Gochujang Chicken Drumsticks

Chicken drumsticks anyone?! These Gochujang Chicken Drumsticks are sweet, spicy, sticky and finger licking good! The chicken drumsticks are lightly seasoned and par baked to achieve a crispy skin before being glazed with copious amounts of delicious Gochujang sauce.

For those of you who are not familiar with Gochujang, you’re missing out! This fermented red chilli paste is spicy and salty with a hint of sweetness. Gochujang forms the base of my sauce and is combined with orange juice, the juice and zest of a lime, tamari, maple syrup, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. The ingredients combine to create a sweet, savoury and spicy sauce that is full of umami flavour.

This dish comes together quickly, requires minimal prep time and couldn’t be easier to make! It’s perfect for any occasion - a weeknight meal, date night, social gathering or celebratory event. It’s also makes for a fantastic meal prepping item as this recipe yields quite a few servings.

For a meal you won’t soon forget, serve this chicken alongside rice, some roasted or steamed vegetables and my Spicy Cucumber Salad. So, let me show you how it’s done. Grab a spoon and come and cook with me!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Serves: 8 - 10

Ingredients:

Chicken Drumsticks

• 4.8 lbs (2.2kg) chicken drumsticks (approx. 20 drumsticks)

• 2 Tbsp avocado oil

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Gochujang Sauce

• 2/3 cup Gochujang paste

• 1/4 cup orange juice

• 1/4 cup low-sodium tamari (See Notes below)

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 4 cloves of garlic, minced

• Zest and juice of 1 lime

• 1 Tbsp sesame oil

• 1 Tbsp ginger, minced

• 2 tsp sesame seeds, as garnish

• 1 scallion, thinly sliced, as garnish

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F and line a 11” x 17” rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. While the oven is preheating, remove the chicken drumsticks from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Pat the chicken drumsticks dry with a paper towel and set aside.

2. Arrange the chicken drumsticks on the baking sheet, drizzle them with avocado oil and season with garlic powder, onion powder and salt.

3. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and cook for 25 minutes.

4. While the chicken is cooking, to a medium bowl, add the Gochujang, orange juice, tamari, maple syrup, garlic, zest and juice of a lime, sesame oil and ginger and whisk until fully incorporated. This will yield 1 3/4 cups of sauce. Reserve 1/2 cup of sauce and set aside.

5. Remove the chicken drumsticks from the oven and, using a pastry brush, glaze the chicken with 1 1/4 cups of sauce until full coated. Transfer the chicken back into the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

6. Then, remove the chicken from the oven and spoon the remaining 1/2 cup of sauce over top. Cook the chicken for another 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.

7. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced scallion and serve and enjoy!

Notes:

1. I Don't Have Tamari at Home: If you don't have tamari in your refrigerator or pantry, don't fret! You can simply substitute the tamari in this recipe with low-sodium soy sauce on a 1:1 basis, without compromising the taste or flavour profile of this dish.