Hoisin Honey Fried Chicken Drumsticks
The crispiest buttermilk fried chicken drumsticks, coated in a sweet & sticky hoisin & honey glaze. The meat’s juicy, the coating’s crunchy & the glaze is full of flavour!
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I don’t usually deep fry chicken drumsticks & usually I opted to roast them or cook on the barbecue. However, after cooking these I don’t think I’ll ever go back! Turns out cooking drumsticks buttermilk fried chicken style is the way!
So what makes them so good? Well this chicken is incredibly juicy & as the meat is cooked on the bone, it’s extra flavourful. Then there’s the coating. It’s a classic fried chicken style coating that’s made to be extra crunchy, crispy & scraggly. It’s really good & the whole thing’s glazed with a sticky mix of hoisin sauce & honey. This is a fantastic midweek dinner option when served with rice, fries or salad but they’re equally as good served on their own at lunchtime or as an appetizer.
Take a look at our ever growing collection of main course recipes for more dinner inspiration! And for side dishes to serve with your fried chicken, check out our collection of sides.
What You’ll Need
- Chicken Drumsticks – Using good quality chicken drumsticks is key to making the best fried chicken! I’d recommend visiting your local butcher.
- Buttermilk Brine – Used to tenderise & flavour our chicken drumsticks. I made my brine with buttermilk, fresh garlic, ground ginger, smoked paprika & chilli powder.
- Flour Dredge – We’re using a mix of plain flour & cornflour, to dredge the chicken in before frying.
- Hoisin Honey Glaze – This is a really simple glaze but it’s packed with loads of flavour! Here we’re taking hoisin sauce & turning it into a glaze by adding in honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar & toasted sesame seeds.
How To Make Fried Chicken Drumsticks
We’re making classic buttermilk fried chicken but with drumsticks instead of thighs or breasts. The meat’s tender, juicy & perfectly cooked, the coating is crisp & crunchy and the whole thing’s coated in a sticky hoisin & honey glaze!
Buttermilk Brine
We’re making buttermilk fried chicken, so the first step is of course, the buttermilk brine. This brine provides the perfect opportunity to add the first layer of flavour to our chicken & it also tenderises the chicken at the same time.
For our hoisin honey fried chicken, we’re going to be flavouring the buttermilk brine with fresh garlic, ginger, chilli & salt. To make this, it’s simply a case of mixing the brine ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Once mixed, we add chicken drumstick into the buttermilk then let them brine in the fridge for at least 4 hours or for up to a day. Make sure to mix everything together well, so that each piece of chicken is well coated! It’s important not to brine the chicken for more than a day, as the brine will start to break down the meat, giving it a mushy texture. For drumsticks, around 12 hours is the sweet spot!
Flour Dredge
Whenever I make fried chicken, I use a flour dredge that’s made with plain flour & cornflour. The mix of flours gives the fried chicken a crispier, crunchier, lighter coating than if you were to use just plain flour. For this batch of fried chicken, I also added paprika, ginger, garlic powder & chilli powder into the dredge, to complement the flavours from the glaze.
Another top tip for the crispiest fried chicken, is to coat the chicken in 2 layers of dredge. The first coating we do once the chicken has marinated then we let it sit on a wire rack for 30 minutes (whilst the oil heats up) then dredge again just before frying. We let the chicken sit for 30 minutes after the first dredge, which takes the chill off the meat (meaning that it will cook quicker) & draws some of the moisture out of the buttermilk, which means that the coating will be crispier.
Then to get those signature scraggly bit of coating on our fried chicken, we’re going to drizzle some of the buttermilk brine into the flour then mix in before coating any of the chicken. This step is optional but it really does make a difference!
Deep Frying
To cook the fried chicken, you’ll either need a deep fat fryer or a large pan of vegetable oil heated up on the stove. Whichever method you choose, I’d recommend using a digital food probe to check how hot the oil is, so that we can cook the chicken at the correct temperature. Also, make sure to let the oil heat back up between batches of chicken!
Domestic deep fat fryers do have a built in thermometer but they tend to be a bit inaccurate. I always like to double check the temperature of the oil!
How To Deep Fry Chicken
- Preheat a deep fat fryer to 175°c/350°f.
- Take a chicken drumstick, dredge in flour (for the second time), shake off any excess then carefully place into the hot oil.
- Dredge a couple more pieces of chicken & add into the oil but make sure not to overcrowd the fryer. I could fit 4 drumsticks in my fryer, per batch.
- Let the chicken cook for at least 2 minutes without moving as this makes sure that the coating sticks to the meat properly.
- Continue cooking the chicken, flipping after around 6 minutes until the coating is golden brown & crispy and the internal temperature of the meat is at least 75°c/167f. The total cooking time will be 10-12 minutes. Use a pair of tongs to flip the chicken!
- Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a wire rack set over a baking tray, leave to drain for a minute then serve. Once cooked, the chicken can be glazed & served straight away or kept warm in an oven set to 120°c/250°f whilst you cook the rest.
Hoisin Honey Glaze
I’m a huge fan of hoisin sauce & it works really well with all sorts of chicken. Hoisin sauce has a pretty thick consistency, so in order to use it as a glaze we need to thin it out slightly. To do this, we’re going to add in ingredients that are either used to make hoisin sauce or that complement the flavours in it.
To make our hoisin honey glaze, we toast sesame seeds in a saucepan over a medium heat until golden brown then add in hoisin sauce, honey, dark soy sauce & rice wine vinegar. Then we need to simmer the sauce for around 5 minutes until it has thickened slightly, into a sticky glaze. It’s best to use this glaze warm, as it will coat the chicken more evenly.
