Char Siu Chicken Drumsticks
A low-effort chicken dinner with the same great flavors as Cantonese roast pork!
Cooking Summary
Ingredients: (detailed list)
- Main Ingredients: chicken drumstick, oil, honey
- Marinade Ingredients: ground bean sauce, hoisin sauce, tomato sauce, red fermented bean curd, black pepper, five spice powder, garlic salt, sugar, cooking wine, shallot, ginger
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Top 3 Mistakes
- Skipping the roasting rack:
Set the drumsticks on a rack over the lined baking pan, with space between them. The rack lets air circulate around the meat instead of leaving the undersides against the tray.
- Rushing the marinade time:
Coat the drumsticks thoroughly and refrigerate them for the marinating time in the recipe. A quick splash of sauce just before baking skips that preparation stage entirely.
- Glazing at the wrong time:
Apply the honey near the end, after the main cooking stage, then return the drumsticks briefly to the oven. This final pass is for crisping and caramelizing the glaze.
Overview
Char Siu Chicken Drumsticks (叉燒雞髀) is an easier, budget-friendly dinner that has all the great flavors you know and love from classic Cantonese Char Siu.
It adds our sweet, savory roast pork marinade to chicken drumsticks, one of the most economical cuts of meat available. Like chicken thighs, it has a higher fat content that keeps the meat juicy and flavorful (yes, even if you overcook it a bit). Plus, the built-in handle makes it a kid-friendly hit around our home!
Like some of my dad's best easy recipes, there's not a ton of prep involved. All you have to do is combine a few ingredients to make a marinade and the oven does most of the heavy lifting. It's the perfect weeknight dish when you're also short on time, but you're craving the familiar flavors of a classic Chinese dish.
Ingredients
Why this recipe
Most char siu chicken drumsticks recipes online are tested only a handful of times. My dad used to make this dish multiple times a day, every day, for 60+ years and can make this in his sleep.
I know you'll love it as much as our community does! This recipe has over 114.3K views, 2.6K likes on YouTube.
How to make Char Siu Chicken Drumsticks
Prep marinade
To a bowl, add the ground bean sauce (3 tablespoon), hoisin sauce (2 tablespoon), tomato sauce (2 tablespoon), red fermented bean curd (1 piece), black pepper (0.50 teaspoon), five spice powder (0.50 teaspoon), garlic salt (1 teaspoon), sugar (2 tablespoon) and cooking wine (1 tablespoon). Crush the piece of red fermented bean curd using the back of a spoon, then mix everything together until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust, if needed. My dad adds more sugar. (1 teaspoon)
Mince the shallots (1 oz) and add to the marinade.
Cut the ginger (0.50 oz) into thin slices, then into strips. Mince and add to the marinade.
Mix all the ingredients together until smooth.
Prep & marinate chicken
Dry the drumsticks (2 lb) with paper towels and place them in a large bowl.
Carefully pierce the thickest part of the drumstick 2 to 3 times with a small paring knife.
Pour half of the marinade over the drumsticks and spread it over each piece. Add a bit more marinade, making sure the drumsticks are thoroughly coated, then pour the remainder on top.
Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and let marinate for at least 1 to 2 hours, or up to overnight, in the fridge.
Bake chicken
Preheat oven to 385°F and set a rack into the middle position.
Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and place a baking rack on top. This will allow air to flow around the drumsticks as they cook.
Put the drumsticks on the baking rack and space them out evenly. If using, insert a leave-in thermometer into the thickest part of the drum.
Place the baking sheet into the oven and set a timer for 50 minutes. At 30 minutes into baking, remove the pan from the oven. Flip all of the drumsticks and drizzle each one with some oil (1 teaspoon).
Put drumsticks back into the oven and set the baking temperature to 390°F. Let cook for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until the internal temperature to be at 180°F.
Remove the pan from the oven and slather the drumsticks with honey (1 tablespoon), flipping them back to the original side.
(Chef's Tip: If you don't have honey on hand, you can make a simple syrup using a 1:1 ratio of water and sugar. Combine the two ingredients, then microwave for 1 minute.)
Put the drumsticks back into the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes to crisp up the skin and caramelize the honey.
If using an air fryer, bake for 30 minutes, flipping the drumsticks at 20 minutes in.
Take out drumsticks, plate and serve!
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Made with love ❤️
We started Made With Lau to celebrate Cantonese culture and honor the legacy of our wonderful parents, Jenny and Chung Sun Lau.
Our hope is that these recipes and stories help you spread the joy, love, and nostalgia that I felt growing up.
