Baked Honey Garlic Chicken

Irresistibly sticky, this gorgeous mahogany brown baked honey garlic chicken is meltingly tender. It’s hard to believe that something so good and so beautiful is so easy to make. And when I tell you there is no better smell than this chicken while this bakes in the oven, I mean it.

Baked Honey Garlic Chicken

I don’t know about you, but when I see incredibly tender chicken swimming in a sticky, fragrant, unapologetically garlicky honey sauce, I get immediate hunger pangs. And I’m not alone. Every person in my house descends on this chicken as soon as it reaches a temperature that won’t take the skin off of the roof of their mouth.

Whether it’s screaming hot, warm, or cold straight from the refrigerator, this chicken is a guaranteed hit every time I make it. I love to spoon the honey garlic sauce over a bowl full of rice and nestle a couple drumsticks alongside it with some fresh, crunchy cucumbers. Talk about a ridiculously easy meal!

Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks

This recipe is not just delicious though, it’s also schedule friendly and kind to your wallet. Plan or hope for leftovers: these are a great way to meal-prep for lunches for the week.

You can toss all of the marinade ingredients into a zipper top bag, add the drumsticks, and stash it in a bowl in the fridge in the morning before work or school and cook it when you get home.

You can even throw the chicken into the marinade before you go to bed! This is one recipe where you really just want to avoid under-marinating it. Be sure to have the chicken in the sauce for at least 4 hours before you cook it.

I found an excellent sale on chicken legs at the grocery store last week and stocked up with this recipe specifically in mind. It’s a great way to stretch the food budget, since drumsticks are generally one of the least expensive cuts of meat at the store.

You can most definitely prepare this with chicken legs or thighs that were frozen, but you’ll want to thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before making the dish. I do advise against using boneless, skinless chicken thighs, though. The bone-in cuts hold their shape better during the cooking process and don’t dry out.

Honey Garlic Chicken Legs

I prefer to make this recipe in the oven during colder months and on my pellet grill in warmer months. It works equally well with both methods.

Either way, though, once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF, you’ll shift the pan to the stove-top to reduce the honey sauce to sticky perfection. You also have the option of getting glazing the chicken with the sauce with a brief trip under the broiler.

I love the hint of smoky char it gives to the edges of the juicy chicken. That is strictly optional, but it is a step I never skip!

Now let’s talk about what pan you’ll use for a moment. I used my enormous cast-iron skillet to make this recipe. You can fit 4 pounds of chicken legs and thighs in this pan easily.

If you don’t have a huge cast-iron skillet, you can split it between two stainless steel everyday pans or smaller cast-iron skillets. If you don’t have either of those, you can use oven-safe skillets. In a pinch, you can cook it in metal 9×13-inch pans.

Recipes with Chicken Drumsticks

On the hunt for more excellent chicken drumsticks recipes? Juicy, meaty, succulent smoked chicken legs are as easy as they are budget friendly; no need to brine or marinate. All it takes is some drumsticks, a little olive oil, dry rub, apple juice, and barbecue sauce and 90 minutes later, you have the most wonderful smoked chicken legs.

If you’re more into cooking your drumsticks on the grill, try my husband’s smoked barbecue chicken that is perfectly smoky, sticky, tangy, sweet, and ever so slightly spicy. It’s the kind you just keep eating so you can keep having the taste in your mouth.

Love the sticky, garlicky honey sauce, but need dinner faster or want to switch it up a bit? Try our perennial top ranking Easy Garlic Ginger Glazed Sticky Pork. Tender strips of pork glazed with a sticky, sweet, spicy, garlicky, gingery sauce that is as easy as stirring a few things together in a pan, this fast, soul-satisfying meal is easy enough for rookie cooks, but delicious enough to keep sophisticated cooks and eaters happy.

Do you need something delightful to serve with your chicken? Try our speedy viral Asian Carrot Salad or Japanese Cabbage Salad. And whip up a quick batch of decadent greek yogurt brownies or French Yogurt Cake to finish off your meal with a sweet bite!