With a sweet, spicy, and tangy candy coating, these festive chicken drumettes make for a deliciously striking Halloween appetizer.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a small saucepan, combine chili sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, Sriracha, and achiote (optional). Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 8–10 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  

While sauce reduces, prepare the chicken. Use a paring knife to cut the skin around the entire non-meaty side of the drumette, just under the joint. Pull the skin and meat down towards the meaty side to expose the bone, cutting away any tendons to free up the meat, until all the meat is at the bottom of the bone. Chop off the joint with a heavy cleaver for a cleaner presentation and striking look.

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then place on a rack on top of a baking sheet. Cook in oven for 8–10 minutes, or until the chicken just starts to brown and is almost cooked through.

Remove chicken from oven, glaze with the chili sauce mixture, then place back in the oven to set the glaze. Glaze chicken again, then cook up to 15 minutes more, until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F. Remove chicken from oven and glaze one final time before serving.