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    Home » Budget

    Soy Sauce Chicken Drumsticks

    Published: Oct 26, 2020 · Modified: May 7, 2021 by Genevieve

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    This homestyle soy sauce chicken drumsticks recipe is something I've been making at home for YEARS! And let me tell you, omg the FLAVOUR is AMAZING! It's rich, slightly sweet, sticky, gingery and tastes so good with a bowl of rice. The flavour is intensified by cooking with drumsticks or thighs bone-in, skin-on. Remember, meats cooked with bones in are always more flavourful.

    Bowl of rice with 3 pieces of soy sauce chicken sat on top. Sauce drizzled on rice. Chopsticks holding onto 1 piece of chicken.
    Jump to:
    • Chopping through bones with a cleaver
    • Ingredients
    • Step by step instructions
    • Tip for serving if chopping chicken drumsticks
    • Best chicken parts for this dish
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Related recipes

    Chopping through bones with a cleaver

    DISCLAIMER! The chicken drumstick pieces in my photos have been chopped with a Chinese cleaver. Unless you're experienced and are comfortable with handling a Chinese cleaver, it is not recommended to try that at home. Simply use whole drumsticks or chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on for this recipe.

    In order to chop drumsticks at home, you'll need a thick bladed cleaver. Growing up, I thought everyone used cleavers to chop everything in the kitchen. Took me a while to learn how to use Western style knives!

    • sliced ginger pieces, smashed and skinless garlic. sliced shallots
    • chopping board with chicken knee caps chopped off drumsticks. A thick bladed cleaver resting on chopping board. A bowl of chopped chicken drumsticks

    Okay, I know most people don't have a scary looking cleaver at home. So instead, the safe and recommended way is to use whole drumsticks or chicken thighs with bones in.

    The reason why I like cooking this dish with chopped drumsticks is because: 1) It becomes the perfect size to eat with chopsticks; 2) with the bones exposed/open, more flavour go into the chicken and sauce which means FLAVOUR (think bone broths).

    Nonetheless, it'll still be super tasty if you use chicken thighs and whole drumsticks. You'll struggle eating with chopsticks though - serve with knives and forks instead.

    Alright, let's get to it!

    Ingredients

    Image of all the ingredients required to make soy sauce chicken.
    • Dark/light soy sauces combo is used here to ensure we get as much flavour as possible in this dish. Dark soy sauces are stronger in flavour, darker in colour and lighter on the salt content than light soy sauces. This combo is very common in Chinese cuisines – in achieving that rich, umami flavour.
    • Shaoxing wine is a Chinese cooking wine (really good quality ones can be consumed as a beverage) that is made with fermented rice. Similar to cooking with red or white wine, Shaoxing wine adds depth and aroma to a dish.
    • Brown sugar is used a lot in the recipes (instead of white sugar) in this blog as I find they add more flavour (the molasses) to any dish!
    • Sesame oil is used to provide a nutty aroma. A little goes a long way. Because sesame oils are very strong in flavour, you don't want to overdo it.
    • Garlic, ginger and scallions/spring onions this a a very common combo in Chinese cooking. Particularly any stew/slow cook dishes.
    • Corn starch/cornflour is used here to thicken the sauce at the end of the cooking process. This is done by mixing a little corn starch with cold water and mixing in the sauce just before serving. A common practice for thickening gravy too!

    Step by step instructions

    • Sliced ginger, garlic cloves and shallot frying in a pan
    • browned chicken pieces in a pan
    • chicken cooked in soy sauces, boiling in a pot
    • lid on
    • corn starch water mixture about to be poured into a pot of soy sauce chicken
    • Cooked pot of soy sauce chicken ready for serving
    • STEP 1. Saute ginger slices, garlic and white ends of scallions until golden and fragrant. Reserve the green parts of scallions. This will be used at the end of the cooking process.
    • STEP 2. Add chicken drumsticks or thighs. Saute on high until brown and skin lightly caramelised and golden. Browning meats prior to slow cooking adds depth and flavour to the final dish. Never skip this part!
    • STEP 3. Now things get exciting. Splash in Shaoxing wine, keeping the heat on high, reduce wine by half. Now add soy sauces, sugar, sesame oil and water. Mix thoroughly, bring sauce to boil.
    • STEP 4. Reduce heat to low, place a lid on and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces every 10 minutes to allow even seasoning.
    • STEP 5. Mix in corn starch and cold water mixture. The sauce will thicken almost instantly.
    • STEP 6. Remember the green parts of scallions? Now it's time to mix them in the pot. This will freshen the dish up and provide a lovely aroma.

