Honey Soy Chicken Drumsticks with Garlic Rice and Green Beans
Oven-roasted drumsticks glazed in a sticky honey soy reduction, served over garlicky baked rice with tender green beans. A complete high-protein tray dinner with no stovetop needed.
- Total
- 102 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 77 · Rest 10
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Roasting · Resting meat
- Savory
- Oven
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C. Pat the 8 chicken drumsticks dry with paper towel. Rub with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper. Arrange on a large baking tray in a single layer, not touching.
~10 min
Drying the skin removes surface moisture so it crisps and browns instead of steaming in the oven.
-
Roast the drumsticks on the middle rack for 25 minutes, until the skin is golden and the juices run clear at the thickest part.
~25 min
Roasting at high heat without the glaze first lets the skin render and brown before sugars are added.
Roasting Keep pieces in a single layer with space between them so heat circulates and they brown rather than steam. Crowding is the most common mistake.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the chicken roasts, rinse the 300 g rice under cold water until it runs clear. Put it in a medium oven-safe dish with 600 ml water, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp olive oil and 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped. Stir, cover tightly with a lid or foil, and bake on the lower rack for 30 minutes.
~30 min
Rinsing removes surface starch so the grains bake up separate rather than gluey, and a tight cover traps steam for absorption.
If the rice still tastes firm after baking, add 3 tbsp hot water, cover, and let it steam 5 minutes off the heat before fluffing.
-
While step 2 cooks
In a small bowl, stir together 3 tbsp honey and 2 tbsp soy sauce with the remaining 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
~3 min
-
After 25 minutes, brush the drumsticks generously with the honey soy glaze. Return to the oven and roast for 15 minutes more, brushing once again halfway through, until the glaze is sticky and darkened and the chicken reaches 74°C at the bone.
~40 min
Brushing in thin coats lets the sugars caramelize gradually instead of burning, building a lacquered glaze.
Brushing the glaze in two thin coats rather than one thick coat keeps it from burning and gives a lacquered finish.
Roasting Keep pieces in a single layer with space between them so heat circulates and they brown rather than steam. Crowding is the most common mistake.
-
Toss the 300 g green beans with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread them on a second tray and roast alongside the chicken for the final 12 minutes, until tender and lightly blistered.
~12 min
Spreading beans in a single layer roasts them so they blister rather than steam.
Roasting Keep pieces in a single layer with space between them so heat circulates and they brown rather than steam. Crowding is the most common mistake.
-
Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Fluff the baked rice with a fork. Divide the rice between four bowls, top with the drumsticks and green beans, and spoon over any pan glaze.
~10 min
Resting lets juices redistribute through the meat so they stay in the chicken instead of running out when cut.
Resting meat Let the chicken sit 10 minutes before cutting so juices redistribute. Cutting early lets them run out and leaves the meat dry.