Spicy Guava Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Spicy guava baked chicken drumsticks are a quick and easy weeknight meal. My spicy guava baked drumsticks are a snap to make chicken drumsticks are baked with guava juice, pickled jalapenos, garlic, oregano, and onion.

My spicy guava baked chicken drumsticks are one of those go-to, no-fail recipes that make dinnertime easy. 

I ate a lot of baked chicken drumsticks growing up, especially after my mami began working two jobs. She relied on quick and easy recipes that she knew could feed us all and required little to no effort.

Baked chicken is comforting, perfect when you need to feed a crowd, and a great kid-friendly food.  It’s also a great option for easy leftovers that you can re-use to create healthy lunches for the week.

I added spiciness to my drumsticks with pickled jalapeños, plus a splash of the picking brine, which adds a wonderful touch of flavor to any recipe.

Here’s my recipe where I’ve added pickling brine to beef for delicious flautas. so.good. 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE SPICY GUAVA BAKED DRUMSTICKS

guava juice – find guava juice in the juice aisle or with the Latin ingredients. This is the guava juice I found at my local H-E-B. 

pickled jalapeños – I used sliced pickled jalapenos, often labeled For Nachos on jar. Feel free to halve the amount for less spice or omit altogether.

jalapeño brine – from the jar of jalapenos slices

garlic – I finely mince my garlic, but you can also use store-bought mince garlic.

oregano – I used Mexican oregano for this recipe.

Onion – 1/2 onion, diced I used fresh onion powder for this recipe, you can also use onion powder.  

pepper

salt

drumsticks, with skin on.

HOW TO MAKE SPICY GUAVA BAKED DRUMSTICKS

First, we will create the marinade for the drumsticks. You can whip this up in a resealable bag or in a bowl.

To a large resealable plastic bag or bowl add guava juice, pickled jalapenos, jalapeno brine, garlic, oregano, pepper, onion, salt, and pepper.

Seal bag, shake to combine. Whisk together inf using a bowl.

Add drumsticks, seal bag, and shake to coat drumsticks. Add drumsticks to bowl, using tongs turn to coat drumsticks, cover bowl with plastic wrap.

Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge or overnight.  Marinating the chicken drumsticks in guava juice yields a juicy and tender drumstick. The guava juice helps the skin to get crispy when baking, yum.   

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour the entire contents of bag or bowl into in a rimmed 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

Bake, turning the drumsticks halfway through baking, until the chicken is cooked through, the juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of meat (avoiding bone) registers 160 degrees F, about 25-35 minutes. 

Remove to a platter and let rest 5 minutes and serve warm.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS

Serve chicken drumsticks with slow cooker elote rice or poblano pinto beans or a tomato cucumber panela salad.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE?

What can I use in place of guava juice? You can substitute guava juice for mango or pineapple juice.

I do not have sliced pickled jalapenos; can I use a whole jalapeno? Yes, slice and mince a whole jalapeno for this recipe.

I hate oregano, can I omit it? Yes, feel free to omit altogether or use basil, tarragon, dill, sage, or thyme.

Print

Spicy Guava Baked Chicken Drumsticks

A quick and easy weeknight meal my spicy guava baked drumsticks are a snap to make. Chicken drumsticks are baked with guava juice, pickled jalapenos, garlic, oregano, and onio

Author: Vianney Rodriguez

Ingredients

• 4 cups guava juice
• 6 slices of pickled jalapeños minced
• 2 tablespoon of jalapeño brine
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 3 teaspoons oregano
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 drumsticks

Instructions

1. To a large resealable plastic bag or bowl add guava juice, pickled jalapenos, jalapeno brine, garlic, oregano, pepper, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
2. Seal bag, shake to combine. Whisk together inf using a bowl.
3. Add drumsticks, seal bag and shake to coat drumsticks. Add drumsticks to bowl, using tongs turn to coat drumsticks, cover bowl with plastic wrap.
4. Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge or overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
6. Pour the entire contents of bag or bowl into in a rimmed 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

7. Bake, turning the drumsticks halfway through baking, until the chicken is cooked through, the juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of meat (avoiding bone) registers 160 degrees F, about 25 minutes-30 minutes.

8. Remove to a platter and let rest 5 minutes and serve warm.

Recipe Notes

Makes 12 drumsticks