Crunchy Baked Lemon-Herb Chicken Drumsticks
Submitted By: Taz
Ingredients:
12 Skin-on Chicken Drumsticks*
4 Eggs
2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
1 Cup All Purpose Flour - can substitute any type of flour you choose
1 Cup Buttermilk
3 Tbs (Packed) Light Brown Sugar
2 tsp Dried Oregano
2 tsp Dried Basil
2 tsp Kosher Salt + to taste
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Celery Seed
1 tsp Dried Rosemary
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Black Pepper + to taste
¼ tsp Red Chile Powder
Juice of 2 Large Lemons
Zest of 2 Large Lemons - divided
-OPTIONAL-
Olive-Oil Cooking Spray
Preparation:
- Wash and pat dry your chicken drumsticks - Use a fork to pierce the pieces 5 or 6 time all around the drumsticks - Season with salt and pepper to taste - Set aside
- Zest one of the lemons into a large (1 gallon) zip-top bag - Zest the other lemon into a small bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator until needed
- Juice both lemons into the zip-top bag - Add 1 cup water and the brown sugar - Mix it up by 'squishing' it around until the sugar is fully dissolved - Add the buttermilk and give it a good mix
- Add the seasoned chicken to the bag and toss until well coated - Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal the bag - Place in a baking dish or mixing bowl (just in case) and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours (overnight for better results)
- About 1 hour before you are going to cook, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature
- Preheat oven to 400ºF
- Place a baking rack on a baking sheet - Grease the rack with olive oil (or olive oil spray)
- Whisk together the eggs with a quarter cup of water in a wide bowl - Place the flour in a wide bowl
- Place the panko bread crumbs, the reserved lemon zest (from step 1), oregano, basil, paprika, celery seed, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, 2 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, and the red chile powder into a clean, large (1 gallon) zip-top bag - Give it a good shake to thoroughly combine
- One at a time, remove the drumsticks from the marinade and dredge them in the flour - Shake off any excess flour and then dip in the egg making sure to 'wet' all of the flour - Drop into the bag containing the bread crumbs and give it a gentle shake to completely coat - Transfer to the baking rack (leaving at least an inch between pieces) - Repeat until all of the chicken has been coated
- IF USING: Give the breaded chicken a mist of the olive-oil cooking spray (this helps color and crisp the coating but is not strictly necessary)
- Place the chicken in the top third of the oven and allow it to bake until golden in color (apx 35-40 minutes) - Flip and allow to cook until deep golden and crisp (apx 35-40 minutes more)
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving
- Serve warm or at room temperature on its own or with a mixed green salad and roasted potatoes, or some steamed rice and roasted vegetables - OR make it part of a picnic lunch
*
You can substitute 3-4 lbs of any bone-in / skin-on chicken pieces that you choose for this recipe; Just
be aware that you may end up with a little less or more than needed of the marinade and breading
depending on the size of pieces being used - If slightly less than needed, just add a little more water to
the marinade and some more panko bread crumbs to the breading
