Crunchy Crumbed Chicken Drumsticks

Crunchy crumbed chicken drumsticks

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!

Ingredients in crunchy crumbed chicken drumsticks

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.

The crumbing

And here’s what you need for the crumb coating.

Chicken drumsticks aka chicken legs. If yours were frozen, thaw thoroughly and pat dry extra well else you will end up with soggy patches. Egg and flour – the glue for the breadcrumbs. (PS I thought 2 eggs was enough but actually, we need 3.) Panko breadcrumbs – 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.

How to make crunchy crumbed drumsticks

I like to split the seasoning between the flour and the panko, for maximum flavour effect!

What to serve with crunchy drumsticks

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:

Purple Rice – made with red cabbage in it (imagine how colourful your dinner plate will be!) Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad Marinated Vegetarian Pasta Salad! Garlic Butter Rice with Kale – the best way I know to convert kale haters!! Greek Chickpea Salad Lentil and Roasted Eggplant Salad

Enjoy! – Nagi x