Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Pan-Roasted Drumsticks

I'm very excited about today's recipe, because it is the first on No Free Lunch to feature one of my favorite cuts - the chicken leg. You can substitute any other part of the chicken here if you like, but there's something fun (and delicious) about going a little medieval and biting into the juicy leg. This recipe is as easy as it gets in the world of chicken preparations. Pan-roasting in this way cuts down on cooking time, useful if you are really hungry, and also makes it easy to prepare a pan gravy with some chicken stock after you're done.

Another great thing about this meal is that it's very economical. I had a bowl of rice on the side and a glass of 2009 Borsao Garnacha at $6.99 a bottle. With the chicken only $.99 a pound, I would be hard pressed to say this filling and tasty meal cost more than $2.00!


Ingredients
  • 3 chicken legs
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • Olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a plate, mix the seasonings for the dry rub together. Sprinkle and rub the seasoning over each drumstick. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Make sure you're using a pan without any plastic parts, because we'll be putting the whole pan in the oven later.

Once the oil is hot, put the drumsticks in the pan. Fry until the outsides are browned and the skin crisps a bit. Turn the chicken with tongs to make sure each side gets browned.


Place the pan in the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through. Be careful, as the pan will become very hot. You can check periodically by poking with a sharp knife close to the bone. If the juice runs clear, the chicken is done. If it runs red, put it back in the oven. Roasting will take about 20 minutes, less for smaller pieces. Robert Irvine would say that slitting your chicken shows you aren't confident in your cooking. He is right. But here we are cooking at home for ourselves with no one to impress. Once you get used to cooking times and your own oven, you will build confidence.

2 comments:

  1. Chicken legs, tried and true. Beer recommendation unrelated to the current post: Sam Adams Imperial Series Double Bock. Beeradvocate calls it "one of the last ballsy Sam Adams brews", and that really couldn't be more accurate. I think. I'm honestly not sure how the adjective "ballsy" relates to beer, but I guess if I had to pick one to assign it to, this would be it. I bought a single bottle at our beer store this last weekend, and have been craving it ever since.

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    Replies
    1. A big, "ballsy" doppelbock seems appropriate for a pick-up-and-eat kind of meal like this, though. Imagine a big German guy eating a chicken leg, perhaps?

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