Oven baked crunchy crumbed chicken drumsticks. Great seasoning, great crispy exterior, juicy flesh. Tastes like KFC – minus all the calories and grease!
I have a soft spot for chicken legs. Juicier and more flavourful than lean chicken breast, and more economical at that. With the bonus that there’s something extra enjoyable about food that has to be eaten with your hands.
Nobody eats drumsticks with a fork and knife, do they?? Surely not! Way too civilised and way too much meat wastage. There’s no way you can pick the bone clean of every scrap of meat with cutlery!!!
Hands all the way. GRAB and DEVOUR!
Today’s drumsticks are fabulously crunchy all over, and very well seasoned so there’s no need to marinate it overnight. You can make it right now, for dinner tonight. And yours will be as gorgeously golden as you see in the photos as long as you’re generous with the oil spray. Spray, spray, spray!
The seasoning
The key to this recipe is a bold flavoured seasoning so there’s plenty of flavour in every bite even though we haven’t marinated the chicken. Here’s what you need – all pantry staples!
The spiciness comes from the chilli / cayenne pepper and a good amount of black pepper. There are adjustments in the recipe to make this kid friendly by either completely eliminating the spiciness or reducing it.
And here’s what you need for the crumb coating.
I like to split the seasoning between the flour and the panko, for maximum flavour effect!
Gosh, there’s really no rules here. I had them with leftover Supreme Soy Noodles and Smashed Cucumbers on the day I made the recipe video. Certainly not obviously choices but it was still enjoyable! 😂
To keep your life easy, try serving this with what I call two-in-one-side dishes. These are sides that combine plenty of vegetables with starch in one dish so you can just serve that as the side rather than making a side salad plus a starch to fill out a meal.
Some personal two-in-one favourites include:
Oven baked crunchy crumbed chicken drumsticks. Great seasoning, great crispy exterior, juicy flesh. Tastes like KFC – minus all the calories and grease!
Servings 4
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
1. Panko breadcrumb – A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods. You can buy it at most big supermarkets (AUS – Coles, Woolworths, Harris) in the Asian foods section and Asian stores (cheaper!). Substitute with regular breadcrumbs.2. Chilli powder – Not to be confused with US chili powder which is a store bought mix that’s not spicy. I’m talking about the pure chilli powder, 100% spiciness!3. Mess-free crumbing technique: Use one hand to coat in flour and the egg, then use that same hand to place the drumstick into the panko bowl. Use your clean hand to sprinkle panko onto the drumstick, pressing to adhere. Make sure you cover the handle too so you can grasp it to rotate the drumstick and keep your hand mostly clean. Repeat – and marvel at clean(ish) hands!4. Quick sauce options:
5. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. A quick blast in the oven will resurrect the crunchy coating to some degree.Nutrition per drumstick, factors in residual breadcrumbs and flour.
