Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
Satisfy your taste buds with these flavorful teriyaki grilled chicken drumsticks. Perfect for a summer BBQ or a quick weeknight dinner.
This teriyaki chicken drumsticks recipe is ideal for cooking chicken over the grill grates of a smoker. The indirect heat cooks the drumsticks to perfection, with crispy skin and tender dark meat.
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This easy recipe is one of our favorite ways to prepare teriyaki chicken legs! The simple teriyaki chicken marinade is absolutely delicious and creates the perfect coating for drumsticks.
This teriyaki chicken recipe makes the most delicious drumsticks with beautiful grill marks. They make the perfect summer dinner when paired with this loaded potato salad, corn on the cob or dill pickle pasta salad.
How long does it take to grill drumsticks?
This typically depends on how hot your grill is. A good rule of thumb is a grill that is heated to medium high, 400 degrees F, will cook chicken drumsticks in 30-35 minutes.
Combine a few basic ingredients to create easy and tasty grilled drumsticks this BBQ season. This cooking method is the best way to cook flavourful and tender chicken drumsticks, hands down.
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Supplies:
- Traeger 780 Pro Smoker Grill – this is our Traeger model, it’s the perfect size for families who like to entertain! Be sure to check out all of our must have Traeger products.
- Meater Thermometer – we love this wireless meat thermometer. It connects to an app that tells you exactly when your meat is done!
- BBQ tongs – these are my favorite tongs for grasping grilled meat.
- Basting brush – this one is great for coating each drumstick in BBQ sauce.
- Paper towels – a must for clean up!
- Aluminum foil – used to wrap and transport the chicken.
Grilled Chicken Drumsticks:
Ingredients:
- 8-10 chicken drumsticks
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 5 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger or 1 tsp ground
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp minced garlic or 1 tsp ground
- 2 Tbsp corn starch
- 1/4 cup water
- Sesame seeds
Note: Any kind of teriyaki sauce will work but we love this homemade teriyaki sauce. It combines brown sugar, ginger and soy sauce in a way that our whole family loves. Use your favorite sauce or make our homemade sauce with simple ingredients from the grocery store.
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl combine water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ginger and garlic. Whisk together.
2. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water. Mix well.
3. Pour the first mixture into a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat (about 5 mins).
4. When the sauce begins to boil, add the cornstarch mixture and whisk continuously.
5. When the teriyaki marinade begins to thicken (about 2 mins), remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature.
6. In a dish or freezer bag, coat the chicken in 3/4 of the teriyaki marinade and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
7. Place the chicken drumsticks on the grill, discard marinade and baste with reserved teriyaki sauce.
8. Cook for 15 minutes, turn and baste with sauce again.
9. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170 degrees F when measured with a meat thermometer.
10. Top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds or diced green onion.
Tips and tricks:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Add a little bit of onion powder, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper or cayenne pepper to the coated chicken before grilling to take them up a notch.
- You could coat the chicken legs with a spice rub before basting with teriyaki sauce. We make our own dry rub for all of our smoked recipes.
- Test out a variety of different teriyaki sauces to suit your tastes.
- Use chicken thighs or chicken breasts instead of drumsticks for a new dish.
We are avid grillers during the summer time! Check out a few of our favorite chicken recipes…
More chicken recipes:
- Grilled BBQ chicken wings
- Bacon wrapped chicken tenders
- BBQ skinless chicken thighs
- Teriyaki Chicken Wings
- Huli Huli chicken recipe
- Baked chicken breasts
- BBQ chicken drumsticks
- Beer can chicken
- Traeger grilled chicken wings
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Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 8-10 chicken drumsticks
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 5 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger or 1 tsp ground
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp minced garlic or 1 tsp ground
- 2 Tbsp corn starch
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- 1. In a large mixing bowl combine water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ginger and garlic. Whisk together.
- 2. In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water. Mix well.
- 3. Pour the first mixture into a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat (about 5 mins).
- 4. When the sauce begins to boil, add the cornstarch mixture and whisk continuously.
- 5. When the teriyaki marinade begins to thicken (about 2 mins), remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- 6. In a dish or large freezer bag, coat the chicken in 3/4 of the teriyaki marinade and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- 7. Place the chicken drumsticks on the grill, baste with reserved teriyaki sauce.
- 8. Cook for 15 minutes, turn and baste with sauce again.
- 9. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170 degrees F when measured with a meat thermometer.
Video
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