Sticky Chicken Drumsticks in Chinese Plum Sauce
Make Sticky Chicken Drumsticks in Chinese Plum Sauce for glossy, tangy drumsticks with simple steps and big flavor.
Ingredients
- 1.2kg / 2.4lb large chicken drumsticks (8 drumsticks)
- 3/4 cup / 185ml Fountain Plum Sauce (Note 1)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (can reduce to 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (all purpose or light, not dark soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, (minced)
- 1/2 tsp ginger, (minced)
- 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder (Note 2)
- Sesame seeds
- Finely chopped scallions
Instructions
Step 1: Make and marry the plum marinade
Combine the Fountain plum sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, hoisin, minced garlic, minced ginger and Chinese five-spice in a ziplock bag or a medium bowl. Mix until the sugar begins to dissolve and the sauce is glossy and uniform. Add the chicken drumsticks, press the bag to remove air (or use your hands to massage the bowl-coated pieces), and massage the marinade thoroughly into every drumstick so each skin is evenly coated. Refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavors penetrate (or follow your note to shorten this if needed). Enjoy the small ritual of massaging the sauce into the pores of the skin—this is where the flavour really starts to develop.
Step 2: Prepare the tray and reserve the glaze
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F while you line a rectangular baking tray with baking parchment (or foil plus a quick spray of oil). Shake each drumstick lightly as you transfer them from the marinade onto the prepared rectangular tray so excess marinade falls back into the bowl; set that reserved marinade aside in a small glass jar or bowl for basting. Arrange the drumsticks skin-side up, evenly spaced in the tray so hot air and glaze can caramelize the surfaces. Keep a rustic basting brush and the reserved sauce within reach on the same tray—these will travel with the drumsticks through the rest of the process.
Step 3: First bake and the inaugural generous baste
Slide the tray on the surface and bake for 20 minutes until the skins begin to firm and lighten at the edges. Remove the tray top-down, and, using the reserved marinade and the basting brush, slather each drumstick thoroughly—this first generous coat builds the sticky foundation. Return the tray to the oven; this moment (golden skin meeting thick plum sweetness) is when the chicken begins to transform from marinated to lacquered.
Step 4: Turn, baste repeatedly, caramelize to glossy mahogany
Continue with the sequence of basting and baking: after the first baste bake 10 minutes, remove the tray, turn each drumstick so previously lower surfaces can caramelize, baste again with the tray juices and reserved marinade, and bake another 10 minutes. Remove one final time for a very generous final glaze—brush every groove and recess with the concentrated tray juices and reserved sauce—then bake the last 10 minutes until the glaze is deeply caramelized and slightly sticky to the touch. Finish by brushing any remaining tray juices onto the drumsticks so none of that free flavour is abandoned; you should be left with deeply mahogany, lacquered skin with charred-sweet edges.
Step 5: Garnish and serve straight from the baking tray
Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and finely chopped scallions over the hot drumsticks, scatter a few thin red chili slices if you like a pop of colour, and arrange a handful of steamed broccolini and a neat mound of rice on the same rectangular tray to keep the geometric language consistent. Let the dish rest for a couple of minutes on the tray so the glaze sets slightly, then serve directly from that tray for a rustic, cohesive presentation—sticky, glossy, richly aromatic drumsticks paired with green freshness.
Notes
- Reserve some marinade for basting to build glossy layers.
- Use even sized drumsticks for consistent cooking.
- Line the tray with parchment or well-oiled foil for easy cleanup.
- Reheat in a low oven to revive the glaze, avoid microwave for best texture.
- Swap tamari for soy sauce to make it gluten-free.