Bourbon-Glazed Chicken Drumettes with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

From the kitchen of Carly

Sticky bourbon-glazed drumettes built on a deep sauce of caramelized onions, ketchup, and hot pepper. The glaze reduces to a glossy coat that clings to every piece. Blue cheese dipping sauce cuts through the sweet heat perfectly.

Bourbon-Glazed Chicken Drumettes with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

Bourbon hits the pan first, reduced to a deep amber glaze that coats chicken drumettes with caramelized onion, ketchup, and hot sauce heat. The overnight marinade is the secret to meat that pulls tender from the bone while the edges brown and crisp up in a hot oven. Blue cheese on the side cools every spicy bite.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 2 tbspbutter
  • 1 cupchopped onion
  • 3garlic cloves, peeled, thinly sliced
  • 1 cupbourbon, divided
  • 1 cupketchup
  • 1/2 cuphot pepper sauce
  • 1/4 cuptomato paste
  • 3 tbspgolden brown sugar
  • 30chicken drumettes
  • 1Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

Instructions

  1. Set a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Scatter in the onion and garlic and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Pour in 3/4 cup of the bourbon and let it boil until most of the liquid is absorbed, 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup bourbon along with the ketchup, hot pepper sauce, tomato paste, and brown sugar. Bring everything to a boil, then drop the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper, then pull it off the heat and let it cool completely to room temperature.

  2. Lay the drumettes in a 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking dish and pour the cooled marinade over them, turning each piece so it gets fully coated. Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.

  3. When you're ready to cook, heat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Set a cooling rack on top of the prepared sheet, then arrange the drumettes on the rack with a little space between each one. Spoon any marinade left in the dish over the drumettes and season them with salt and pepper. Bake until cooked through and browned in spots, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and bring the Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce alongside.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Don't skip the overnight marinade. The acid and sugar in the ketchup-bourbon base breaks down the surface and keeps meat from drying out, especially with a hot oven.
  • Arrange drumettes on a cooling rack set over your baking sheet, not directly on the pan. Air circulates underneath, so they brown evenly instead of steaming.
  • Boil that bourbon hard after you add the onions. You're not making a soup, you're concentrating the flavor and burning off the harsh alcohol bite.

Variations

  • Swap Crystal for Frank's RedHot or any vinegar-forward hot sauce if you want less ketchupy heat and more tang.
  • Skip the bourbon entirely and use chicken stock or apple cider, add an extra tablespoon of brown sugar for depth.
  • Make it sticky and candied, not spicy: replace hot sauce with Worcestershire and add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the glaze.

Make ahead and storage

Leftovers keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a low oven (300°F) to avoid drying them out, or eat them cold straight from the fridge.