Sticky balsamic chicken drumsticks made on the stove with just 5 ingredients β chicken, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, sugar and garlic. Itβs twice as fast as baking drumsticks and glaze is lip smackingly delicious!Β Watch the cooking video to see how easy it is β and how hopeful Dozer looks that one will come his wayβ¦
I take it very personally when people have trouble making a recipe of mine. I take a great deal of care writing and testing recipes before I share them, and you would probably be horrified at the number ofΒ beautiful photos I have trashed because I wasnβt happy with the recipe, or because I thought the βfailβ risk was too high.Β
I posted this Balsamic Drumsticks recipeΒ backΒ in April 2015 and a handful of readers have had trouble with it. Specifically, getting the sauce to reduce down to a glaze. Itβs not a technically difficult recipe, but it is unique because drumsticks are not usually cooked the stove in a braising liquid that transforms into a glaze and there are a couple of specific steps required to be followed to make this happen.
So I decided to repost this recipe with fresh new photos, even more concise stepsΒ and a cooking video.Β So you can see exactly how to make it. π
These balsamic chicken drumsticks are based on thisΒ Sticky Stovetop ChickenΒ recipe that I stumbled across. When I read the recipe, I thought it sounded quite similar to the flavour and method used for Filipino Chicken Adobo (one of my favourite Asian chicken recipes!), except that it is made with drumsticks (and with less ingredients).
This recipe is actually quite genius. I donβt think most people would think to cook drumsticks on the stove, and even if you did, getting a beautiful caramelisation and the glaze is another matter altogether.
I bet mostΒ people would never guess it wasnβt baked.Β Or that thereβs only 5 ingredients in this. FIVE.
Itβs a fairly classic sweet-sour taste made with a bit of sugar, balsamic and soy sauce. But then you add some water into the pot with the chicken and sauce so by the time the chicken is cooked, the braising liquid reduces down to a thick sticky glaze. And that glaze caramelises which adds even more flavour.
Yummy! Look at it. This is what it looks like straight off the stove.
I remember the first time I made this recipe, I took a bite and thought βEw, this is terribleβ. I stood over the stove with my hands on my hips, head cocked, wondering how I was going to salvage it.Β I thought back over the recipe. I mean, it only has 5 ingredients in it. And there wereΒ rave reviews by people who had tried it. Either all those people have terrible taste in foodβ¦.orβ¦.I stuffed up.
Yep, you guessed it. I stuffed up a 5 ingredient recipe. FIVE INGREDIENTS and I managed to accidentally leave out the most important one β soy sauce.
DUH!
I managed to salvageΒ my embarrassing disaster by taking out the drumsticks and remaking the glaze. And because the salvaged version was so tasty that I thought I had better make it again.Β I gave myself a big pat on the back for remembering all five ingredients the second time!
Now this is a classic back-pocket recipe of mine.
Sticky chickenΒ β done β with less than 5 minutes of active effort. Canβt ask for much more than that! πΒ β Nagi x
MORE CHICKEN DRUMSTICK RECIPES
Greek ChickenΒ β ideal made with drumsticks instead of thighs
Baked Chicken and Rice β make this with drumsticks instead of bone in thighs!
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5 Ingredient Sticky Stove Top Balsamic Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks (2 lb / 1 kg) (Note 1)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce (all purpose or light, not dark)
- 3 tbsp sugar (brown)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
Extra Flavourings (Optional)
- 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 tbsp Sriracha or 1 tsp red pepper flakes (Note 2)
Garnishes (optional)
- Parsley or shallots/scallions , finely sliced
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients (including Extra Flavourings, if using) in a large skillet/fry pan or pot (Note 3) over medium high heat. The chicken should be in a single layer.
- Bring to boil, turn chicken, then turn down to medium so it simmers energetically but not rapidly. DO NOT cover the pan with a lid.
- Cook for 20 minutes, turning the chicken at 10 minutes.
- At 20 minutes, the chicken should be cooked. Move the chicken to the side of the skillet, propping and stacking them up on the edges of the skillet to clear the surface of the liquid as much as possible so it can reduce.
- Simmer for 5 minutes or until the liquid thickens (consistency of thick pouring cream) and coats the chicken. Keep an eye on the sauce, once it starts to thicken it will reduce quickly, donβt let it go too far. Roll the chicken in the glaze.
