Baked Honey Soy Chicken

• 15 chicken drumsticks
• ⅔ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup Asian rice cooking wine (Sometimes called distilled spirits of rice; not to be confused with sweet rice wine.)
• ¼ cup pure honey
• ¼ cup good quality, regular (not light) soy sauce

Directions

1. Using paper towels, thoroughly dry each piece of chicken. (Do not skip this step, as moisture from chicken will negatively affect results.) Use a fork to poke holes everywhere on all sides of chicken pieces. Lay drumsticks in baking pans (may need to use 2 pans) making sure not to crowd pieces. Evenly sprinkle kosher salt and black pepper over drumsticks.
2. In a bowl, combine cooking wine, honey, and soy sauce; stir well to incorporate. Pour mixture evenly over drumsticks. Rotate drumsticks to coat. Let sit in for 1 hour at moderate room temp, rotating once in between. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F, with rack on middle position.
3. Cover pans tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes. Uncover pans and bake another 20-25 minutes, rotating drumsticks once in between to get a nice browning on all sides. Serve while warm, with sauce from the pan.
4. *Note: You can find Asian rice cooking wine in the Asian aisles of most major grocery stores nowadays. I use Michiu brand, but any brand will work. If you can’t find it, you can try substituting with dry sherry.

Holy Moly!