| Budget Friendly, Chicken, Healthy Lunchbox, Make-ahead Meals
Today, I have for you, a delicious sticky drumsticks recipe – perfect for picnics, a meal, and leftovers are great for school lunches too. They’re budget friendly (even organic drumsticks are quite affordable), super quick to make and something I’m sure the whole family will love.
Health benefits
Most stores bought marinades are a combination of unhealthy ingredients such as sugar, vegetable oils, additives, and preservatives. This homemade marinade demonstrates that healthy doesn’t necessarily mean hours in the kitchen. The marinade is gluten, dairy and has a fructose-free option.
Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit many specific dietary requirements.
Sticky Drumsticks (with a simple tahini yoghurt dipping sauce)
Prep 5 minutes minutes
Cook 40 minutes minutes
Total 45 minutes minutes
Serves: 12 drumsticks
A simple, easy to make and delicious meal, make enough of these Sticky Drumsticks (with a simple Tahini yoghurt dipping sauce) so there are some leftover for tomorrows lunch.
Ingredients
- 12 chicken drumsticks (approx.)
Marinade
- 1 clove/s garlic -crushed
- 60 ml tamari (¼ cup)
- 85 g rice malt syrup or honey (¼ cup)
- 1 lemon/s -zest and juice
Simple tahini yoghurt dipping sauce
- 250 g full-fat natural yoghurt (1 cup)
- 2 tbsp hulled tahini
- ¼ tsp sea salt - or to taste
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (fan-forced).
In a small bowl or jug mix all the marinade ingredients together.
Place the drumsticks in a small roasting dish in a single layer.
Pour the marinade over the top to toss and coat the chicken evenly and place in the oven for about 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. If they are not brown enough, you can always place them under the grill for a few minutes at the end of the cooking process.
While they are baking make the dipping sauce. Mix all of the ingredients until well combined and serve with the drumsticks.
BBQ tip
If you wanted to BBQ these you could. Just score the meat of each of the drumsticks three times, to allow the marinated to penetrate and to help them to cook through without burning.
Serve
Serve with a napkin or wrap foil around the 'handles' .
Enjoy hot or cold with the tahini yogurt dipping sauce (recipe below).
Make-ahead
Re-heat covered in a low oven until just hot.
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Variations
Fructose-friendly
Choose rice malt as your sweetener.
Dairy-free
Choose coconut yoghurt for the dipping sauce.
Sesame-free
Replace the tahini with almond butter.
Garlic-free
Replace the garlic with a teaspoon of cumin and a pinch of chilli flakes.
Soy-free
Replace the tamari with liquid or coconut aminos.
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Course: Main Course
Reader Interactions
31 Comments
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kelly seach says
Thank you. Made with coconut aminos in place of tamari as we are soy free, yummy as usual 🙂
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Georgia Harding says
Thanks Kelly, great alternative for soy free, thanks for sharing, G x
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kate @ livinglovinglaughing says
Just made this for dinner tonight – as the kids gobbled it down, hubby declared ‘this is world class food, and the dip just makes it!!’ – so – another success thanks 🙂
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Georgia Harding says
Yippee, love happy family feedback! Yes the sauce is so simple to make and just adds a bit more interest (and goodness). G x
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Anna says
Hello, I have been loving exploring this site, I have never cooked meat before but am starting to try and make it for my kids and family, I made these chicken drumseticks the other night and I have a question (which will seem basic to meat eaters I think), but do I wash the chicken first? I did wash it and then whilst cooking there was a lot of liquid, thanks for any advice, Anna 🙂
Reply
Georgia Harding says
Hi Anna, I was a vegetarian for nearly 20 years so no, not a strange question at all. I don’t wash my chicken, I actually touch it as little as possible – I think a hang-up from my vego days. As long as they are in a single layer, and cooked quickly, their shouldn’t be a lot of liquid. Hope this helps? Glad you are enjoying browsing my site,G x
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Jodi C says
Mine had a lot of liquid too (and no, I didn’t wash the chicken – washing raw chicken can increase of food poisoning if I recall). Mine was the marinade even though I followed the quantities correctly. Still tasted yum though. Though I can’t believe I took the time to make the sauce and forgot to serve it along with it!
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Georgia Harding says
Hi Jodi, glad you enjoyed them. I’m wondering if the chicken that’s getting watery is ‘plumped’. It’s pretty common practice from what I understand to inject brine into chicken to keep the meat moist. I buy my chickens direct from a local farmer so maybe this is why it doesn’t go watery.