- Remove the skillet from the stove and stand for 5 minutes β the sauce will thicken slightly more. Roll the chicken in the glaze again, then serve, garnished with parsley or scallions if desired.
- (Note 4)
- Serve, garnished with scallions/shallots if using.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
* Originally posted in April 2015. Reposted with new photos and a cooking video.
LIFE OF DOZERΒ
If you want your dailyΒ dose of Dozer, youβll need to watch the video! He makes a cameo appearanceβ¦. π
AndΒ I just canβt believe itβ¦.peopleΒ mocked me over his robe that I shared at the bottom of the Caramel Slice recipe. βDogs donβt wear clothes!β, they declared. Boo to them!
OMG I made this tonight with 1kg of drummetes and served with steamed rice and broccoli. It was a hit with all (including a fussy eater and a 5yo). Thanks Nagi for an easy weeknight dinner π
Hit with fussy eater AND 5 yo??? WOO HOOO!! So glad everyone enjoyed it Ange, thank you!! N x
This is the challenge I face eveynight. Thankfully the 5yo isnt a fuss pot too or that would be double trouble lol
A meal that pleases all is rarity. This has shot to the top of our menu rotation!
Thank you for this recipe! Itβs pretty easy to make except for the one time when I didnβt defrost the drumsticks for long enough LOL. Also, I used white balsamic vinegar with ginger the first time I made them and I think it was the best meal I ever made. I tried regular balsamic the second time but that was the time it came out wrong, LOL, and tonight Iβm trying again with the white balsamic. π
Yikes!! Iβve made that mistake before too!! π
Ha, yep.
Another question for you: when I made them w/ the white balsamic, it took about an HOUR for the sauce to glaze. The one I time I made them with regular balsamic, this was the same. Why is this?
I think my pan may be about 12β³ (yours says 10β³) β could that be it? Iβm also using 5 drumsticks and not 8. Thanks.
Hi Liz β thatβs really weird!! With a bigger pan it should be faster. Oh β but wait! 5 drumsticks might be the key. The fat in the skin is what helps the sugar caramelise. Have you tried it with 8??
Yup. The only thing I did differently is that I put in some mushrooms and onions (tastes great w/ the sauce) but I made sure not to βovercrowdβ in the pan.
Hi Nagi β iβm trying it tonight with 8 drumsticks and I also added a dash of chili as your recipe recommended. However, itβs been about 35 minutes now and itβs still cooking. What do you recommend for next time? Thanks.
Iβm so perplexed!!! Lid is off???
I can try 8 next time. What about 9 or 10? (the drumsticks at Meijer β grocery store in MI here β came in packs of 5).
Thanks! π
Hi Liz! Iβd stick with 8 because otherwise the sauce might not be enough π Please donβt double the recipe because it affects the cook time!
I made this tonight. So good. I didnβt add any extra flavorings, but still delicious. I served with white rice and put the sauce on the rice. This will be made again and again. Thank you so much for the great and easy recipe. Oh, after the legs were done cooking I took them out and then cooked some boneless skinless chicken breast for the picky eaters, came out great as well.
YEE HAA!!! SO GLAD you enjoyed it Susan!!! π
This was amaze balls!?
So glad you loved it Lins!! Thank you for letting me know!! N x
Hi Nagi! I have a stainless steel frying pan and gas stove. Iβve read that you donβt need the heat as high for those pans. Would you still recommend high heat to cook it properly? Sorry also completely new to cooking!!
Hi Martinique! I still recommend starting on high, then turning the stove down per the recipe π
Hi Nagi! I am making this TONIGHT! WHat kind of salad and dressing is served in the pic? Looks DELISH!
HI Mrs Smith! Iβm confused β no salad in these photos!!
Made these for dinner tonightβ¦. two thumbs up! The kids (ages 4 & 9) and adults loved it, and couldnβt be easier! Thank you
YAY!!! Thank you Danyce, Iβm so glad you loved it!!
Did you remove the skin from the drumsticks prior to cooking?
Nope! The skin goes lovely and jammy!
Made this tonight when we realized it was already 9 pm and we needed a quick dinnerβyum! This is great! Weβll definitely be making this again. The sriracha addition adds a nice heat, too.
YAY! Iβm so glad you enjoyed it Catherine!!
