Chicken Drumsticks

Prep Time: 0:15

Cook Time: 0:40

Serves: 4

Ingredients / Shopping List

4 chicken drumsticks

100g Brussels paté

4 stalks of fresh thyme

Pinch chilli flakes

2 garlic cloves

2 tsp honey

2 tsp boiling water

Seasoning

Prep to Cook: Casserole dish, pastry brush, basin, teaspoon, knife, chopping board, kitchen scissors, piece of kitchen foil. Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 4 or 180⁰C

Prep:

Use the handle of a teaspoon to slide under the chicken drumstick skin.Work round the drumstick until there is a space between the skin and the flesh.

Cut the paté into four pieces and press it to become a flatter shape

Insert the paté under the skin and using your hands work it round the flesh.

Pull the skin up and over all the pate and smooth the outer shape.

Now place the drumsticks in a shallow ovenproof dish.

Blend the honey with two teaspoons of boiling water and brush over the drumsticks

Sprinkle with seasoning and chilli flakes.

Place a stem of thyme on each drumstick.

Add a little water to the cooking dish so that some steam is formed on cooking that will help tenderise the drumstick.

Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 4 or 180⁰C .

Cover with foil and cook for 20 minutes and then remove the foil for the final 20 mins.

Check it out!

Making simple cheap chicken drumsticks look and taste good is the secret of the success of this dish. Value adding basic food products it an essential role for chefs and home cooks alike.

Recipe Science

Cooks Know How: In this recipe the skill is in how you handle the drumsticks to obtain a good shape and finish, glaze meat and add specific flavours through the use of herbs and spices. Roasting the chicken, glazed with honey will ensure a rich brown, shiny and crisp skin that is flavoursome. A little touch of spice from the chilli flakes will come through the sweetness and a savoury flavour will be ensured from the seasoning, enhanced by the fresh thyme.

Chicken drumsticks contain around 6% fat and this moistens the meat and helps it become tender on cooking. The fat in the paté also lubricates the chicken meat and aids tenderness and adds flavour. Using a moderate oven (180⁰C Gas 4) means that the meat proteins can tenderise gently in the presence of some steam and fat.

Serve these drumsticks as a main meal with extra vegetables of your choice and some potatoes. Alternately, they can be presented on a bed of rice and vegetables to make a healthy meal.