As much as I love a good chicken wing in all it’s many variations from spicy buffalo to sweet teriyaki, I’d like to make a case for the seemingly long forgotten drumstick. Especially, these sweet, spicy, sticky Ginger-Orange Chicken Drumsticks.
When we were kids, we used to clamor to get one of these delectable pieces of meat with a built in handle. There were only two drumsticks, but there we four of us and the younger two always seemed to win out. Some time in the 1970s bar owners Teressa and Frank Bellissimo deep-fried some chicken wings (which normally would have been thrown away or saved for making stock), tossed them in some hot sauce and the rest is Buffalo wing history. And the drumstick was forgotten.
Chicken wing are perfect for watching the game in a bar where you have a table and plenty of napkins, but what about in the stadium parking lot? It’s tailgating season and this, my friends, is when the chicken leg becomes the superior appendage. The drumstick doesn’t require two hands to pull it apart to get to all the meat causing you to have to set it down and wipe the sauce from your hands before you can grab your beer. With the drumstick’s built in handle, you never have to set it down! Beer in one hand, drumstick in the other. Genius.
- 5 pounds chicken drumsticks
- 1 cup orange juice
- ¾ cup hoisin sauce
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup light soy sauce
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoon sriracha sauce + ⅓ cup
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup orange marmalade
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, for grilling
- Place chicken in a shallow pan just large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer; set aside.
- Whisk together the orange juice, hoisin, sauce, water, soy sauce, honey, 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce, ginger, garlic, and cinnamon. Pour marinade over chicken then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Remove chicken from marinade (do not discard marinade) 45 minutes to an hour before cooking and pat dry with paper towels. Smooth out skin and season with salt and pepper.
- Strain marinade and reserving ⅓ cup of the liquid plus the ginger and garlic. Add the reserved marinade, ginger and, garlic, ⅓ cup sriracha, marmalade, and rice vinegar to a small saucepan. bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the glaze thickens. Set aside until needed.
- Set up grill for indirect grilling over medium heat. Brush and oil grate when ready to start cooking and the cooking temp is 350˚F.
- Place the chicken over the lit burners and sear until marked; about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Move the chicken to the indirect side of the grill and close the grill cover and cook for 45 to 60 minutes. Brush glaze on chicken and continue cooking. Turn and brush with glaze every 10 minutes after that until the chicken is no longer pink at the bone and the internal temperature reaches 175˚F to 180˚F. Transfer to a serving platter, tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes. Carryover heat will raise the internal temperature another 5 degrees.
- Brush chicken with any leftover glaze and serve hot or at room temperature.
Cheers and Happy Grilling!
Jeff
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