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Maple Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

written by Ashley Fehr

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Prep Time 10 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 6 servings

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Published on August 26, 2015 / Last updated on June 8, 2020

A simple, 6 ingredient sweet and spicy meal that’s perfect for summer grilling! These were a big hit!

maple glazed grilled chicken drumsticks on black plate with green onions

I know, I know — it’s August 26th! I should probably be posting pumpkin or Christmas cookies or something, right?

I am still hanging on to our last sliver of summer over here, so I was super excited about trying out these chicken drumsticks on the grill.

chicken drumsticks with grill marks and sticky glaze on black plate over blue checked napkin

I definitely want a sweet and stick glaze and decided on this combination of maple syrup and chili sauce because:

(a) I love Maple anything

(b) I love sweet on everything.

Sweet + spicy is my favorite mix on grilled anything — I just think you need a bit of sweetness to balance out the other flavors, right?

I also love the simple ingredient list: maple syrup, chili sauce, vinegar, garlic, salt, chicken. Simple is where its at theses days.

two chicken drumsticks overhead on a black plate sprinkled with green onions

I skinned a few of my drumsticks, and left the skin on a few.

I did this only because I don’t normally cook with skin on chicken, and I wanted to see what kind of a difference it made. I didn’t find that it made much of a difference in moisture or flavor, and I think it really comes down to (a) do you want to take the time to skin them? and (b) how much do you like the texture of the skin?

I placed some on a piece of tin foil on the grill, sprayed with non-stick on both sides, and I placed some on the grill directly. I tend to grill pretty much everything on a piece of tin foil because stuck on food is my worst nightmare. I found that they didn’t stick on the grill either way, but the ones on the grill charred much more quickly.

This isn’t a bad thing, and I like that the recipe warns against the quick caramelization (i.e., sugar burns!). I ended up taking the drumsticks off of the tin foil half way through so they would get some caramelization, and moved the ones from the grill to the top rack so they wouldn’t burn. Either way, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on them (like the recipe says).

black plate piled with grilled chicken drumsticks on a wooden background
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Maple Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

written by Ashley Fehr

These Maple Glazed Chicken Drumsticks are the perfect sweet and tangy grilled chicken recipe for your summer barbecue!
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Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Cuisine American
Course Main Course
Servings 6 servings
Calories 317cal

Ingredients

  • 12 chicken drumsticks
  • 1/2 cup + ¼ cup maple syrup divided
  • 1/2 cup + ¼ cup chili sauce divided
  • 1/4 cup + ⅛ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp + ½ tsp minced garlic divided
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Add chicken drumsticks to a large resealable plastic bag (skin on or off as desired). Combine ½ cup maple syrup, ½ cup chili sauce, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp minced garlic and salt and pepper as desired. Pour over drumsticks in bag.
  • Seal bag and turn to coat drumsticks. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 2-8 hours (I marinated mine just a couple hours).
  • Preheat grill to about 400 degrees F (I had 2 sides on, and one side off so I could move them to indirect heat if need be). Either grease the grill with oil or non-stick, or spray a piece of tin foil with non-stick spray and place on the grill over the heat (*see post for additional explanation). Place drumsticks on the grill, and cook, turning every so often, for 20-25 minutes or until meat starts to fall away from the bone. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn! Move to indirect heat if need be.
  • While drumsticks are cooking (or you can do this ahead of time if you need to), combine ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup chili sauce, ⅛ cup apple cider vinegar and ½ tsp minced garlic in a small pot. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until reduced and thickened (about 10-15 minutes). Turn off heat and keep warm until chicken is done.
  • Brush drumsticks with thickened glaze before serving.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 317cal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 423mg | Potassium: 462mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 3.4mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1.1mg

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Meet Ashley

My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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Comments

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Oh man! We have the Food Network and I just never get to watch it! Which is maybe even worse… Lol. Seriously, NEVER. Thanks Denise! I am kind of obsessed with maple as well!

      Reply

  9. karrie @ Tasty Ever After says

    Yummy! These drumsticks look delicious!! I’m totally going to make this recipe with chicken wings for tailgating at football games. Yeah, everyone will be hanging out at my grill 🙂 Yay to grilling until the cold weather sets in!

    Reply

  10. Cyndi - My Kitchen Craze says

    These look phenomenal Ashley!! Love that char. It’s still super hot here, so I need to make these asap! Actually I could make these in the winter too because it’s only in the 60’s during our winter. Pinning! 🙂

    Reply

  11. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    Oh my gawsh, I am SO NOT ready for pumpkin anything! I am with you, holding on very tightly to ALL the things summer I possibly can! And these drumsticks MUST happen before fall recipes take over my life! Sweet and spicy is my favorite combination too (because what is there not to love??), but MAPLE sweet and spicy? YUMMM! Loving these drumsticks! Pinned! Cheers and thanks for sharing the deliciousness!

    Reply

  12. Mariah @ Mariah's Pleasing Plates says

    You made me crack up with the whole posting pumpkin in August…it seriously is suddenly everywhere and I’m like uhhh isn’t it summer folks?
    And I love anything maple. These wings look so good! When we used to go up to Canada to visit my family we would have Maple Snow. Please tell me you have had that before?!?

    Reply

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Haha, yes of course I’ve had that before! Love it! And though I love the cooler weather and actually baking, it could stay like this for a few more months and I’d be perfectly happy!

      Reply

    • Ashley Fehr says

      Haha, I so wish I had more time to watch TV Natalie! I think that’s one of the things I miss most now — actually getting to watch my shows! Pretty soon you’ll be curling up with baby to watch the Real Housewives! 🙂

      Reply

  17. Dorothy Dunton says

    Hi Stacey! Keep right on grilling! I grill year round, even when we lived in MI. I would use skin on just because I like the crunchy skin. I still have some fabulous Amish maple syrup – I’ve been rather stingy with it, saving it for the really good stuff. And these certainly qualify as good stuff! 🙂

    Reply

    • Ashley Fehr says

      We rarely grill in the winter, but I think we’ve still got a good couple months of grilling left over here! I just love maple syrup — the real stuff is the only way to go!

      Reply

  21. marcie says

    These drumsticks have some serious char — they look amazing! I love maple syrup, too, and this marinade sounds incredible. I prefer grilling recipes over Christmas cookies — not ready for that yet! haha

    Reply

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