Baked teriyaki chicken drumsticks make a hearty and satisfying dinner the whole family will love! An easy teriyaki chicken marinade infuses the chicken legs with bold flavors and they cook up juicy and tender in the oven.
These chicken drumsticks cook up with so much flavor! It all starts with an easy teriyaki chicken marinade and then we add a homemade teriyaki sauce before serving.
I am a huge fan of making homemade marinades and sauces! Not only do I think making homemade tastes better, but you get to control the sweetness of the sauce.
If you want to make more condiments at home, you might also enjoy this cranberry balsamic sauce or this homemade alfredo sauce.
Want to explore more ways to cook up chicken for dinner? Try these Honey Mustard Chicken Drumsticks or my favorite Chinese Honey Chicken Drumsticks. For a satisfying meal, they all go great with this Cheesy Potato Casserole.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Budget-friendly meal. Drumsticks are less per pound than other cuts of chicken and making homemade sauces save money too!
- Great flavor and satisfying main course.
- Easy prep and simple cleanup!
- Homemade means you control the amount of sugar used!
Ingredients
The ingredient list for this recipe is super simple and you will be able to easily find them at most grocery stores. Let’s look at what goes into making the best teriyaki drumsticks in the oven!
- Chicken drumsticks: Drumsticks are a budget-friendly cut of chicken that kids and adults both love!
- Soy sauce: Use regular soy sauce or reduced sodium. If you need a gluten-free option, substitute with coconut aminos.
- Sweetener: We use a combination of brown sugar and honey to make our homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Aromatics: Fresh ginger and garlic infuse the sauce with flavor.
- Mirin: A Japanese rice wine that flavors the teriyaki sauce. You can find it in some large grocery stores in the international aisle or pick it up at your local Asian market.
- Cornstarch: Used to thicken the sauce.
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks
Making this recipe is simple and is broken down into three main steps! First, you want to marinate the chicken, make the teriyaki sauce and bake the chicken! The hands-on time is only about 10 minutes in total!
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Marinade
To be honest I prefer to make my own homemade teriyaki marinade and teriyaki sauce when making this recipe!
We start with our teriyaki chicken marinade that does not use brown sugar or honey and involves NO cooking.
Marinating the chicken means a more flavorful meal on the table. Let’s get started.
- Add the ingredients into a large resealable bag.
- Move it around until everything is well blended.
- Add the chicken and toss with the marinade in the bag.
- Remove as much air as possible and refrigerate for between 1 and 24 hours.
TOP TIP: Flip the bag over a few times while it’s in the refrigerator so that all the chicken soaks up the yummy marinade!
Make the Easy Teriyaki Sauce
You can make the teriyaki sauce ahead of time while the chicken is marinating or while the chicken legs cook.
- Combine the soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan.
- Mix together the mirin and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce in the saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until sauce is reduced and syrupy.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the honey. Adjust the amount you add to your own sweetness preference.
Bake the Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks
After the chicken has marinated for enough time, you’re ready to start cooking them.
- To save time on clean-up, cover a a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil and top with a rack lightly coated in cooking spray.
- Remove the drumsticks from the marinade. Place on your prepared sheet spaced evenly apart.
- Bake the drumsticks for about 30-35 minutes. The skin should be crisp and the internal temperature should be 165 degrees F.
TOP TIP: If you using other cuts you will need to adjust the cooking time. Cook chicken thighs for about 35-40 minutes and chicken legs for about 40-45 minutes.
- When the chicken drumsticks are fully cooked, coat them with the teriyaki sauce and bake for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, coat with more sauce, and allow the chicken to rest for five minutes. Serve it up with additional sauce on the side.
Air Fryer Instructions: If you prefer to use the air fryer, you will find instructions on the recipe card.
Substitutions and Variations
- Want to save some time? While I think homemade is the best, you can use a storebought teriyaki sauce if you need to cut the prep time.
- Chicken drumsticks. You can also make this with just about any cut of bone-in or boneless chicken. Just be sure to check the cooking time for the different types of chicken.
- Honey: The honey does give the sauce a particular flavor, but you can swap it with maple syrup or agave syrup.
- Mirin: You can swap it out with dry sherry or sweet marsala wine or for a nonalcoholic substitute you can use white wine vinegar or rice vinegar.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers after cooling completely in an airtight container for up to five days.
- Freezer: Make extra baked teriyaki drumsticks and store them in the freezer for up to three months. Just be sure they are stored in a well-sealed zip-top bag or container.
- Reheat: To reheat leftovers, lay them back out on a lined baking dish. Add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan and cover with foil. Place in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Brush with more teriyaki sauce before serving.
Expert Tips
- Taste as you go. When making the teriyaki sauce, keep adding a little honey at a time, stirring and tasting after each addition, until you reach the perfect amount of sweetness for you and your family.
- Don’t overcook. Use a thermometer to check the drumsticks for doneness. It’s ready at 165° F.
- Easy cleanup. The teriyaki sauce can be a bit sticky so be sure to cover the baking tray with foil to save time on cleanup!
