Crispy Skinned, Tender Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Try this Crispy Skinned, Tender Baked Chicken Drumsticks recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Crispy Skinned, Tender Baked Chicken Drumsticks recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 0.752090832247531 g
- Cholesterol 59.13 mg
- Fat 12.0853438930206 g
- Fiber 0.105816663092553 g
- Protein 14.3439624997491 g
- Saturated Fat 2.16901150430312 g
- Serving Size 1 1 drumstick (81g)
- Sodium 325.224099999612 mg
- Sugar 0.646274169154978 g
- Trans Fat 0.787743017691429 g
- Calories 172 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a cooling rack on top. Set aside.
- Preheat 1/3 cup vegetable oil in a large, heavy skillet (cast iron is the best) over medium-high heat.
- Place the chicken drumsticks in a large bowl. Add two tablespoons of oil and all of the spices and seasonings. Rub the spices into the drumsticks to ensure even coverage.
- As soon as the oil barely starts smoking (325F) place the drumsticks on the pan and sear for about 1 1/2 - minutes, until the skin is deep golden brown. Flip the drums and continue searing for another 1 1/2 minutes.
- Now transfer the drumsticks to the baking sheet, placing them on the cooling rack. Bake on the top rack for 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature hits 185F-190F.
- Serve immediately.
Unlike a braised chicken fricassee that relies on simmering liquids to soften tough cuts, this preparation uses dry heat and a preliminary skillet sear to render subcutaneous fat and set the skin. Searing meat before baking triggers the Maillard reaction, developing complex savory flavor compounds that simple oven roasting cannot replicate on bone-in poultry. Achieving this requires monitoring the skillet oil until it reaches 325 degrees Fahrenheit, the threshold where proteins brown rapidly without scorching the aromatics.
Cooling racks placed inside rimmed baking sheets allow convective heat to circulate beneath the bone, preventing the underside from steaming against the metal pan during the twenty-five minute oven phase. Heavy cast iron skillets retain thermal energy efficiently, though stainless steel pans work adequately if heated slightly longer to compensate for lower mass. Proper spacing between pieces on the rack guarantees that moisture escapes freely rather than condensing on neighboring skin.
Cooked drumsticks handle freezing exceptionally well when fully chilled before wrapping individually in parchment paper and sealing inside heavy-duty plastic bags. Storing poultry this way prevents freezer burn and allows home cooks to maintain a ready supply of pre-cooked protein for quick meals. These pieces hold their structural integrity in the freezer for up to three months without noticeable degradation in protein texture.
Reheating frozen drumsticks requires an oven temperature of 375 degrees Fahrenheit to recrisp the outer surface without drying the interior collagen-rich meat. Placing the frozen pieces directly onto a wire rack inside a baking sheet ensures even thermal transfer as the fats render a second time. Internal temperatures must reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit before serving to guarantee safety and optimal texture restoration.