    Here you have it! Serve this incredibly tasty soy sauce chicken drumsticks with a bowl of steaming rice and some simple sauteed Asian greens.

    bowl of rice with 3 pieces of soy sauce chicken sat on top of rice. Rice drizzled with sauces. Cropped image of pot of cooked soy sauce chicken

    Tip for serving if chopping chicken drumsticks

    If you do have a thick bladed cleaver at home and are comfortable with cutting through chicken bones, there is something you need to know.. BONES.

    It's great cooking with bones (all that flavour!) HOWEVER! Inevitably, there will be a few small bone pieces in the sauce. Not very pleasant when you want to mix it in with rice and take big, satisfying mouthfuls (guilty).

    A way to avoid having the occasional bone piece in your rice is to strain the sauce through a sieve/strainer just before step 5 above.

    I admit, I'm too lazy to do this step but it's a good one.

    close up shot of coocked soy sauce chicken, drenched in tasty sauce and glossy in colour

    Glossy, sticky and savoury. In my opinion, this soy sauce chicken drumsticks dish is the ultimate Asian comfort food.

    Best chicken parts for this dish

    This recipe works best with chicken drumsticks, thighs or wings, bones-in and skins-on. Breasts are not recommended as it'll get really tough through the 30 minute simmering process.

    Close up shot of 3 pieces of chicken sat on top of a bowl of rice. Sauce drizzled on rice.

    Thank you for checking out my recipes! Let me know what you think and/or if you have any questions, drop me a note in the comments section below. 🙂

    Happy cooking!

    Gen

    📖 Recipe

    3 pieces of soy sauce chicken sat on top of a bowl of rice with sauce drizzled on rice. chopsticks holding onto 1 piece of chicken

    Soy sauce chicken

    This homestyle soy sauce chicken is something I've been making at home for YEARS! And let me tell you, omg the FLAVOUR is AMAZING! It's rich, slightly sweet, sticky and tastes so good with a bowl of rice.
    4.92 from 35 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 465kcal

    Ingredients

    • 1½ kg / 3 lbs chicken drumsticks or thighs, bone-in, skin-on (note 1)
    • 4 cm / 1½ inch ginger sliced
    • 4 cloves garlic peeled, lightly smashed
    • 2 scallion/spring onion cut into 5cm/2inch long
    • ¼ cup dark soy sauce
    • ⅓ cup light soy sauce
    • ¼ cup dark brown sugar
    • ¼ cup Shaoxing wine
    • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
    • 2 tablespoon neutral tasting oil such as canola or sunflower

    Thickening mixture

    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch/cornflour
    • ¼ cup cold water (note 2)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a large skillet or pot with a lid, saute ginger, garlic and white parts of scallions until golden. Reserve green parts of scallions.
    • Add in chicken pieces and brown on high heat until skin golden and caramelised.
    • Pour in Shaoxing wine and allow it to reduce by half on high heat.
    • Pour in dark and light soy sauces, sugar, sesame oil and ¼ cup of water. Bring up to boil.
    • Reduce heat to low and put a lid on, simmer for 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over every 10 minutes to allow even seasoning.
    • Combine thickening mixture ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour into pot and stir through on low heat.
    • Sprinkle reserved green parts of scallions into the pot and mix through. This freshens up the dish.
    • Serve with rice and sauteed Asian greens!

    Video

    Notes

    Note 1. Chicken drumsticks /thighs the chicken pieces in my photos have been chopped with a Chinese cleaver. Unless you're experienced and are comfortable with handling a Chinese cleaver, it is not recommended to try that at home. Simply use whole drumsticks or chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on for this recipe. 
    If chopping chicken drumsticks with a cleaver If you have a thick bladed cleaver and are comfortable/experienced with chopping through bones, chop drumsticks in half then chop off and discard the knee caps. Be careful and make sure to keep your other hand (that's not holding the knife) well away from the chopping board. That means your other hand isn't holding onto the chicken or on the kitchen counter when chopping. Just aim and chop with one hand. Chopped drumsticks add more flavour to the dish through the exposed bones. Be sure to strain the sauce after instruction step #5 to catch and discard any loose bones before proceeding to step #6. 
    Note 2. Corn starch mixture make sure to mix corn starch with cold water and not hot. Hot water will clump up the mixture and you'll end up with lumpy bits in the sauce. 
    Making ahead this dish tastes even better the next day! Okay to make1 - 2 days ahead and reheat on the day of serving. 
    Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 8.8g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 215mg | Sodium: 381mg | Potassium: 639mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 6.1g | Calcium: 38mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Trace

      May 11, 2023 at 6:26 pm

      UGH, I dropped the bottle of Shaoxing wine! what do you suggest for a quick substitute? I'm only making a teeny portion as it's feeding only 1 person.

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        May 12, 2023 at 3:48 pm

        Oh no! That's bummer! You can substitute it with dry sherry and if you don't have that on hand, simply leave it out as your last resort 🙂 It won't make a huge difference as it's quite subtle. Enjoy!

