Stuff You’ll Need
- 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms) chicken drumsticks, trimmed
- 2½ cups milk
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 6 tablespoons (87 grams) finely chopped garlic
- 2½ tablespoons salted butter
Marinate the Chicken
Rinse and drain 3 lb chicken drumsticks.
In a large bowl, toss with 2½ cups milk. Submerge completely. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Drain, rinse until water runs clear, and dry the bowl. Slash each drumstick 4–6 times to the bone. Pat dry and return to the bowl.
Toss with ¼ cup olive oil, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Make the Sauce
Whisk together:
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Set aside.
Cook the Chicken
Remove chicken from fridge and toss again. Stretch skin over meat.
Place skin-side down in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Drizzle in any leftover oil.
Cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until golden spots form, ~10 min.
Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, turning occasionally, until 185°F, ~20 min.
Add Garlic and Glaze
Add 6 tbsp chopped garlic to oil pools between drumsticks.
Cook ~30 sec until fragrant, then toss chicken to coat in garlic.
Pour in sauce and scrape up browned bits.
Cook over medium-high heat, basting constantly, until thickened, ~2 min.
Stir in butter to form glaze, ~30 sec. Serve immediately.
Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken drumsticks trimmed
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt divided
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper divided
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons finely minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
Instructions
- Rinse and drain 3 pounds trimmed chicken drumsticks.
- Place in a large bowl, add 2 cups whole milk, and toss to coat.
- Arrange drumsticks in an even layer, ensuring all are submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Drain chicken and rinse thoroughly until water runs clear. Clean and dry the bowl.
- Using a sharp knife, make 4–6 slashes in each drumstick, cutting to the bone. Pat dry with paper towels and return to the bowl.
- Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, ¾ teaspoon fine salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons honey, 1½ tablespoons soy sauce, 1½ tablespoons distilled white vinegar, 1½ tablespoons sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Set sauce aside.
- Remove chicken from the refrigerator and toss again in the settled oil. Stretch the skin to cover each drumstick evenly.
- Place skin-side down in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Drizzle any remaining oil from the bowl over the chicken.
- Cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until spotty golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken reaches at least 185°F, about 20 minutes.
- Add 5 tablespoons finely minced garlic to the oil pools between drumsticks.
- Cook, spreading garlic with a spoon, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Gently toss chicken to coat evenly with garlic.
- Pour in the reserved sauce, scraping up browned bits from the skillet.
- Increase heat to medium-high and cook, continuously basting chicken, until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons salted butter until the sauce forms a glaze, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately.
