These sticky Hawaiian Chicken drumsticks are marinated with a pineapple based glaze that is sweet, spicy and slightly tangy. It will transport you to Hawaii and make you want to do the hula dance too! Accompanied by a coconut rice that is so delicious I could just eat a giant bowl of it for dinner.
“There’s sticky chicken…then there is seriously sticky chicken. This is insanely sticky chicken!”
I kid you not when I say that I am transported back to Hawaii every time I make these. It puts me in a good mood just making them! I mean, how much more tropical can you get than chicken with a pineapple marinade and coconut rice on the side? I want to drape myself in leis, put on the Beach Boys’ Kokomo, shake up some Pina Coladas and parteeee!!! (PS I stopped short at talking about coconut shell bikinis and grass skirts, that’s not a sight we need to think about!).
When it comes to sticky chicken, there’s sticky, then there is seriously sticky. These Hawaiian Chicken drumsticks are insanely sticky. You are going to get messy getting stuck into these, and there’s just no better way to enjoy it. It’s finger lickin’ good!
The secret to the stickiness is tinned crushed pineapple which forms the base of this marinade. The sweetness of the pineapple is balanced out with other flavourings including spices, garlic, ginger, and vinegar so the marinade is actually quite a complex flavour. When baked, they turn a wonderful dark golden colour and caramelises beautifully which adds extra flavour to this.
“It took me a few goes to get this marinade right. I wanted a flavour EXPLOSION!”
I have to admit, it took me a few goes before I was happy with this. I even googled quite a bit and tried other pineapple marinade recipes I found but the flavour of the marinades were not as strong or deep as I wanted (I like flavour explosions!) or the marinade was too thin so it didn’t make a sticky glaze. I don’t make chicken drumsticks often because they aren’t the healthiest cut of chicken. So when I do make them – usually when I’m entertaining because they are super good value – I want them to be seriously tasty! No second rate marinades for my drumsticks!
“Coconut rice is the perfect accompaniment to the pineapple marinated drumsticks. Coconut and pineapple go together like basil and tomato!”
I was going to share this Hawaiian Chicken recipe with you with a tropical style salad on the side. But I couldn’t resist sharing my coconut rice instead. I know, I know, it’s meat and carb central here today, but coconut and pineapple go together like tomatoes and basil!! I had to!
I promise you’ll see more greens in my next post. 🙂
So, if you’re in the northern hemisphere where it’s starting to cool down, this is a great dish to remind you of the summer just gone…..and if you’re in the southern hemisphere, this is the perfect dish to celebrate that summer is just around the corner!!
To sign off, do you recognise these song lyrics?? I had this song playing while I was typing up this post!!
Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I want to take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go
Jamaica off the Florida Keys
(It’s the Beach Boys’s Kokomo. If you want to get into the groove, play the song while you’re reading the recipe!)
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Hawaiian Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg / 3lb chicken drumsticks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Marinade Glaze
- 440 g / 15 oz can crushed pineapple in natural juice (about 1.5 cups) (see notes)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce or ketchup
- 1/2 cup light soy sauce (see notes)
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp malt vinegar (see notes)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger , grated
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tbsp paprika powder
- 1 tbsp dried onion flakes
- 1/2 tbsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (or cayenne powder). Adjust to taste.
- Black pepper
Coconut Rice
- 1 cup long grain or medium grain rice , uncooked
- 1 cup coconut milk (see notes)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp sugar
Optional Garnish
- Lime wedges , to serve
- Coriander/cilantro leaves , for garnish on rice and chicken
- Toasted desiccated coconut , for garnish on rice
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Combine the Marinade Glaze ingredients in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to simmer, then turn it down to medium for 10 minutes or so until it reduced by around 1/3 and is a bit syrupy. The pineapple should be softened and starting to breakdown. Give it a mush with a potato masher to help it along.
- Allow Marinade Glaze to cool, then combine in a large ziplock bag or bowl with the chicken.
- Marinate for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours. You could also freeze the chicken with the marinade.
Cook the Chicken
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Bring the chicken to room temperature.
- Dip the chicken and Marinade into a baking dish.
- Drizzle over olive oil then spoon over some of the Marinade Glaze onto the drumsticks, ensuring you get some pineapple chunks on the chicken itself.
- Place chicken in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove baking tray from oven and turn the chicken and again spoon the marinade & pineapple bits onto the chicken.
