One of my most exciting food moments is holding a well-cooked chicken drumstick by the knuckle and biting into the succulent meat with gusto. Deep-fried Southern style, roasted in a tandoor or cooked in a curry, you name it, I love it. Alongside chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks is my preferred part of a chicken and therefore, I am always on the quest to find yet another fun way of cooking them up and dishing them out to my family. Lately, with the NFL season upon us, my husband seems to crave ‘football-friendly’ foods i.e. food that can be handled and enjoyed like a wing and pair well with fries, onion rings and beer. Hence, this creation… 🙂 Crispy, flavourful and really quite versatile, my honey garlic chicken drumsticks check all of the boxes and feel like a treat. While they do call for a bit of planning (they are just better if you let them that time in the marinade), the time you actually spend handling and cooking them is quite minimal. But, once they are ready, you end up with beautifully roasted chicken drumsticks with deliciously crispy skin and succulent meat flavoured sweet, spicy and savoury with all of the aromatics. A versatile dish, these honey garlic chicken drumsticks are great for meal prep and can also be served just as easily with salads, fried rice etc.

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the marinade

• 1 kg of skin-on chicken drumsticks
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper; feel free to use chilli powder/ paprika instead
• Zest from 1 lime
• Leaves from 3-4 sprigs of thyme
• 1 tbsp of olive oil

For the crunch

• 1/2 tbsp of baking powder
• 3-4 tbsp of cornflour
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

For the glaze

• 4 cloves of garlic, grated
• 30 grams of butter; softened or melted for 10-20 seconds in the microwave
• 2 tbsp of honey
• 1 tsp of chilli flakes
• Juice from quarter to half a lime
• Leaves from a 3-4 sprigs of thyme

Method

• Place the chicken drumsticks and all of the ingredients listed under marinade in a bowl and mix well to combine.
• Cover with clingfilm and marinate in the fridge overnight or at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven at 200 C, fan with grill and place the chicken in room temperature.
• Mix baking powder, cornflour, and onion powder and pour over the chicken wings.
• Combine ensuring the pieces are well coated.
• Place on a lined baking sheet without overcrowding and bake in the middle of the pan for 25-30 minutes, turning them at about the 15th minute.
• Meanwhile, add the ingredients listed under honey and thyme glaze and let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Once the 25-30 minutes are up, spoon the glaze over the drumsticks and carefully brush/ spread to coat well.
• Bake for another 5-7 minutes to set the glaze.
• Serve with fries, onion rings and croutons or with roasted vegetables and/or rice and enjoy !