Oven-Roasted Chicken Drumsticks

Quick answer

Total time: 75 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients: 6

About this dish

Dak-dari oven-gui is a Korean oven-roasted chicken drumstick dish where the legs marinate for at least thirty minutes in a mixture of soy sauce, minced garlic, olive oil, and a dried herb blend before going into a 200-degree-Celsius oven.

Bringing the drumsticks to room temperature before roasting closes the temperature gap between the surface and the bone, ensuring the meat cooks through evenly rather than having a cooked exterior with an underdone center. Flipping the pieces once at the halfway point promotes uniform browning on both sides and prevents the exposed skin from drying out. Raising the oven temperature to 220 degrees for the final ten minutes drives caramelization in the sugar-containing soy marinade, which produces a thin, lacquered crust on the skin. The salty depth of soy sauce, the mild fat of olive oil, and the fragrance of the herb blend combine with the rendered chicken fat to form a coating that is both deeply savory and aromatic. Marinating overnight in the refrigerator allows the soy and garlic to penetrate further into the meat, resulting in more pronounced flavor all the way to the bone.

Ingredients (3 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
chicken drumsticks	6	piece
garlic	5	clove
soy sauce	3	tbsp
olive oil	2	tbsp
mixed herbs	1	tbsp
black pepper	0.5	tsp

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Heat

Take 6 chicken drumsticks out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting and pat the surface dry.

If the meat goes into the oven very cold, the outside can brown before the center near the bone cooks through.
2

Season

Mix 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 5 minced garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon mixed herbs, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Break up any clumps of garlic so the marinade coats the chicken evenly instead of burning in one spot.
3

Control

Rub the marinade over the drumsticks and slightly under the skin where possible.

Marinate for at least 30 minutes; if holding them overnight for deeper flavor, keep them covered in the refrigerator and bring them out before roasting.
4

Step

Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Arrange the drumsticks in one layer with space between them, skin side up, so hot air can circulate and the skin roasts instead of steaming.
5

Step

Roast at 200C for 30 minutes, then flip the drumsticks once and roast for 10 more minutes.

Spoon a little tray marinade over any dry-looking spots, but do not drown the skin or it will soften.
6

Finish

Turn the drumsticks skin side up again, raise the oven to 220C, and roast for about 10 minutes until the skin is browned and lightly crisp. Pierce the thickest part; finish when the juices run clear.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Chicken drumsticks finish in a high-heat oven to caramelize the skin for these Korean Oven-Roasted Drumsticks.
Finish cue: Break up any clumps of garlic so the marinade coats the chicken evenly instead of burning in one spot.
Storage and reheating: Marinating overnight in the refrigerator allows the soy and garlic to penetrate further into the meat, resulting in more pronounced flavor all the way to the bone.