Honey Habanero Chicken
Seems like a weird thing to be eating (and sharing) since I’ve been doing so much vegetarian or near-vegetarian cooking lately, and chicken drumsticks are definitely the exact opposite of that. But last week I saw a pack of organic fancy chicken drumsticks on sale for two dollars because they needed to be eaten, like, yesterday, so I came up with this lil honey habanero chicken marinade because I cannot resist a bargain, people!
(This reminds me of one time my grandma called to invite us over for dinner because she had some pork chops that were “about to go off” and I’m telling you now that is no way to plan a dinner party.)
The marinade is easy (and sticky) for those of you who enjoy being lazy (and having ants crawl all over your body). It’s just lime juice, honey, butter, garlic, salt and a habanero chile. But it’s not very spicy, although you could mince the habanero to release more heat if you want. I’ll do that next time. If you aren’t a fan of sweet barbecue sauces and whatnot, you may want to reduce the honey to one tablespoon. It is a little sweet with two tablespoons but I think it’s balanced with the garlic and lime. But, hey, man, I don’t know you.
I served this with spicy pickled beets (one of my favorite recipes) cauliflower rice and a green salad. Go ahead and copy my whole menu if you’re feeling beat and you just want to be done with it. Otherwise, this sweet-spicy chicken would also be good with a spicy broccoli salad and some good ol’ buttery white rice.
Honey Habanero Chicken
Ingredients
1.75 – 2 pounds chicken drumsticks
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons honey
1.5 teaspoons salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 habanero pepper, sliced or minced
Instructions
Toss everything together in a tight-lidded container. Shake it around. Refrigerate 4-24 hours.
Set oven to 425ºF. Arrange drumsticks in a baking dish and pour the marinade over. Bake 30 minutes.
Flip drumsticks and baste with the pan drippings (Careful! Don’t burn yourself!)
Bake another 20 minutes or until the inside temperature of the biggest drumstick is 165ºF.
19 Comments
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Super simple but so nice! I was looking for something to use up a pile of habaneros – this was perfect. I did recplace the butter with about half the amount of oil and I cooked them much briefer until they were just done and juices running clear. Loved the combination of the pepper and honey.
So glad you liked this chicken recipe! Habaneros are tough to find many uses for 🙂
Don’t try to substitute Scotch Bonnets. Too hot! Habaneros are at Asian markets, I see it all the time at H Mart.
Hi Hilah,
I’ve written before cuz I love to follow your vids. SO-WELCOME BACK.
I live in New England and we’ve had an early cold snap. I’ m 71…. 72 in 2 days. A couple days back, I fell on my face on some black ice. No damage to the face but my arm. wrist, hand, and a couple of fingers are banged up pretty good. Worst part is, it’s my left side and I’m left-handed. So I can’t chop or write or cook for a while. I’m pecking this out on one finger of my right hand. Very frustrating, especially with the Holidays upcoming.
Anyway, I’m glad your here again. I’ve missed you. This will give me something to watch while I’m recovering.
Please stay for a while.
Best to you and your family.
Will boneless, skinless chicken thighs work as well as the drumsticks?
They should work fine – probably won’t take as long to cook but that kind of depends on how big they are, I guess.
I found the butter clumped back up upon shaking it I will prob try EVOO next time
Yeah, EVOO will solidify in the fridge, too, though. You could use another oil like safflower or canola but the butter clumping up doesn’t affect the recipe
Can I use this receipt in the air fryer? If so how long should the chicken cook for?
I’ve never used an air fryer so I don’t know
Do you think I can do this with chicken breast?
Omg these were so so so so good. The marinade was perfect. Can’t wait to make them again.
We tweaked this recipe with more lime, more habanero-like peppers from the garden and some turmeric. My best bud just experienced a tragic and unexpected loss on the other side of the country so nobody felt like going to the store. This was the first recipe that popped up. We had everything we needed. 100% will use again.
I’m sorry about your friend’s loss, Derp. Thanks for trying this recipe and I love the idea of turmeric.
I love this recipe so much. I’ve made it many times and passed on the recipe more than once. It’s more than winning, it’s in our rotation.
So glad to hear that, Rob! 🙂
Just saw Rush on ABC. Looked like he pan fried the chicken!! Missed the prep but caught the host trying it & how delicious it was !! Just had to google! Will try for sure!! Habanero peppers sound HOT!
I love your grandma story! I too love bargains. I am looking forward to trying your receipt. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!