Serving Suggestions
These fried chicken drumsticks are great served on their own, as an appetizer or lunch dish but can also be served as hearty dinner when served alongside one of our homemade side dishes. Fried chicken drumsticks go really well with salad, slaw, fries & seasonal veg. As these drumsticks are brushed with a Chinese style hoisin glaze, they’d go really well with some steamed or fried rice or noodles!
Tips, Tricks & Troubleshooting
- Dredge the chicken with 2 layers of flour, for the most even, crispiest coating. Make sure to season the dredge well, as well as the buttermilk brine, for the best flavour.
- Use a mix of plain flour & cornflour in the flour dredge, to give the fried chicken a lighter, crunchier coating.
- For an extra scraggly coating, mix a couple spoonfuls of the buttermilk brine into the flour dredge just before using.
- Use a digital food probe to double check the temperature of the cooking oil & to check the internal temperature of the chicken.
- Drain your fried chicken on a wire rack for a minute or so once cooked. The extra air circulation ensures that the coating stays crisp!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken drumsticks should be brined in buttermilk for at least 4 hours or up to a day before being fried. Make sure to mix everything together well, so that each piece of chicken is well coated! It’s important not to brine the chicken for more than a day, as the brine will start to break down the meat, giving it a mushy texture.
You don’t have to use a deep fat fryer for cooking fried chicken but it definitely makes it easier! If you haven’t got a deep fat fryer, you can use a large pan of oil, heated up on the stove. Make sure to do this really carefully though!
Chicken drumsticks need to reach an internal temperature of at least 75°c/167°f to be fully cooked. You’ll need a digital food probe to check the internal temperature of the drumsticks & it’s key to check the temperature in the thickest part of the meat, near the bone.
The best way to reheat buttermilk fried chicken is to bake it in a 180°c/356°f oven for 15-20 minutes, until the coating is crispy & the chicken is piping hot. The internal temperature of the chicken needs to be at least 75°c/167°f.
Equipment Used
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More Dinner Recipes To Try!
- Korean Style Buttermilk Fried Chicken
- Black Garlic Roasted Picanha (Beef Rump Cap)
- Beef Burritos
- Tikka Masala Roast Chicken
- Brisket Style Smoked Pork Belly
- Hot Maple Fried Chicken
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Hoisin Honey Fried Chicken Drumsticks
Equipment
- Deep Fat Fryer
- Digital Food Probe
- Mixing Bowl
- Saucepan
- Wire Rack
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
- 10 Chicken Drumsticks
Buttermilk Marinade
- 500 g Buttermilk
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ¼ tsp Chilli Powder
Flour Dredge
- 300 g Plain Flour
- 80 g Cornflour
- 1½ tsp Table Salt
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ¼ tsp Chilli Powder
Hoisin Honey Glaze
- 2 tsp Sesame Seeds
- 200 g Hoisin Sauce
- 50 g Honey
- 20 g Dark Soy Sauce
- 20 g Rice Wine Vinegar
Instructions
Buttermilk Brine
- Add all of the ingredients for the buttermilk brine into a large mixing bowl then mix to combine.
- Next, add the chicken drumsticks into the brine then mix well, ensuring that each piece is fully coated.
- Transfer the chicken & brine to an airtight container then leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 24.
Flour Dredge
- Add all of the dredge ingredients into a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine then set aside until needed.
First Dredge
- Once your chicken is marinated, take it out of the fridge then drizzle 3 tablespoons of the marinade into the dredge. Mix the buttermilk into the dredge with your hands – this creates those scraggly bits on the outside of the chicken!
- Next, take a chicken drumstick out of the buttermilk then drop into the dredge. Toss the chicken in the flour to fully coat it, making sure to press the dredge into every nook & cranny on the chicken.Flip the chicken over several times in the dredge for proper coverage! Make sure to gently shake any excess buttermilk off the chicken before dredging.
- Once dredged, take the chicken out of the flour, shake off any excess then place onto a wire rack set over a baking tray. Repeat this process with the remaining chicken. Don’t get rid of the remaining dredge, we’ll need this later on!
- When all of your chicken is dredged, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then in the meantime, preheat a deep fat fryer to 175°c/350°f.I'd recommend using a digital food probe to double check the temperature of the oil.
Hoisin Honey Glaze
- Make the glaze whilst the fryer is heating up! To do this, first place the sesame seeds into a small saucepan, set over a medium heat then toast until golden brown, stirring frequently. This will take 3-4 minutes.
- Next, add all of the remaining glaze ingredients into a pan then continue cooking over a medium heat, bringing the sauce to a gentle simmer. Make sure to stir the glaze regularly.
- Simmer the sauce for 4-5 minutes until thickened slightly then take the pan off the heat & set to one side. The glaze needs to be warm when we use it, as it will brush onto the chicken more evenly.
Second Dredge & Frying
- Take a chicken drumstick, toss it in the dredge for a second time then shake off any excess flour and carefully place into the hot oil. Repeat this process with a couple more pieces of chicken but don't overcrowd the fryer!I could fit 4 drumsticks in my fryer per batch.
- Cook the chicken for 12-14 minutes, flipping it over halfway through, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of at least 75°c/167°f. Make sure not to move the chicken for at least the first 2 minutes, as this lets the dredge stick to the chicken properly (it could fall off otherwise!).Use a pair of tongs to flip the chicken over!
- Once cooked, place the fried chicken onto a wire rack set on a baking tray then leave to drain for a minute before serving. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining chicken, making sure that the oil is back up to temperature in between batches.Once cooked, the chicken can be glazed & served straight away or kept warm in an oven set to 120°c/250°f whilst you cook the rest.
Glazing
- To finish, brush the chicken drumsticks with a generous amount of the glaze (on all sides) then serve immediately. Any extra glaze can be served on the side, for dipping.
