire to come up with a low-sugar teriyaki sauce.
I'm happy to report that I succeeded! The sauce I came up with is very flavorful without being overly sweet. If you give this recipe a try, I don't think you are going to miss the sugar. This is just as good. And if you want this dish to be even lower in carbs, you can replace the honey with a liquid sugar-free sweetener.
Variations and substitutions
I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you'd like to vary the basic recipe, here are a couple of ideas for you:
- Replace the drumsticks with chicken thighs. If you use boneless chicken thighs, you'll probably need to bake them for about 30 minutes. For large bone-in thighs, try 40-45 minutes. As always, the internal temperature of fully cooked chicken should be 165F.
- I keep the skin on, but you can remove it if you wish. Both versions are very good. If you do remove the skin, be generous when coating the chicken pieces with oil to help prevent them from drying out.
Serving suggestions
I usually serve this dish on a bed of cauliflower rice. It also goes well with roasted broccoli - it's convenient that you can cook both dishes in the same 400F oven.
Storing leftovers
Leftovers keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. They are very tasty cold (try to shred the meat and serve it on a bed of greens for lunch), or gently reheated in the microwave on 50% power.
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Recipe card
Easy Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks
INGREDIENTS
Chicken:
- 8 (4 oz) chicken drumsticks
- Avocado oil spray
Teriyaki glaze:
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or use a gluten-free alternative)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
Garnish:
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
Bake the chicken:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Spray the drumsticks all over with oil. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and bake them until cooked through, 30-45 minutes, depending on their size and on how hot your oven runs. Aim for an internal temperature of 165F when not touching the bone.
Make the sauce:
- 10 minutes before the drumsticks should be done, prepare the teriyaki glaze. In a small saucepan, whisk together the soy sauce and cornstarch.
- Add the white wine, honey, minced garlic, and minced ginger, whisking to combine.
- Heat the sauce over medium-low heat, whisking often, until it thickens into syrup. This should take 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Glaze the chicken:
- Remove the baked chicken pieces onto a serving platter. Brush them with the teriyaki glaze, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
NOTES
- Replace the drumsticks with chicken thighs. If you use boneless chicken thighs, you'll probably need to bake them for about 30 minutes. For large bone-in thighs, try 40-45 minutes.
- I keep the skin on, but you can remove it if you wish. Both versions are very good. If you do remove the skin, be generous when coating the chicken pieces with oil to help prevent them from drying out.
NUTRITION PER SERVING
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 