These spicy korean chicken drumsticks are soaked overnight in an easy marinade that consists of only 5 ingredients, then baked in the oven until cooked through – a simple and delicious dish to go with a big bowl of carbohydrates (white rice, fried rice, fried noodles are fantastic to go with them!)
To many others, the weather here has warmed up considerably these days but by my standards, it’s still a tad too cold. Hence I still have a strong craving for soups and spicy food because these two types of dishes are the best to warm one up! With my recently re-stocked tub of gochujang, I decided to make some baked chicken using my baked spicy korean salmon recipe as not only I can heat myself up with some spicy food, I can also submit this recipe to two events! (One stone recipe kill two three “birds”!)
While there’s a fork in the photos, I actually couldn’t be bothered to use it as I like to go Flintstones Style – just use my hands to grab one and dig in! There’s something deeply satisfying with eating a chicken drumsticks using my bare hands… or is it just me?
If I had made this dish in Singapore, the chicken skin would definitely still be left intact as it’s usually very clean. However, the kosher chicken that we buy here still came with quite a bit of feathers and pinfeathers intact, due to the different methods used to remove the chicken feathers (if you are interested you can read more about it here). Usually I will spend some time removing the feathers, but this time round I don’t want to go through the trouble, so I simply ripped off the chicken skin with the help of a dry paper towel (I elaborated on how I did it for my chicken and tofu stew).
With or without skins, the chicken drumsticks still taste juicy, spicy and delicious. I will not forgo the toasted sesame seeds and spring onion as they add such a wonderful aroma and light crunch to the chicken (and they made them look many times more appetising too hehe)! And here’s how to make it!
Step-by-step Photos | |
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| 1) Combine gochujang, honey, sake, light soy sauce and sesame oil in a mixing bowl. | 2) Add in the chicken drumsticks and toss to coat them thoroughly with the marinade. |
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| 3) Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight so that the chicken will be flavourful. | 4) Bake the chicken drumsticks for 35 to 45 minutes in the center rack, until they are cooked through. |
This post is linked to the event Bake Along #93 (Baked/Roasted Chicken) organised by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids), Joyce (Kitchen Flavours) and Lena (Frozen Wings).
This post is also linked to the event Little Thumbs Up (March 2015 Event: Honey) organised by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids) and Doreen (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Joyce (joycescapade.com).
Baked Spicy Korean Chicken Drumsticks
INGREDIENTS
- 4 to 5 chicken drumsticks
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- Toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish
- Chopped spring onion, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Rinse and pat-dry chicken drumsticks. If you want to remove the skin, pull off the chicken skin with the help of a dry tea towel or dry kitchen paper.
- Combine gochujang, honey, sake, light soy sauce and sesame oil in a mixing bowl. Add in the chicken drumsticks and toss to coat them thoroughly with the marinade.
- Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight so that the chicken will be flavourful.
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F (with or without fan assistance is fine. You can also toast the sesame seeds while the oven is preheating). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the chicken drumsticks on top, skin side up (if the skin is still attached).
- Bake the chicken drumsticks for 35 to 45 minutes in the center rack, until they are cooked through. If the skin is not crisp enough, shift the chicken drumsticks to the top and turn on the broiler. Broil for about 5 minutes, watching the chicken durmsticks closely, until the skin is crispy.
- Transfer the chicken drumsticks to a serving plate, sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onion on top and serve with white rice, fried rice or fried noodles.
Stephanie says
Hello! I made this with some modifications and it was extremely successful:
– I doubled the recipe and used skinless drumsticks (twelve in total)
– I used apple cider vinegar because I didn’t have sake
– I swapped out half the sesame oil for extra virgin olive oil
– I added 4 tablespoons grated ginger, 6 cloves diced garlic, and dashes of white and black pepper
– I marinated for 20 hours
– Baked in the center rank, didn’t broil them
They came out orange instead of red but that’s fine with me! They taste amazing and I will definitely be making this recipe again. ❤
Albert L J Hall says
I ‘discovered’ GOCHUJANG just after the first UK COVID lock-down. Looking for something to do I had a go at making KIMCHI. Turned out quite remarkable and I’m hooked! Try adding a little to RED CABBAGE SAUERKRAUT which is my favourite sauerkraut and I do not understand why it’s not more widely available! Have I spotted an opportunity?] I can’t give you a quantity because it’s all a matter of taste but it gives a new dimension that’s for sure. Haven’t tried Gochujang in a marinade with chicken drumsticks as yet but I surely will.
Tried it with finely sliced BEEF – strips [ from what we call FLAT IRON steak in the UK which I believe is skirt] with stir-fried RED PEPPERS and ONION plus the usual soy sauce blah, blah, blah and noodles or rice And that is bloomin’ good!. Once again not into details because each to her or his own as far as noodles or rice are concerned
JD (@deangulbury) says
Hey, great recipe… I’ve had a pack of chicken legs in the freezer that I’ve been meaning to use for something… and I’ve been sitting on a tub of gochujang paste. I will advise for anyone making this in the future that if you are making more than 5 or 6 legs, then don’t double everything up— you will need a lot more gochujang. I’m baking mine now, but I knew in advance they were not going to turn out as LOVELY as the red in the picture after you take them out of the marinade. I knew I had it a little off balance when my marinade was a little “watery” … I definitely used a tad too much sesame oil and sake, which prevented the good red coloring, the gochujang, from sticking good. I went ahead and removed the skins from mine and they were dry. Just a word of advice if you are tempted to double everything up. I know they will taste very good, but mine are sort of more orange glazed looking, definitely not red. :)) Thanks for this recipe… I’m white but I love Korean cuisine and only know very basic things and have limited selection where I live. So, knowing the basic flavors helps out a lot. Beautiful pictures.
Jasline N. says
Hi JD! Thank you so much for your imput! I’m not Korean too but I love Korean cuisine, they are so delicious!
lindsienm says
These look amazing, thank you for sharing!!
Kimmy says
Wow, these drumsticks are so tempting.
joycekitchenflavours says
Hi Jasline,
I wish that bowl of your chicken drumsticks is on my table! Spicy is my kinda food! I love gochujang paste and have just replenished another tub a few days ago. Gochujang paste, sesame seeds and spring onions, definitely spells out Korean! Your Korean baked chicken looks delicious!
ChgoJohn says
Sold! Yet another reason, Jasline, to bypass the chicken breasts and head straight to the dark meat. These legs sound fantastic. I’d make them in place of wings anytime. Thanks for sharing another great recipe.
Nagi@RecipeTinEats says
Chicken with a twist. I love the spiciness of these chicken drumsticks!
lena says
i didnt even realise that their skinless until you mentioned it cos they were so well baked! feel like taking a bite at the chicken in your 3rd pic!
May Law says
好赞的韩式烤鸡， 我家最喜欢鸡了！
这个食谱我带走了， 谢谢。。。
bentodays says
Looks super yum! Better than those from the local eateries here!
Mary Frances says
That looks delicious!!
Monica says
Seriously finger-licking tastiness right here! : )
Zoe (@bake4happykids) says
Hi Jasline,
After reading post saying the kosher chicken that you used came with quite a bit of feathers, I laughed thinking of my husband saying that the chicken in Aus are fatter than the ones that we bought in SG! LOL! Whether it is Aus or Kosher chicken, I think the use of the right marinating sauce is more important and I can see yours are very delicious 🙂
Zoe