An easy recipe for sticky, saucy, delicious teriyaki chicken drumsticks, made with a low-sugar sauce.
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 these teriyaki chicken drumsticks so often. They are very easy to make, and everyone likes them – the kids (even the Picky Eater!) as well as the adults.
The ingredients you’ll need
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty chicken recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
Chicken drumsticks: I like to remove the skin, but you can leave it on if you wish. Both options work well.
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 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!
How to make teriyaki chicken drumsticks
It’s 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 45 minutes in a 400°F oven.
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!
Low-sugar teriyaki sauce
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! These sticky, saucy, delicious drumsticks are made with an excellent low-sugar teriyaki sauce (I also use it when making teriyaki wings).
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.
How to serve teriyaki chicken
I usually serve it on a bed of cauliflower rice. This dish also goes well with roasted broccoli – it’s convenient that you can cook both dishes in the same 400F oven.
What about 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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Baked Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks
INGREDIENTS
Chicken:
- 8 (4 oz) chicken drumsticks, skin removed
- Avocado oil spray
Teriyaki glaze:
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or use a gluten-free alternative and add salt as needed)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
Garnish:
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Spray the drumsticks all over with oil. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
- 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 glaze over medium heat, whisking often, 3-4 minutes, until it thickens into syrup. Remove from heat.
- Remove the baked chicken drumsticks onto a serving platter. Brush with the teriyaki glaze, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
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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, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.