Bugger with the sauce – very annoying when you forget part of a meal. I did this recently with a whole tray of baked potatoes – we had guests over and I woke yup the next morning and realised they were still in the oven (luckily I’d turned it off!!). G x
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Renee says
Hi Georgia, Any good food ideas or websites i can use for a 7 month old baby just starting to eat solids? Another thing, as I’m on maternity leave money is so tight, I try my best to buy organic but sometimes the budget can’t stretch that far sometimes. I would like to know am I wasting my time buying non organic products or are they still ok to buy? Now that I have a baby starting to eating solids I feel terrible I can’t always give him organic. I hope you understand what I mean lol. Thanks for reading 🙂 Renee ps: I just love your website!!
Reply
Georgia Harding says
Hi Renee. My advise is to keep it very simple introducing solids. One food at a time every 3-5 days to make sure there are no intolerance’s. I understand budget restrictions with a new bub (I have been there myself). In the very early days when I was introducing one food at a time, I would buy very small quantities of organic just for my daughter and steam purees and pieces for her. Otherwise try your local farmers market and ensure it is local and always seasonal for the most nutritious produce. I have written about feeding babies here https://wellnourished.com.au/the-well-nourished-baby-and-toddler/ (lots of different posts). Hope this has helped – do the very best you can (but please don’t stress)! G x
Reply
Shea says
Well Nourished is my ‘go to’ recipe bible – Georgia you are teaching and inspiring me to cook!!!!
Your Banana Bread (from Rise & Shine) is a crowd pleaser every time, shake&go pancakes are a regular breaky and this week sticky drumsticks.
I was chuffed with my first attempt (and the family’s reaction) with the drumsticks. I went grocery shopping especially for the ingredients, prepared, cooked, served it up, had a variety of fresh salad ingredients, watched hungry mouths demolish the lot, smiled to myself at how great a job I was doing providing nourishing food for my family, cleaned up – then I realised I forgot the dipping sauce!! CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW CROSS I WAS… Hahaha 🙂
Better luck next week (they have already been requested).Thank you so much for sharing your passion with us all!! Ox
Reply
Georgia Harding says
Thanks for your lovely message Shea. So glad you are cooking from my ebook and the drummies were a hit to. I have been known to ‘forget the sauce’ before too, totally understand how annoying it is. Always next time, G x
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Naeidra Deery says
Hi Georgia, we all love these but each time I’ve cooked them I don’t get brown or crispy skin on the drumsticks. Any suggestions? Thanks x
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Georgia Harding says
Hi Naeidra, yes you can do one of two things. Either quickly pan fry them first and then finish them in the oven, or, for the last few minutes of cooking you can turn your oven to grill (or overhead heating) to crisp (just watch they don’t burn). G x
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Naeidra Deery says
Great thanks Georgia x
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Danika Maxwell says
Just gorgeous! I made them with chicken lovely legs instead, topped with toasted sesame seeds and stirfried bok choy. The yoghurt sauce is delish but so it the chicken marinade! It’s impossible to pick what to dip the chicken into! These will be part of the regular menu. Thanks so much 🙂
Reply
Georgia Harding says
Glad you liked the flavour combo’s Danika G x
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Kirstin says
Hi. Just made the drumsticks. Do they need to cool before going in fridge? Second time making where we ate straight away. They are fantastic!
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Georgia Harding says
Sorry, probably too late, but for future reference, cool and refrigerate. G x
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Tamra Marment says
Hi Georgie. I just made this dish from your Lunch Box E Book. There were so easy to make, quick and delicious. Added benefit is the economical cost. Even organic drumsticks are only about $5/kg. Will definitely add this to the dinner menu.
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Georgia Harding says
Yes – they are such a great meal/lunchbox inclusion. Tick all the boxes! G x
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Gemma says
This recipe is a regular favourite in our home. Quick, simple and yummy. Have to do double the recipe as my boys can’t get enough! Thanks Georgia.
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Georgia Harding says
Fabulous Gemma, thrilled you all enjoy them Gx
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Elle says
Regular here (can’t believe I haven’t already reviewed!) – drumsticks, but also thighs. Very popular with my carnivores and lends itself to many different sides. Another winner. Thank you!Reply
Georgia Harding says
Thanks Elle, thrilled you love them G x
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Maria Crosbie says
Big hit with the family and so simple.Reply
Georgia Harding says
So glad you enjoyed them Maria, thanks so much for your feedback G x
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Ruth says
Chicken legs super yummy and that dipping sauce an absolute winner. The cinnamon is such a surprise and works so well against the sticky sweetness of the chicken. I enjoyed it with raw broccoli salad.Reply
Georgia Harding says
So glad you enjoyed them Ruth, cheers for the 5 stars G x
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Lauren says
Substitute for lemon juice?
Thanks!Reply
Georgia Harding says
Lime? Or a tbs of vinegar as another option G x
Reply
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