Spicy Peanut Ginger Drumsticks
Spicy peanut ginger drumsticks are marinated in a mix of soy sauce, black bean garlic sauce, ginger, cilantro, lime, and baked in the oven.
These Spicy Peanut Ginger Drumsticks were a labor of love. Literally and figuratively.
Baked chicken drumsticks can be a bit tricky. If you don’t marinate drumsticks long enough or season the marinade aggressively, you can end up with lackluster flavor. Or worse, all the deliciousness is on the outside and the inside is bland and flavorless.
These chicken drumsticks are far from bland due to two important steps: a) they marinate for 24 hours (this is crucial, 2-3 hours is not nearly enough), b) they are baked in the marinade, which results in a thick glaze and contributes even more flavor.
Bonus? You can prep these the morning of or the night before and have dinner ready on the table in less than 40 minutes.
Spicy Peanut Ginger Drumsticks
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (80 mL) soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons black bean garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon natural unsweetened peanut butter
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger peeled and finely grated
- 1 tablespoon sriracha hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- handful of cilantro stems washed
- 6-8 chicken drumsticks roughly 1½– 2 lbs
- kosher salt
- 1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- dry roasted unsalted peanuts finely chopped
- cilantro leaves
- fresh lime wedges for serving
- green onions finely sliced
Instructions
- Whisk the soy sauce, black bean garlic sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, sesame oil, grated ginger, sriracha, sugar, cilantro stems, and water in a large bowl. Add the drumsticks and coat them evenly in the marinade.
- Transfer marinade and drumsticks to a large Ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible. Place bag flat in a small baking dish or baking sheet and marinate for 24 hours.
- Remove the drumsticks from the fridge, and allow to them to rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the center position. Place the chicken drumsticks along with the marinade in a medium oven-proof baking dish or half sheet pan lined with aluminum foil.
- Bake for roughly 30 to 40 minutes, turning the drumsticks every 10 or 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 165°F (74°C). Allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle the drumsticks with toasted sesame seeds. Serve the drumsticks with crushed peanuts, fresh cilantro, fresh lime, and sliced green onions as desired.
56 Comments on “Spicy Peanut Ginger Drumsticks”
where do you find the black
Bean garlic sauce?
Hi Nicole! I found it at my local (very basic) grocery store, usually it is in the Asian section with things like soy sauce, etc. Hope that helps! 🙂
Just made these, delish! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback!
I made this with a pork tenderloin. There are just 2 of us so I made the marinade, put both pork tenderloins in, then once marinated and ready, took one out to cook and sealed the other back up and put in the freezer for another time with the marinade. The second one turned out just as good if not better than the first one. Great flavor, easy to make! Thank you for the recipe!
Dang! These sound amazeballs! Wish I had seen these last night when I marinated an entire package of drumsticks to make for supper tonight. Drat! These would’ve been so much more fun and tasty than what I’ve got going on.
Michelle, I think a mango slaw and coconut rice would go great with these.
I am in loooooovvvve! Can’t wait to make these. I love all things peanuts.
By the way – besides just steamed rice, what would be good to serve as side dish? I’m boring so a lot of times I just think of rice – or maybe even slightly dressed rice noodles. Thoughts?
Sooooo sorry for my late reply to this! I definitely think a simple veggie stir fry (or roasted veggies, such as broccoli), as well as something very simple like lightly steamed snap peas would be great with this. You could also make a simple soba noodle salad (there is a recipe for one on my site actually!). I hope this helps! 🙂
I made this tonight. I added a little garlic in the marinade. I could not find garlic flavored bean sauce. I used a spicy bean sauce. I also used both drumsticks and chicken breasts. It was FANTASTIC. My family loved it. Thank-you for sharing. I’ve made numerous recipes from pinterest. This one was the best chicken recipe I’ve tried.
So happy to hear this Ivy! Thank you!! And great to know that a substitute worked as well. Thank you for leaving a comment and letting me know!
Found this on Pinterest. Very creative selection of ingredients and the final results look terrific!
Hey Laura. What sides do you suggest for these yummy drumsticks?
I think sushi rice and some sort of stir fry, or roasted asparagus would be really good! 🙂
They turned out incredible! I’ll definitely try the cilantro stems the next time (just to use them up) but they were great without. Sprinkling with cilantro was perfect! I think I may try to double it or triple it for an upcoming family dinner. Great make ahead recipe!
That’s so great!! I’m so happy to hear that you liked them! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
I’m in the process of making these but can’t get cilantro until tomorrow. Do you think the marinade will suffer without the cilantro stems?
Hi Jen! I don’t think that will be a big problem at all! Definitely let me know how they turn out 🙂
Wow, I like the idea of marinating them that long—-great make ahead dish. Then pop them in the oven when your guests are there. No muss or fuss in the kitchen. Its something different too.
This looks fantastic! I am all about chicken drumsticks 🙂
Yes yes YEEESSSSS!!! These look so delicious – I am craving that crunch from peanuts mmm! Great post and beautiful photos!
Thanks so much Millie!
Oh no, that poor bottle of sriracha! So sad. And poor you for having to clean it up! Somehow the more in a rush/hungry I am the more likely it is that I will spill something EVERYWHERE or break a glass.
These drumsticks are a party in every bite!
I loved your intro 🙂 Just added you to bloglovin because of the Sriracha explosion. The recipe also has a lot going for it with all those ingredients although I never imagined black sesame seeds on this kind of chicken!
Thank you! 🙂