These baked teriyaki chicken drumsticks are bursting with flavor thanks to my homemade teriyaki sauce, and they’re so easy to make! All I do is quickly mix a few simple ingredients together to make the sauce, pour it over the drumsticks, then pop them in the oven. Making this teriyaki chicken legs recipe is truly the simplest thing, and they’re just as good for game day appetizers as they are for weeknight dinners!
Top Reader Reviews
This was my absolute favorite recipe I’ve made with chicken so far! I only increased the ingredients to make extra sauce for the chicken! Thank you so much for sharing this. I will be making this again and again
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Love your easy recipe.
I air fried it was delicious.
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Teriyaki Chicken Legs
Juicy and tender with the perfect amount of meat on the bone, drumsticks are a completely underrated piece of chicken if you ask me. This foolproof recipe for drumsticks baked in teriyaki sauce really proves my point. Every bite of these sauce-y chicken legs is delicious, and you’ll definitely want to lick every finger clean!
My quick and easy teriyaki sauce is the star of this baked chicken leg recipe! It’s a delicious blend of soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and sriracha that makes for a gloriously sticky, sweet, and tangy sauce.
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One Simple Tip!
To add sweetness and prevent the teriyaki sauce from sticking, I sometimes place 1 thinly-sliced yellow onion all over the bottom of the baking dish. The flavorful onions can then be mixed into rice, veggies, or whatever you’re serving alongside the drumsticks for dinner!
Baked Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks (*)
Teriyaki Sauce:
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce (**)
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (***)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced***)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1-3 teaspoons Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
Optional Garnishes:
- Sliced green onions
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Arrange the drumsticks, skin side down in the baking dish.8 bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks
- In a medium bowl, whisk the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and sriracha together. Pour the sauce over the drumsticks.¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, ¼ cup water, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1-3 teaspoons Sriracha
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time. Remove from the oven and set the chicken aside.
- Pour the sauce into a saucepan and bring the sauce to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
- Stir your cornstarch and water mixture one last time and pour it into the sauce. Return the sauce to the heat and bring back to a simmer. Once the sauce has thickened, liberally brush it over the chicken.1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Broil the chicken for 2-5 minutes until browned and lacquered with sauce. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.Sliced green onions, Sesame seeds
Notes
- You can marinate the chicken drumsticks in the sauce anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours before baking them. Store the drumsticks in the sauce, in an airtight container or resealable bag, in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- To keep the drumsticks juicy while baking, I baste them every 5-10 minutes with the sauce from the bottom of the pan. This also creates a more concentrated flavor.
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
Note: Water, salt, pepper, oil, and broth are not counted as ingredients on this site.
How to Make Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks in the Oven Step by Step
Make the Teriyaki Sauce: Preheat the oven to 425°F, then spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks in a single layer in the baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of soy sauce, ¼ cup of water, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger, 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, and 1-3 teaspoons of Sriracha (depending on how spicy you want it to be).
Bake the Drumsticks: Pour the sauce over the drumsticks. Then bake for 40-45 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time. When they’re done, remove from the oven and set the chicken aside.
Simmer the Sauce: Next, pour the remaining sauce from the bottom of the baking dish into a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer on the stovetop. Once simmering, remove it from the heat.
Make a Slurry: In a small dish, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water to make a slurry.
Thicken the Sauce: Stir the cornstarch slurry into the teriyaki sauce, return it to heat and bring it back to a simmer, and let it thicken.
Broil: Once the teriyaki sauce has thickened to your liking, liberally brush it over the baked chicken legs. Then broil the chicken for 2-5 minutes, until browned and lacquered with sauce.
Serve: Garnish baked drumsticks with green onions and sesame seeds to serve, if desired.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
Store leftover teriyaki chicken drumsticks in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat chicken legs in a 350°F oven or Air Fryer for 8-10 minutes, or until warmed through. If frozen, thaw before reheating.
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