Asian Grilled Chicken Drumsticks

This Asian Grilled Chicken Drumsticks recipe is a great way to put a delicious twist on inexpensive chicken drumsticks this grilling season.

These Asian Chicken Drumsticks are actually a melding of a simple Asian bbq sauce and a technique I recently found to slash chicken skin to help marinade penetrate.

It all started last night, when I grabbed some nice organic chicken drumsticks on the cheap (the sell by date was today).  While I was not about to cook them when we got home, and wasn’t in the mood for chicken for lunch, I didn’t exactly want them to hang around unprepared any longer than necessary either.

I ambled over to the Cooking Light site this morning, to see if something sparked my interest, when I stumble upon a recipe they published back in 2005 called Psycho Chicken… yup, they went there.  The recipe wasn’t what I was looking for, but I found the technique used in it, of slashing the chicken skin all over intriguing.  This allows the marinate to absorb into the meat well, while the remaining skin helps lock in moisture (removing chicken skin can be a  cumbersome task on some poultry cuts too).  I moved on, but still had haunting visions of a hapless chicken getting the business from Norman Bates.

Asian BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

These grilled drumsticks are marinated in a Ponzu /soy sauce mixture with curry powder, vinegar and brown sugar.   I added a bit of vinegar and fresh lime juice for acid.

I put the drumsticks into a zippered storage bag and tossed them to coat. The chicken was left to marinate for four hours.

These Asian Chicken Drumsticks are only slightly spicy and pair well with these other BBQ favorites.

• Classic Macaroni Salad
• Creamy Pea Salad
• Pineapple BBQ Pork Ribs
• Broccoli Salad with Bacon
• Sweet Chili Orange Grilled Pork Chops 

Asian Chicken Drumsticks - grilled

Grilled chicken drumsticks with Asian seasoning.

5 from 11 votes

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Course: Entree

Cuisine: Asian Fusion

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 217kcal

Author: Robin Gagnon

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds of chicken drumsticks approximate

Marinate

• 2 tbs light brown sugar packed
• 2 tbs low sodium soy sauce or 1 tbs soy sauce & 1 tbs Ponzu sauce
• 1/2 tbs fresh lime juice
• 1 tbs white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1 large or 2 small clove of garlic (crushed/minced)

Instructions

• Whisk together ingredients for marinate.
• Cut a few slashes into the skin of each drumstick, it is OK if you go into the meat a little.
• Combine the marinate and drumsticks in zippered storage bag and marinate for about 4 hours.
• Preheat grill, then reduce to medium when you put drumsticks on (reserve the marinate).
• While drumsticks are cooking zap the marinate in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, stir, then zap another minute if needed, just enough to thicken the marinate a little for basting.
• Turn the drumsticks after 10-12 minutes. Then turn and baste in about 10 more minutes.
• Let glaze set (1-2 minutes), then turn & baste other side. Remove chicken when that glaze sets.

Nutrition

Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 389mg | Potassium: 268mg | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 90IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.9mg