So this is the thing, I was in the supermarket and the drumsticks were staring me in the face. The original idea for this recipe was a traditional wing with an Asian-style wing sauce, but honestly the drumsticks looked so delicious. They were also slightly cheaper in price, which I didn’t quite understand…and still don’t. Oh well. So anyway, I absolutely love how these came out. I also love the idea of being able to serve drumsticks at a Superbowl party. It’s perfect because they aren’t itty bitty like a wing, but they aren’t over the top. You really only need one or two per guest. They are affordable and delectable. You can’t really go wrong there. I think this is the perfect way to end our week dedicated to Superbowl-style foods. This is one recipe you don’t want to skip!
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Not to go off topic, but Zach’s birthday was yesterday. We had fun, went out to dinner, visited a new brewery. It was the first time I tackled an ombre cake. I’m not a huge cake baker to begin with. I love making cupcakes and don’t think I’m half bad at it sometimes, but a cake cake: Nope not usually on the top of my list of recipes to tackle. I decided to give it a shot yesterday. A couple of things that I learned:
1. I have done this before, and I’m sure I will do it again, but for some reason I tend to forget that I live a mile above sea level. With that in mind, baking cakes at a mile above sea level is very different than baking cakes at sea level. One of my layers didn’t cook all the way through =(. It was close, but not close enough. It was a definite redo.
2. The second thing I learned was that getting the icing just right to make a petal ombre cake is not easy. With that in mind, I abandoned the idea of doing the petal design all together. I decided to make a smoother ombre cake. I don’t hate the idea of it now that the whole ordeal is over.
3. The third thing that I learned, was that to ice an actual cake, you need a TON of icing. If I would have known this, I would have made enough the first time to ice the entire cake. This would have helped when I was heading back to the stand mixer every 10 minutes to make more icing. In the end, the cake was pretty delicious and actually pretty beautiful as well. If I get the guts, I will post a picture sometime soon =).
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Well, this has nothing to do with these drumsticks, so let’s get back on topic. Frying chicken sounds easy, but it can sometimes be a daunting task. It took a lot of practice for Zach and I to get “ok” at it before we invested in a deep fryer. The trick is to get the oil to just the right temperature. Once this is accomplished, it’s really pretty difficult to make a mistake. If you plan on frying a lot in the near future, I suggest just going ahead and buying and countertop deep fryer. They are pretty inexpensive and they are so worth it. If this is a once and done type of thing, a stock pot will work just fine. If you have a cast iron stock pot, that will work even better. You will need to invest in a thermometer though.
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*Please Note* This recipe, just like many other fried chicken recipes will take some time to marinate: at least 3 hours. So plan accordingly!
The sauce we made for these drumsticks was my favorite part of the whole thing. It’s so sweet yet so spicy. It’s just perfect. I decided to go a little overboard on the sriracha. This amount can certainly be reduced if you are not the spicy type.
We could only think of one way to go with this beer pairing and that was with Rogue’s Morimoto Soba Ale. They just sound like they belong together don’t they?! This ale is refreshing, light and crisp yet robust and nutty. It’s absolutely perfect with chicken, and even more perfect with Asian dishes. So in this instance, it’s a win win situation!
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Ingredients
- 12-14 chicken drumsticks
- 4 cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds + extra for garnish
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce/tamari
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- scallions for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the drumsticks and the buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. When your drumsticks have marinated, remove from fridge and drain the excess buttermilk through a colander.
- Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine the salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, black pepper and garlic powder. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, bread crumbs and sesame seeds. Liberally season your drumsticks with the seasoning mixture. Then transfer them to the flour mixture and dredge completely. Shake any excess flour off. Now begin frying your drumsticks. If you are using a deep fryer, set the temperature to 375 degrees. If you are not, in a stock pot heat oil to 375 degrees. You want the oil to fill half way up a 5 quart stock pot. (we used vegetable oil) Fry your chicken in batches at 375 for 6-8 minutes. Once cooked, transfer chicken to a paper towel lined plate.
- While the chicken is frying, combine the chili sauce, hoisin sauce, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ginger, garlic, canola oil and sriracha in a small sauce pan. Whisk the ingredients together and heat over medium heat. Add the corn starch and whisk to combine. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.
- Drizzle the sauce onto the drumsticks. Garnish with scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Save the rest of the sauce for dipping!
Notes
Hardware: * Large Bowl with Lid * Colander * Small Bowls * Whisk * Measuring Cups * Measuring Spoons * Deep Fryer or Stock Pot with Thermometer * Paper Towel Lined Plate * Small Saucepan * Wooden Spoon *
