A Southern-inspired soul food recipe that the family will love, these crispy, golden chicken drumsticks are a hit with my pre-school children (who are usually quite fussy). They also love cauliflower mash, which is a healthy alternative to mashed potato. I've added glazed carrots and fresh steamed greens, for a well-rounded family meal, all for under $20.
Ingredients
| 8 | Chicken drumsticks (Main) |
| 1 tsp | Paprika |
| 1 tsp | Salt |
| 1 dash | Ground black pepper |
| 1 clove | Garlic, finely chopped |
| 1 cup | Buttermilk |
| ½ | Lemons, juice of |
Coating
| 2 cups | Standard flour |
| 2 cups | Cornflakes, crushed |
| 1 tsp | Salt |
| 1 tsp | Paprika |
| ¼ cup | Olive oil |
Creamy cauli mash
| ½ head | Cauliflower, chopped into florets |
| 25 g | Butter |
| 1 tsp | Salt, to taste |
| 1 pinch | Ground black pepper, to taste |
Directions
- Marinate the chicken half a day ahead, or overnight, if possible, for the juiciest chicken. Season the chicken drumsticks with paprika, salt, pepper and garlic and place in a dish. Pour the buttermilk and lemon juice over the drumsticks, cover with clingfilm, and put in the fridge until ready to cook.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, crushed cornflakes, salt and paprika (if you don't have cornflakes, you can use panko crumbs, or if you have neither in the pantry, as I did the day I photographed these, you can use rice bubbles).
- Take the chicken from the buttermilk mixture and cover each drumstick in the crumb mixture, thoroughly coating each one. Place the pieces onto an oven tray covered with a baking sheet. Spoon a little olive oil on the top of each piece of chicken. Bake in the oven until golden and cooked, about 40 to 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the cauliflower mash and other vegetables. Boil the cauliflower in a pot of water until tender. Drain off all the water. Using a stick blender, or food processor, blitz the cooked cauliflower with the butter, salt and pepper. Add a splash of milk or cream if necessary, to get the right consistency.
- Peel, chop and boil 2-3 carrots in a pot of hot water. When just tender, remove and drain. Add a knob of butter and a tsp of brown sugar to the pot and lightly heat, until the butter has melted and caramelised with the brown sugar. Stir together with the carrots gently, so as not to break them.
- Steam the green vegetables (half a head of broccoli, or 2 cups of chopped spinach) in a little water in a pot. Do not over cook. Add a knob of butter, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the buttermilk oven 'fried' chicken with the cauliflower mash, glazed carrots and green vegetables.