Made this last night. Did exactly what the recipe said and added a little sriracha sauce. My pickest eater ate three legs and left NUTHIN on the bone. We were fighting over the last leg! hahaha. Canβt wait to make with boneless skinless thighs. We even found ourselves swirling our cucumber slices in the sauce. SO GOOD! Thanks for a simple and awesome recipe.
YAY YAY YAY! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback!!! N x
Ugh. Did everything exactly like itβs said except I had one extra. Drumstick. Sauce will not thicken for the life of me. Been on medium heat uncovered for about 40 min now. I donβt know what I couldβve done wrong.
Hi Rita β thatβs odd! Any sauce cook in an uncovered pot should reduce down and when it reduces, it becomes more syrup like. Wish I could be in the kitchen with you to help troubleshoot! π
I have had a bad experience or Rio cooking chicken. Iβm so scared of not cooking time enough that I overcooked it
So I gave up. I buy precooked or we go to my moms to eat lol. So when I saw this recipe, the picture stopped me in my tracks. I was drueling. I ran to the store and bought some drumsticks and balsamic vinegar. I had the rest of the ingredients. My chicken is thawing in the fridge and I am going to attempt to make this tomorrow if I donβt βchickenβ out. No pun intendedβ¦.im not sure if this is a recipe an amateur like myself should try but hey. What the heck? Wish me luck!!!
You donβt need luck! This one is super easy. π 5 ingredients! Just donβt be like me and forget one of them!!! π
I canβt believe Iβm about to say this, but I FORGOT AN INGREDIENT TOO. Realized 25 minutes in that I forgot the sugar! Ah!! Still delicious though
BA HA HA!! You make me feel BETTER!!! π
Hi Nagi!
Iβm going to make these on Saturday night for a home viewing of the AFL final but want to make it with wings instead.
Any tips? How many wings (kg) would the sauce for this recipe work for?
Canβt wait to try it!!
Hi Elisa! I havenβt tried this with wings but it should work! I think about 800g of wings would work well. π
I sent him a link to your FB album & asked him to tell me if he saw anything he liked. This is the first of his selections. He walked in the house while it was cooking tonight & commented on how delicious it smelled. Iβve served it with rice & a tossed salad.
I did two batches; one with ginger & crushed peppers, the other without. There is no clear winner. No one can decide. I added more garlic than the recipe calls for, as weβre garlic fiends. This was really wonderful. Thanks again.
P.S. Please open future contests to Canada!
HA! I love it, Facebook Menu!! π
I just wanted to tell you, Iβve made this a few times and itβs always a success. My husband is pretty picky but when i tell him this is for dinner heβs excited to eat it. I serve it with white rice and some sort of veggie, tonight is sauteed squash. I found the recipe on Pinterest and Iβll be checking out your other recipes. Thank you for sharing this one!
Iβm so glad you and your husband love this! It is quite surprising that something so yum can be made with so few ingredients, isnβt it? Hope you have a lovely weekend!
Absolute disaster, I doubled the quantity, because I had 16 chicken drumsticks. Followed the instructions but the glaze did not thicken at all. Clearly you are not supposed to double the quantity of the glaze?
Hi Donna. Iβm so sorry, no, this recipe is one of the very few on this site that is not suitable for scaling up. Saying that, the glaze would have thickened if you left it cooking for a lot longer (taking the drumsticks out). π
Do you think this would work in the crock pot? Remodeling and the stove is not an option right now.
Hi Dwight! It will work if your crockpot has a saute setting, but if not, then it wonβt work unfortunately because the lid needs to be off in order for the liquid to reduce down to the sticky glaze. Jealous that youβre getting a remodel! π
This looks delicious! Iβm going to make it for my family for lunch!
I was wondering, Iβm going to use 3 chicken breasts and Iβve seen all your directions about adding extra oil and stuff. I was wondering, should I remove the chicken breasts from the pan at a time and leave the glaze to cook?
Hi Maria! Yup, thatβs right. Iβm worried about the breast overcooking if you leave it in there for the whole time. π
Can I make in advanced for a picnic by any chance?
Hi Rehana! You sure can π I recommend making sure itβs at room temperature so the sticky glaze is a glaze rather than βjelly likeβ which is what happens when it is refrigerated. Hope you love it! π
I made these and they were DELICIOUS. they took longer than I hoped but thatβs just because they were huge legs! my whole family loved them π
Hi Ashley! I am SO GLAD you enjoyed these! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know you loved them. π