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Crispy Baked Asian Chicken Drumsticks

Crispy Baked Asian Chicken Drumsticks – an easy meal! Crispy chicken drumsticks are tossed with a killer 5-minute asian sauce – incredibly delicious.

Crispy chicken. It always seems so elusive unless you stick it in the frying pan with gobs of oil. But it’s really quite simple if you know a trick or two – the most important being heat. High heat coupled with oil. Just like frying…only not.

I adore this asian drumsticks recipe. It’s ALWAYS what I make when chicken drumsticks are on sale. This recipe is SO EASY and the baked chicken drumsticks are SO CRISPY fresh out of the oven or air fryer that it was worth the small amount of extra time.

Baked Asian Chicken Drumsticks

Asian Chicken Drumstick Ingredients

Sauce

  • Garlic cloves
  • Cayenne (optional)
  • Hoisin sauce
  • Soy sauce
  • Honey
  • Sesame oil
  • Vegetable oil (plus more to coat chicken)
  • Sriracha or to taste (optional)

Drumsticks

  • Chicken drumsticks
  • Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • Sesame seeds
  • Scallions (chopped)

(Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe card with exact measurements and recipe instructions.)

How to Make Asian Drumstick Sauce

Crispy Asian Chicken Drumsticks - an easy meal! Crispy chicken drumsticks are tossed with a killer 5-minute asian sauce - incredibly delicious.

The sauce takes just 5 minutes to make. Simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl and stir well. That’s it!

The sauce is on the sweet side but you can add more spice by adding more Sriracha. I add more…a lot more! But I’m a heat fiend and I know that most people like more of a balance. If serving a crowd, just keep the Sriracha bottle close by so fiends like me can easily get their hands on it.

How to Bake Asian Drumsticks

Baking drumsticks is very easy as they are very forgiving, especially when cooked with the bone-in and skin on. The skin helps hold in the moisture and the meat stays tender and juicy.

Simply preheat the oven to 400ºF and place the drumsticks in a baking dish or a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Rub the chicken drumsticks with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until skin is crispy and chicken is cooked through.

You can also use a digital thermometer to check doneness. Insert the thermometer into the middle of the thickest part of the drumstick without touching bone. The chicken should be cooked to 165ºF internally, if not, check again in 3 to 5 minutes.

This could easily be turned into an asian wing appetizer, too! Just sub wings for the drumsticks and leave everything else the same (you’ll want to reduce baking time but that’s the only change. Crispy chicken wings, crispy chicken drumsticks, you could also do baked crispy chicken thighs – whatever you like best!

Asian Drumsticks - How to Bake

How to Bake Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks

Cooking in an air fryer reduces the time to bake to less than half and makes the same delicious meal that everyone will enjoy.

  • Preheat the air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF
  • Season the Chicken: Rub the chicken drumsticks with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper
  • Cook in the Air Fryer: Place chicken drumsticks in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook for 8 minutes and then turn over for an additional 8 minutes. The chicken should be cooked to 165ºF internally, if not, check again in 3 to 5 minutes.

Why You Should Make Chicken Drumsticks

  • Easy to make
  • Flavor
  • Budget Friendly
  • Kid-Friendly
  • Perfect as an appetizer or main dish
  • Versatile with many seasonings to choose from

It really couldn’t be easier or quicker to make this easy chicken drumsticks recipe. You can easily double or triple this recipe for a crowd, too!

More Seasoning Ideas for Chicken Drumsticks or Wings

There is so much flexibility with drumsticks and wings. Here are a few more ideas for seasoning your chicken. These recipes are wings but the sauce can applied to wings, drumsticks and even things. Simply follow the baking times for the asian chicken drumsticks.

We’ve also compiled a list of 50 drumsticks recipes to try.

Baked Asian Chicken Drumsticks

Crispy Asian Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Yield: 3
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

The ultimate recipe for juicy, tender chicken drumsticks with an irresistible crispy crunch. No additional breading needed!

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 2 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (plus more to coat chicken)
  • 2 teaspoons sriracha or to taste (optional)

Drumsticks

  • 6 chicken drumsticks
  • kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • Sesame seeds
  • scallions (chopped)

Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
    2. Place in a baking dish or a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Arrange chicken on rack. Rub chicken drumsticks with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until skin is crispy and chicken is cooked through.
    3. Meanwhile, mix sauce ingredients together. Stir well and set aside.
    4. Remove chicken from oven and place on a serving platter. Pour sauce over chicken to coat, serving any extra sauce on the side. Garnish with green onions (scallions) and sesame seeds.

Notes

Use a digital thermometer to temperature. Chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 579Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 231mgSodium: 1128mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 2gSugar: 27gProtein: 47g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

Kristy Bernardo
Latest posts by Kristy Bernardo (see all)

Barb

Friday 4th of March 2022

I will DEFINITELY be making this again. I served it with Miracle Noodles and steamed green beans. Big hit. Thanks for sharing!

Kristy Bernardo

Monday 7th of March 2022

I'm so glad, thanks so much for letting me know!

Jessy

Wednesday 8th of September 2021

I had to comment here, because I’ve made these drumsticks dozens of times now. My kids love them and everyone who has ever had them has raved. They are perfect! And so easy. I’m making them again tonight. Thank you!

Kristy Bernardo

Thursday 9th of September 2021

I'm so happy to hear this! These don't get nearly as much love as I think they should so I really appreciate you letting me know how much you enjoy them! Have an awesome day, Jessy :)

Karyl | Karyl's Kulinary Krusade

Tuesday 19th of December 2017

Oh man, this sounds SO GOOD! Well, except for the sesame oil...it's just too potent for me. I'm definitely adding this to the meal plan

Kristy Bernardo

Wednesday 20th of December 2017

Oh, I love it! But it is potent, I'll give you that. :) Hope you enjoy them! Cheers :)

Monete

Tuesday 27th of September 2016

Is this fo drumettes or regular drumsticks?

Kristy Bernardo

Thursday 29th of September 2016

It's for regular drumsticks but either would work fine. Cheers :)

How to Bake Chicken Wings so they're CRISPY & AMAZING

Saturday 30th of July 2016

[…] began a couple of years ago with an asian chicken drumstick recipe (the sauce would be great on wings)! The method is simple and it’s the base for how I make […]

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