Honey Soy Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients

• 8 chicken drumsticks
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
• Pickled cucumber, to serve
• Fresh coriander, to serve

Method

1. Whisk the soy sauce, honey, crushed garlic, sesame oil and ground ginger together in a large bowl until the honey has loosened into the soy. The garlic goes in raw here — it will mellow under the long roast rather than burn, but watch it later when the tray catches: any blackened edges turn bitter fast.
2. Score each drumstick two or three times through the thickest part with a sharp knife — this lets the marinade get under the skin and helps them cook evenly. Season the drumsticks generously with salt and pepper before they go anywhere near the marinade; the soy seasons the surface, but the meat itself needs salt to carry flavour through.
3. Add the drumsticks to the bowl and turn them through the marinade until every one is glossy and fully coated. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if you can — the longer they sit, the deeper the colour and flavour.
4. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Lay the drumsticks on a lined baking tray in a single layer with space between each one — crowd them and they steam, and you lose the lacquered finish that makes this dish. Roast for 35–40 minutes, basting with the leftover marinade at the halfway mark.
5. They are ready when the skin is mahogany and sticky, the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part, and the marinade has caught and darkened in the corners of the tray. Taste a spoonful of the pan juices — adjust with a pinch of salt now if it needs lifting, not at the table.
6. Rest the drumsticks on the tray for a couple of minutes so the glaze tightens and clings. Tip any loose tray juices over them — that's your pan sauce, don't waste it.
7. Plate the drumsticks over steamed rice with the greens alongside, scatter generously with sesame seeds and sliced spring onions, and spoon the sticky tray juices over the top.