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How Do I Choose the Best Chicken Drumsticks Marinade?

By Lee Johnson
Updated May 17, 2024
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Choosing the best chicken drumsticks marinade depends on your personal taste and the taste of the people who will be eating the drumsticks. Chicken is a commonly used ingredient across the world, so many different types of marinades have been developed that are well suited to use on chicken drumsticks. You should make a decision based on the herbs, spices and sauces that you like, as well as the overall style of the marinade. Many Asian-inspired marinades are available, and others such as garlic-and-herb marinade or jerk chicken marinade suit some palates.

One good method of choosing a chicken drumsticks marinade is to decide between different styles of food. For example, if you are looking to create an Asian-inspired chicken dish, looking for a marinade in that specific style is the best way to select a marinade. You might choose a sweet chili marinade or a honey-and-soy marinade, for instance. It also is important to think about the styles of food that people who will be eating the dish will prefer. For example, some groups of people might like Jamaican jerk chicken, but others might prefer less spicy flavors, such as garlic-and-herb chicken.

An important thing to look for when determining the best chicken drumsticks marinade is the inclusion of fresh ingredients such as garlic and onion. Some marinades will be comprised of things that come already prepared, such as honey, soy sauce and sweet chili sauce. The flavors in marinades such as these can be vibrant, and the inclusion of fresh onions or garlic infuses a lot of flavor into the meat. Generally, onion will be finely chopped or even grated when used as a part of a marinade, and garlic can be finely chopped or even crushed. A chicken drumsticks marinade might also include fresh herbs or chili.

Herbs and spices are very common ingredients in a chicken drumsticks marinade. Choose marinades that include herbs and spices that suit the palate of you and the people whom you will be feeding. Spices that are used in chicken marinades include Chinese five spice, pepper and allspice, and a variety of herbs such as thyme and basil can be used as well. The flavors that come from these herbs and spices are often very prominent in the finished chicken drumsticks, but other ingredients, such as white wine vinegar and soy sauce, can also add depth to a marinade. Recipes are useful for providing a basic marinade, and this can be altered further according to your taste.

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Discussion Comments

By tigers88 — On May 29, 2012

Has anyone tried actually injecting the meat with marinade instead of letting the meat sit and soak in it? I have seen this done on cooking shows but I could never figure out what the advantage is. Does the marinade soak in more deeply? Also, what kind of syringe would you use to do something like that?

By gravois — On May 29, 2012

Chicken is great but it has a pretty mild flavor. I find that the best chicken marinades have very sharp or spicy flavors that help to give the chicken a little more zing than it has naturally.

There is one that I like a lot that uses chipotle peppers to give the meat an amazing hot, smoky flavor. It really elevates the meat to a new level. Chicken can be great but it can also use some help.

By summing — On May 28, 2012
Finding the best chicken drumsticks marinade really comes down to personal preference. Some people like to use a basic Italian salad dressing. Other people want more of a BBQ flavor or something exotic like a jerk chicken. You really just have to try a few and find which one perks your taste buds up the most.
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