A quick and easy Korean BBQ sauce is the key in these Korean Glazed Chicken Drumsticks. You are going to want to put it on everything!
The tangy flavors of Korean BBQ have been sweeping the nation for years now. We absolutely love it. I think I’ve mentioned several times that my dad lived in Korea as a young adult for a couple years so I’ve grown up fascinated by Korea in general.
When my husband and I were newlyweds we lived near a Korean restaurant and loved to go to it. We were usually the only non-Koreans in the restaurant and the waitress would question our orders because usually non-Koreans stuck to a limited menu selection. We had to convince her that we really did want to go out on a limb and try some of the more exotic choices. Good times.
Well, these drumsticks aren’t exotic by any means. It’s pretty much BBQ chicken with an Asian twist in ingredients, but it is super delicious. These drumsticks are sticky and tasty and a bit spicy and they are just dang good.
Watch the video where I walk you through every step of this recipe giving you a visual to go along with your cooking. I’ve even got some great tips for prepping chicken drumsticks. I have a whole YouTube Channel full of cooking videos for your drooling pleasure!
Korean Glazed Chicken Drumsticks
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- Sliced green onions and sesame seeds for garnish
- Preheat an oven to 375 degrees.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the sesame oil and cornstarch.
- Stir in the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes.
- Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thick.
- Spray a 4 sided baking sheet or 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the drumsticks out on the pan and brush with the bbq sauce.
- Bake in the 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds
Was absolutely finger licking good ! So good and simple to make . I didn’t have rice vinegar so I used apple cider vinegar instead but other than that this is something I’ll probably make a million times again
It looked good, so I cooked it and I loved it and my son did too.
Very tasty! I may or may not have eaten the leftover sauce with a spoon….
Rachel, I have tried so many of your recipes and each and every one has been delicious! This Korean Chicken is out of the box on flavor and presentation. I use chicken tenders instead of the drumsticks and do it right on the stove top. I serve it over rice and add a salad or green vegetable. My family loves it so much it has become an at least once a week dish! Thank you so much for all you bring to us! This is perfect for working moms!
Absolutely delicious!!! I poured all the sauce over the drumsticks and baked it in my ninja foodi grill for about 20 minutes. Best chicken I ever had
Awesomeness!
This sauce is so delicious and, yes, I want to put it on everything! I saute boneless skinless chicken breasts in a medium hot pan with lid vented, about 6 minutes per side , nicely browned. Drizzle some sauce on the chicken . It bubbles up. Roll the chicken in it, serve, and top with any sauce in the pan. I’ve also drizzled it on pan sauteed shrimp–yum! It is a great stir fry sauce diluted with a little water or broth and then thickened quickly with a little cornstarch in water. Thank you for a great sauce!
I have made these several times for weeknight dinner or pot luck gathering. Always a hit b/c the Korean glaze is so delicious. I do use coco aminos instead of soy sauce. Also instead of the brown sugar, I use apricot simply fruit spread. I start my chicken in a pan to get color on it first and then top with the glaze and bake. Thank you.
Hi there, can I use this to make a whole chicken? Thank you
It’s worth a try!
They look fabulous!
This looks so simple, even I could make it! We don’t usually do drumsticks though, but I’m guessing some chicken tenderloins would work just as well!
I’m confused about your calorie calculations for these. You are saying that each 8 drumstick serving is 235 calories but 1 tbsp of sesame oil alone is 120 calories let alone the rest of the ingredients…..
The calorie calculations are auto-calculated from a database.
Can I substitute Olive Oil for the Sesame Oil?
Sesame oil has a significant amount of flavor in it that is important in this recipe. I don’t recommend substituting.
Covered with foil or open top in the oven?
Uncovered.
Can the rice vinegar be substituted with another kind of vinegar?
You could certainly try, but it will change the flavor.