Honey Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks

Updated July, 29, 2018

For dinner tonight, we had honey balsamic chicken drumsticks with jasmine rice and green beans.

I had not made this recipe in at least two or three years, and I made a few changes tonight, so I decided to give this post a facelift, and add some new pictures. 

My husband said dinner was an A+, and we all wondered why I hadn't made this in so long. It really is a delicious and easy dinner, and we all enjoyed the marinade made with coconut palm sugar and coconut aminos, instead of brown sugar and soy sauce. 

Gluten Free Honey Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks 

Ingredients

12 chicken drumsticks

1/2 C white balsamic vinegar

1/2 C honey

1/2 C coconut palm sugar 

1/4 C coconut aminos

6 garlic cloves - peeled and cut in half

3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Optional - 2 C uncooked rice, prepared according to package directions (cook with water, and do not add oil, butter, or salt)

Directions 

Add the vinegar, honey, coconut palm sugar, and coconut aminos to a large freezer bag. Seal the bag, and massage the ingredients to combine before adding the garlic, rosemary, and chicken.  

Squeeze out the air before sealing the freezer bag. Massage the drumsticks through the bag, making sure the marinade is evenly distributed.  

Marinate the chicken for 4 hours in the refrigerator, flipping the freezer bag every hour. 

Remove the chicken from the fridge, and preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place the drumsticks on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, and pour the marinade into a small saucepan, removing the garlic and rosemary.  

Bake the chicken for 25 minutes, or until nicely browned in large spots. Turn the chicken over, turn the oven to low broil, and cook until nicely browned on top. 

While the chicken is cooking, bring the marinade to a boil to kill bacteria, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the chicken is done, or the marinade begins to thicken. Stir every couple of minutes.  

Pour or brush the marinade over the chicken, reserving some for your rice.

Serves 4

Recipe Notes

In the past, I made this recipe with brown sugar instead of the coconut palm sugar, and Tamari reduced sodium soy sauce instead of the coconut aminos. I do not like the taste of coconut, but coconut palm sugar and coconut aminos do not taste like coconut. 

I used Lundberg Organic California White Jasmine Rice tonight. 

In the past, I have made Lundberg short grain brown rice with this recipe, but my daughters prefer white rice. 

Adapted from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe for Balsamic Chicken Drumettes