Sticky & Sweet Drumsticks

My sticky and sweet drumsticks are so yummy. Enjoy them over a bed of rice or veggies of your choice.

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Ingredients

Makes about 10 drumsticks

• 1 pack (1kg) organic chicken drumsticks, washed

• 3 tbsp avocado oil

• 1/2 cup tamari sauce (gluten-free soy sauce)

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar

• 3 large garlic cloves, minced

• 1/2 onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

• 1/4 cup water, plus 1 tbsp

• 1 tsp chili flakes

• 4 tbsp coconut sugar

• 2 tbsp fresh ginger thinly sliced or 1 tsp ginger powder

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tsp celery seeds

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

• 2 scallions thinly sliced

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Preparation

Rinse the drumsticks under cold water and pat dry. Set aside.

I like to prepare the marinade in a large ziploc bag. Place your ziploc bag upright on a sheet pan, folding back the edges to create a bowl-shaped vessel.

Add tamari sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, onion, 1/4 cup water, chilli flakes, coconut sugar, ginger or ginger powder, black pepper, celery seeds, and bay leaves to the bag. Stir the marinade to combine all the flavours.

Add the drumsticks to the marinade. Seal the bag tightly, allowing all the air out, and rub the chicken well so the drums are fully covered with the marinade.

Lay the bag flat on a sheet pan and place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. The longer the chicken soaks in the flavours, the better — I usually leave mine for 6 hours. Flip the bag over several times throughout to ensure the chicken absorbs the marinade evenly.

After the chicken has marinated, remove it from the refrigerator.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat, and add avocado oil.

Add the chicken drums to the pan in a single layer, reserving the marinade.

Let the drums cook for about 5-6 minutes, then flip them over, allowing them to cook for an additional 3-4 minutes before adding all the marinade to the drumsticks.

Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking the drumsticks for 25 minutes or an internal temperature reaches 165-170ºF.

When the chicken is cooked, remove drums and set aside on a serving plate.

Increase heat to medium-high heat. Add maple syrup and 1 tbsp of water to the sauce. Allow the sauce to continue cooking until it thickens, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes (be mindful it does not burn or get too dark because it will taste bitter if this happens).

When the sauce has reached a syrup-like consistency, pour over drumsticks.

Sprinkle sesame seeds all over chicken and top with sliced scallions.

Enjoy!