Maple Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

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

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.

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.

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).

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Maple Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

written by Ashley Fehr

5 from 1 vote

Maple Glazed chicken Drumsticks are a simple, 6-ingredient sweet and spicy meal that's perfect for summer grilling! They are always a big hit!

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Cuisine American

Course Main Course

Servings 4 servings

Calories 353cal

Ingredients

• ▢ 8-12 chicken drumsticks
• ▢ ½ cup + ¼ cup maple syrup divided
• ▢ ½ cup + ¼ cup chili sauce divided
• ▢ ¼ cup + ⅛cup apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 1 tsp + ½tsp minced garlic divided
• ▢ salt

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. Pour over drumsticks into a bag. You can also do this in a large bowl, and stir to coat, but it is easiest in a bag.
• Seal the bag and turn to coat drumsticks. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 2-8 hours (I marinated mine for just a couple of 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 it 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 the heat and keep warm until the chicken is done.
• Brush drumsticks with thickened glaze before serving.
• Store: Store this dish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow the chicken to cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge. Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking it.

Notes

Store: Store this dish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow the chicken to cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge. Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking it.

Freeze: Maple glazed chicken drumsticks can be frozen after cooking them very easily. I’d recommend removing the meat from the bone and shredding the chicken. Put the shredded chicken in a Ziploc bag, and store it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave or on top of foil on the grill.

 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 353cal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 557mg | Potassium: 529mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 271IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg

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