Spicy Thai Drumsticks

These spicy Thai drumsticks are so addictively delicious. The meat is very tender, moist and juicy. Best of all, it's very easy to make.

After cooking the Thai fish cakes with spicy Thai eggplants, I still didn’t feel have enough of Thai foods. How glad was I when I found some organic drumsticks in the nearby supermarket as they don’t have them available all the time. I love baked sticky, yummy, delicious drumsticks. Why not bake some spicy Thai drumsticks to cure the craving for Thai foods?

I’ve experimented many different ways to bake drumsticks and found that using the ceramic or Pyrex baking dish is the most effective and best way to keep those meaty drumstick moist, with most juice left on dish after baking. The metal baking trays can’t beat in this aspect.

Spicy Thai Drumsticks Recipe

(Printable recipe)
By Christine’s Recipes
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: Bakery
Prep time: 15 mins + marinate 1 hour
Cook time: 40 mins
Yield: 5 to 6 serves

Ingredients:

• 850 gm organic drumsticks, or free range
• coriander (cilantro), for garnish
• Thai sweet and chili sauce (I used Mae Ploy brand), for dipping

Marinade:

• 1 stalk lemon grass, white part only, finely chopped
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp ketchup
• 2 Tbsp sweet and chili sauce (Mae Ploy)
• 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine, or rice wine
• 1 tsp brown sugar, or palm sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 tsp salt
• pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Rinse chicken drumsticks and wipe dry with kitchen papers. Combine with marinade very well. Cover and transfer to fridge for 1 hour.
2. When you’re ready to cook, remove drumsticks from fridge and place in room temperature for a while. Put a ceramic baking dish in oven, and preheat oven to 200C (395F).
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a fry pan. Remove lemon grass from drumsticks and leave them in marinade. Reserve marinade. Cook drumsticks and brown all sides over medium heat. (Note: you don’t need to cook through the chicken at this stage.) Transfer chicken to the hot baking dish. Pour the reserved marinade onto the chicken. Pop them in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 190C (375F). Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Test with a needle inserted into the thickest part. If only clear liquid runs out, it’s cooked. Remove from oven. Let rest for 3 minutes. Garnish with coriander. Serve hot.

Notes:

• Use organic drumsticks to ensure the best results. Or use free range drumsticks if you can’t get organic ones. It makes a big difference in taste if using organic ones.
• Use a needle to prick the surface of all sides of the drumsticks in order to help marinade penetrate into the drumsticks inside.
• Ceramic baking dish is the best utensil for baking moist and juicy drumsticks. If using metal ones, try to use the thick and hardy ones to get a better result.