- More flavor. The longer the chicken marinates the more flavor it will have! I vote for a minimum of overnight! But if you’re in a hurry 1-2 hours can work.
FAQ
A chicken leg is a larger cut and includes the drumstick and a thigh attached together while with drumsticks the thigh is separated so you are only left with the drumstick.
Yes, they can! To get started, turn all of your burners to high and close your cover for about 15 minutes to heat the grill. When you’re ready to start cooking, leave your main burner on high and turn off all of your other burners. Grill temperature should ideally be between 325 and 350 degrees.
Brush clean and oil your cooking grates. Then place your drumsticks, skin side down, on the side of your barbecue that is turned off. You will be cooking your chicken on this side only.
Close your lid and cook for 25 minutes. Rotate the chicken drumsticks from the cooler side of the barbecue to the side closest to the hot part of the grill. Cover and cook until drumsticks register 185 to 190 degrees, another 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of your drumsticks.
Once cooked, move all of your drumsticks to the hot side of your grill and cook, turning occasionally, until the skin is nicely charred, about 5 more minutes. Transfer chicken to serving platter and brush with sauce.
More Chicken Drumstick Recipes
Our video is below and I can’t wait for you to see how easy it is to make our homemade teriyaki sauce! Once you try it you may never use store-bought again! These drumsticks are an absolutely wonderful way to use the teriyaki sauce too!
Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks Video
Baked Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks
Equipment
- rimmed baking sheet
- saucepan
- Aluminum foil
- rack for baking tray
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks or 2 pounds
Teriyaki Marinade
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin Japanese rice wine
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated or minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- ¼ cup mirin Japanese rice wine
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
Teriyaki Marinade
- Add ingredients to a large resealable bag and adjust until blended.
- Add chicken and toss with mixture in a large resealable bag and refrigerate for between 1 to 24 hours.
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- In a small saucepan combine soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic.
- In a small bowl combine mirin and cornstarch. Stir until cornstarch is dissolved.
- Next, add to soy mixture. Bring sauce to boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
- Then reduce your heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced and becomes syrupy, between 6 and 7 minutes.
- Add honey and stir. Taste mixture to see if you want to add more honey.
- Cover and set aside.
Oven Baked Drumsticks
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil and a rack lightly coated in cooking spray. Set aside.
- Remove the drumsticks from the marinade and place on your prepared sheet spaced evenly apart.
- Bake for between 30-35 minutes Skin should be crisp and internal temperature should be 165 degrees.
- Once cooked, coat them with your sauce, using a brush if possible. Bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and coat with more sauce. Let the chicken rest for five minutes before serving.
- Serve with additional sauce and dip on the side if desired. Enjoy every bite!
Air Fryer Instructions
- I just had to include this recipe for how to make teriyaki chicken drumsticks in your air fryer. I just love using mine. Just in case you love yours too, here is how to do it.
- Follow the instructions for marinating the chicken and making the teriyaki sauce.
- Using a sharp knife or metal skewer, poke 10 to 15 holes in skin of each drumstick or chicken leg.
- Arrange drumsticks in air fryer basket, spaced evenly apart, alternating ends and skin side up if using chicken legs.
- Place basket in air fryer and set temperature to 400 degrees.
- Cook until chicken drumsticks are crisp and register 165 degrees, 22 to 25 minutes, flipping and rotating chicken halfway through cooking.
- Brush each piece of chicken with teriyaki sauce.
- Transfer chicken to large plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy every bite.
Notes
- Taste as you go. When making the teriyaki sauce, keep adding a little honey at a time, stirring and tasting after each addition, until you reach the perfect amount of sweetness for you and your family.
- Don’t overcook. Use a thermometer to check the drumsticks for doneness. It’s ready at 165° F.
- Easy cleanup. The teriyaki sauce can be a bit sticky so be sure to cover the baking tray with foil to save time on cleanup!
- More flavor. The longer the chicken marinates the more flavor it will have! I vote for a minimum of overnight! But if you’re in a hurry 1-2 hours can work.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in October 2019. It has been republished for content and new images in August 2022.
Naomi
Best drumsticks ever. Love the new method. Just amazing. Now our kids arent the only ones enjoying the drumsticks.lol
Karin and Ken
Thank you for your kind words! You made my day! I love making these new drumsticks myself too. Glad I’m not alone. Happy to hear you are enjoying the drumsticks too! Enjoy your day. Karin
Anonymous
The chicken drumsticks look delicious, I’ll let you know how good after I make it. Thanks for sharing!
Karin and Ken
You are welcome. I hope you enjoy them. I can’t wait to hear what you think after you make them! They are delicious! Don’t hesitate to leave them in the oven longer if you need to. It all depends on how big your wings are! Take care and all the best. Karin
Odette @ World of Sauces
Delicious! This is so good! I love teriyaki chicken tender and juicy drumsticks with a sweet and savory teriyaki sauce.
Thanks for sharing!
Karin and Ken
You are welcome. They are delicious. We love them here! with home made teriyaki sauce or store bought. Both are tasty. Take care and all the best. Karin