        Reply
      • Donna

        January 24, 2024 at 12:00 pm

        5 stars
        You can use a white wine dry preferably. It's a bit stronger in flavour but it's not that bad.

        Reply
    2. Henry

      January 20, 2023 at 9:34 am

      5 stars
      My mom used to make this for us as kids. It was one of my all time favorite. This recipe tastes exactly like I remember it. I make it now for my kids and they love it! Thank you for posting this.

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        January 30, 2023 at 12:46 pm

        Hi Henry, thank you for sharing this and happy to hear that you can now pass this dish onto your kids too 🙂

        Reply
    3. Giselle

      November 08, 2022 at 12:39 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight on a whim. It was absolutely delicious!!! Dad loved it so much that he’s requested it again for dinner this week!

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        November 09, 2022 at 12:54 pm

        Hi Giselle, so happy to hear! 😀 Thank you for sharing!

        Reply
    4. Reggie

      September 20, 2022 at 3:41 am

      5 stars
      This was so so delicious. So quick. So easy. My boys loved it. Will definitely make again. Tonight I am going to try this recipe with a pork tenderloin.
      Thank you for such awesome recipe!

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        September 22, 2022 at 3:57 pm

        Thank you so much for your lovely comment Reggie! 🙂 Very happy to hear that you and your family loved this!

        Reply
    5. Judit

      September 08, 2022 at 10:36 am

      5 stars
      Sounds delicious want to make it tomorrow, would be good to serve with noodles?

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        September 08, 2022 at 4:05 pm

        Absolutely! Noodles and rice will both work well with this recipe 🙂

        Reply
    6. Connie

      October 30, 2020 at 7:11 pm

      5 stars
      This is delicious! Mine came out so juicy and love the flavor! I gotta get myself one of those cleavers. I can see it making the prep much faster.

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        November 02, 2020 at 9:01 am

        Thank you Connie! Glad it turned out well for you! 😀

        Reply
        • Mada

          February 13, 2022 at 5:27 am

          5 stars
          Did not see where and how much of the sesame oil,so I add 1 teaspoon, it’s great, thanks

          Reply
          • Genevieve

            February 14, 2022 at 2:53 pm

            Thank you so much for your lovely comment Mada and letting me know about the sesame oil! It looks like I had missed it in the ingredients list. Sorry about that! 1 tsp is the perfect amount 🙂

            Reply
    7. Kay

      October 30, 2020 at 8:17 am

      5 stars
      Omg the flavours in this were amazing! Going to make more often for sure!

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        October 30, 2020 at 2:07 pm

        I'm so happy to hear you liked it Kay! 😀

        Reply
    8. Leslie

      October 30, 2020 at 5:12 am

      5 stars
      I love a good Asian dish! This recipe looks divine and I'm drooling over your ingredients used for your sauce..YUM!

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        October 30, 2020 at 2:06 pm

        Thank you Leslie! 🙂 I really appreciate it!

        Reply
    9. Chef Dennis

      October 29, 2020 at 8:09 pm

      5 stars
      This is perfect for our weeknight dinner! I am sure my family will love to have this soy sauce chicken on our table!

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        October 30, 2020 at 2:05 pm

        Hi Dennis, thank you for your comment and I'm so glad to hear that! 🙂

        Reply
      • Nga Meh

        January 21, 2024 at 8:07 am

        5 stars
        I love this recipe!!!! It's was super easy and very delicious!!!!!

        Reply
        • Genevieve

          January 26, 2024 at 2:08 pm

          Very happy to hear 🙂 Thank you for sharing!

          Reply
    10. Magali

      October 29, 2020 at 9:29 am

      5 stars
      This sauce has so much depth it’s incredible. I love how you could taste all the ingredients without over powering one another. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        October 29, 2020 at 12:11 pm

        Thank you Magali! I'm very glad that you like it 🙂

        Reply
    11. FOODHEAL

      October 29, 2020 at 8:02 am

      The photos are gorgeous making the eyes feel the hunger mounting. Very beautiful and delicious recipe.

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        October 29, 2020 at 9:03 am

        Thank you so much Foodheal! 🙂

        Reply
    12. Sara

      October 29, 2020 at 7:27 am

      5 stars
      This looks delicious! I might try it out with the boneless skinless thighs that I already have on hand

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        October 29, 2020 at 9:01 am

        Thank you so much and sounds great Sara! 😀 This recipe calls for 1.5 kg worth of chicken so if you're cooking less, make sure to adjust the soy sauce/sugar content accordingly!

        Reply
    13. Scarlet

      October 27, 2020 at 11:28 pm

      This soy sauce chicken looks delicious and I just love fresh ginger in my recipes. Yum!

      Reply
      • Genevieve

        October 28, 2020 at 2:14 pm

        Thank you so much Scarlet! 🙂 Your comment made my day!

        Reply

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