Sweet Garlic Grilled Chicken Drumsticks Recipe

4.45 from 9 votes

Sweet Garlic Grilled Chicken Drumsticks Recipe

No matter how hot it gets outside, this is the one dish that gets me standing at the grill anyway. The sweet garlic sauce works overtime: it marinates the chicken first, then simmers down into a sticky glaze for serving. It's a warm weather dinner I can prep in the morning and forget about until it's time to grill.

Prep Time2

Cook Time25

Total Time2 25

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian

Servings: 10-12

Calories: 189kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

10-12 chicken drumsticks

Sauce/Marinade:

6-8 lg cloves of garlic pressed
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp cornstarch for thickening the sauce
Optional: green onions for garnish

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients, except corn starch, for marinade in a bowl and whisk them together until fully combined.
Place your chicken drumsticks in a gallon zip-lock bag. Pour marinade into the bag as well and close it. Make sure to get the air out of the bag as you close it.
Place the bag into another large dish or a bowl with the zipper up so you don't get any accidental leaks. Place it in the fridge to marinade.
Let the chicken marinade for a couple of hours OR even overnight. (You can also prep it quickly in the morning for dinner time.)
Set your coals as low from the grate as possible so you let the chicken cook instead of burn. I recommend creating two temperature zones one directly over charcoal and one indirectly.
Prep the grill, clean it and preheat it.
Take the chicken out of the marinade, spray it with some cooking oil spray and grill. (Save the marinade.)
Cook chicken starting over direct heat for a couple of minutes per side, turning it 1/4 of the way. Then move the chicken over to the indirect heat, close the lid, and cook for a few minute per side. Until thermometer reads 175℉ - 185℉ degrees, inserted into the thickest part.
For the glaze:
Use the marinade that you've set aside. Whisk in cornstarch, mix it well and bring to simmer either on the grill or on the stove. If using the grill to heat the sauce, make sure to use a small, thin, metal pot. Bring the sauce to a low boil and cook the sauce, stirring often, for a few minutes until it's thickened. Take off heat once thickened.
Place cooked chicken drumsticks in a bowl and toss them with the thickened sauce.
Garnish with chopped green onions and serve.

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