2020 Holiday Cooking Special Series, Day 3 - Honey-Ginger Chicken Drumsticks

 

2020 Holiday Cooking Special Series

Day 3: Honey-Ginger Chicken Drumsticks

After a long week, nothing beats a scrumptious plate of juicy, oven-baked chicken drumsticks on a cold Friday night! The secret to wonderfully tender drumsticks is investing the time to develop a high quality marinade and giving ample room for the chicken to fully absorb all the marinade flavors for a minimum of 30 minutes. My idea for this particular recipe came from a classic combination used in herbal teas and two ingredients commonly found in kitchens everywhere - the ever versatile honey and irresistibly warm ginger. 

For this recipe, first start by mixing the dry spices that will form the base of the marinade - 1 teaspoon each of ground black pepper, salt, smoked paprika, turmeric, and cumin. Peel about 1 inch of fresh ginger root and cut it into small pieces. Using a pestle and mortar, crush the ginger pieces as much as possible until they turn into smaller granules. Once done, pour the crushed ginger (including the resulting juice) into the bowl of dry spices. Add 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar for some acidity, and 1/4 cup of olive oil into the bowl and mix thoroughly with a spoon to blend all ingredients. Place 6 pieces of thawed chicken drumsticks in a large ziplock bag and then pour in the marinade evenly over the chicken. Close the bag and rub/shake to ensure all pieces are well coated by the marinade and then place the bag in the lowest compartment of your refrigerator. Let the chicken marinate for 30 - 60 minutes before taking them out. 

After the marinade process is complete, pre-heat the oven to 375℉. Thereafter, transfer the chicken drumsticks into a baking dish and roast them for 30 - 35 minutes until they are well done. To get a crispier and golden-brown coating, broil the drumsticks for an additional 5 minutes on high. Once done, serve hot immediately with some sauce and side of your choosing. Enjoy! 😍😋💖