- Bake for a further 15 minutes and check the chicken. If the marinade pooled in the baking dish is looking dry and starting to burn, then pour in a bit of water.
- Return chicken to the oven and bake until dark golden brown and the Marinade Glaze is caramelised and sticky (about 5 to 10 minutes).
Coconut Rice
- Combine ingredients in a saucepan over high heat. Cover with a lid and bring to boil.
- Turn down heat to low then leave to simmer for 15 to 18 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Remove from heat and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
To Serve
- Garnish rice with tasted desiccated coconut (optional).
- Scatter coriander/cilantro over rice and chicken and serve with lime wedges on the side.
Recipe Notes:
a) Heat BBQ on medium, using the flat plate side, not the grill (you don't want the flames to have direct contact with the chicken)
b) Shake off excess Marinade Glaze, and cook the chicken on the BBQ for 15 to 20 minutes, turning to cook each side evenly.
c) When the drumsticks are done, push them close together (still on the BBQ) and pour over all the remaining Marinade Glaze. Then toss the drumsticks to coat with the Marinade Glaze (an egg flip works best for this). Then allow to cook for a few minutes until the Marinade Glaze becomes thick, sticky and caramelised, turning the chicken frequently and scraping up the Marinade Glaze as much as possible to make it stick onto the chicken. Don't walk away, this will happen quickly and you need to keep turning the drumsticks!
d) Remove chicken from BBQ and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. 7. Nutrition Facts for chicken:
Nutrition Facts for coconut rice:
Nutrition Information:
I am looking for a recipe that will suit someone who is GF and cannot have spices…what are your thoughts on the flavours here without cumin, paprika and chilli? Tough audience!
The whole family loved this! I served it with long beans:) Thank you!
Hi Nagi,
Could you use a rice steamer/cooker to cook the rice.
Cheers Tim.
I don’t have one myself Tim but I think you could cook this in one! N x
Great pairing with the rice!
We run out of tinned pineapple, can I sub the pineapple with tinned peach or apricot? (I can imagine you would just laugh when you see this question :))
I made this a few years ago with nibbles – it was so good! Came back to look for the recipe again a few years later! This time I’m using the drumsticks. I can’t wait! Thank you Nagi!
Hey really want to make this but not a huge fan of drumsticks. If I were to make it with skin on bone in thigh pieces would I need to adjust cooking time?
Hi Rachel, you sure can, they may take an extra 10-15 minutes to cook depending on size. N x
This tasted wonderful however I was never able to get the sticky glaze like consistency. It stayed pretty runny even though I cooked the marinade forever on the stovetop 🙁 still delicious though!
I’m so glad you still enjoyed it Sarah! N x
I am going to be making this but dont have malt vinegar and dont want to buy it just for this recipe, what other vinegars can i use that would work best please.
Thanks so much.
Hi Pebbz – Note 3 should be able to assist you here, I hope you love them!
This recipe is one of my comfort food go-tos, I love the combination of coconut rice and the chicken. 5 stars! I have so much love for this dish
Hi Nagi! I am not the biggest fans of drumsticks could I use thighs instead?
Yep you sure can! 🙂
Hi Nagi, do you think this could be adapted for a slow cooker? Looks amazing.
Hi LG! I feel that you need the oven to get that jammy finish. 🙂 Sorry!
I found this recipe when I didnt have time to marinate the chicken for dinner, so I threw the ingredient into a pressure cooker, along with making the coconut rice with cilantro and toasted coconut. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted. Hubby loved it! Will definitely be making this again.
As I’m typing this I’m waiting for mine to cook! I swapped the drumsticks for nibbles (hope it works out!) I’m not a fan of Cumin but even with it the marinade smells amazing! Can’t wait to make the coconut rice!! Thank you Nagi!! :))
It will be terrific! Hope you loved it! N xx
Hey Nagi…bit of a left field question here but how much should I ‘ramp’ this recipe up to feed 6 (shovel it in your mouths) fire-fighters???
Cheers Willy
If only the boys were local to me, I could keep them filled with a constant supply of food!!! Double it, definitely 🙂
Once rice boils, and I bring it to low, do I take lid off?
Hi Diana! Nope, leave it on the whole time, even after taking off the stove and letting the rice rest 🙂
I saw this recipe today .. Went sright home and made it .. Oh My goodness it was such a big hit… I even shard the recipe with all my friends .. Hands down amazing ?
Wow thanks so much for the wonderful feedback Marielys! So glad you enjoyed it – N x