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Baked Sticky Orange Chicken Drumsticks

One of my most popular recipes, these Baked Sticky Orange Chicken Drumsticks are a crowd-pleaser with a mouthwatering glaze.

A chicken drumstick that's orange, with browned spots, sits on a white plate with rice dotted with greens nearby.

Can I tell you something? Lately, I have had to work on meal plans and budgeting for food. I simply have to spend less on what we eat.

For awhile there, my freelance writing business was booming. In fact, it was so big that I ended up letting go of a few lower-paying clients. But this summer, one of my clients cut my workload (and my pay) in half. At first, it was kind of an abstract this sucks kind of thing.

But this month is when it really hit me. My income was substantially reduced, and suddenly I need to budget really well again. That means no more trips for after-school lattes for me and cake pops for the kids. That means using coupons again and paying attention to the sales flyers. That means seeking out work and making due in the meantime.

(Anyone looking for a recipe developer/journalist/writer/blogger?)

As a result, I’ve been looking to less-expensive meals that are both easy and meet our expectations for really delicious dinners. Chicken drumsticks are a great budget-stretching meat to have in the rotation. Not to be confused with the mini ones that are a popular game day food, these chicken drumsticks are larger and meatier.

Two pounds of drumsticks with a couple of sides is perfect for my family, though you might want to go to three pounds if you are big eaters. The glaze recipe could be stretched to glaze another pound of drumsticks — or it’s easy to make a little extra.

Soy sauce, seasoned rice vinegar and orange marmalade sit on a counter near a bowl containing all three. There's a spoon in the bowl.

These Baked Sticky Orange Chicken Drumsticks are delicious. They go perfectly with Kale and Bacon Fried Rice and a salad. And it can all be ready in under 30 minutes — totally easy too.

[Also check out my recipe for Crunchy Oven-Fried Chicken Drumsticks.]

I came up with this recipe after spying a similar one in an old food magazine. The original recipe from Every Day Food called for basting with marmalade only. However, I find marmalade to be too tart for our tastes. By combining the marmalade with soy sauce and rice vinegar, the sharp tartness is toned down and a richness is added without losing the orange flavor.

The reaction was huge — everyone loved the sticky coating.

Isn’t it amazing what the right mix of flavors can do for a food?

Do you have to watch your food budget too? How do you do it?

Baked Sticky Orange Chicken Drumsticks

Baked Sticky Orange Chicken Drumsticks

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

One of my most popular recipes, these sticky drumsticks are a crowd-pleaser with a mouthwatering glaze. By combining the marmalade with soy sauce and rice vinegar, the sharp tartness is toned down and a richness is added without losing the orange flavor. This recipe was inspired by one in Every Day Food, April 2009.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs chicken drumsticks, 5-6
  • kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup orange marmalade
  • 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil.
  2. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Then, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper all over. Arrange on the baking sheet (don't let the pieces touch).
  3. Bake for 10 minutes.
  4. While the chicken is baking, whisk together the marmalade, soy sauce and rice vinegar. Pull the chicken out and baste with 1/2 of the marmalade mixture. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
  5. Take the chicken out again and baste with the remaining marmalade mixture. Return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes more.
  6. Let cool for 10 minutes before enjoying.

Love this recipe?

Then you’ll want to check out my cookbook, The Super Easy 5-Ingredient Cookbook, published by Rockridge Press. It’s all about cooking well, easily and simply. It’s filled with easy, accessible recipes that the whole family will love. We’re talking one-pan, 30-minute and no-cook recipes for every meal of the day.

Liz

Sunday 14th of June 2020

We LOVE this recipe! We have used it on drumsticks as well as thighs. So good!

Sarah Walker Caron

Wednesday 17th of June 2020

So glad! Thank you so much!

LizzieD

Friday 15th of January 2016

If you skip the lattes and other non-necessities when you are employed, you won't have such a hard fall when you lose jobs... Just sayin'

Sarah Walker Caron

Sunday 17th of January 2016

So true, LizzieD! Hope you love the recipe!

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Friday 16th of October 2015

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Emily

Sunday 31st of May 2015

This recipe looks so delicious! Thank you for sharing! I know this post is several years old, and I was wondering if you still instruct people to rinse their chicken. Rinsing meat actually increases the likelihood of cross contamination and doesn't result in removing all bacteria from the chicken. Thoroughly cooking chicken is enough.

Sarah Walker Caron

Wednesday 16th of September 2015

Interesting! I hadn't heard that, and haven't read about the changed instructions. I will have to look into this. Thanks!

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Tuesday 12th of May 2015

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