Hey guys!

Hope you enjoyed the holidays. I did but unfortunately its time to eat a little healthier now.

I totally lost freakin’ control! I had Kentucky fried chicken even though we had Christmas dinner just last night…..just out of control.

My KFC did inspire good though. It gave me the idea to make healthy, ultra crispy, “falsi-fried” chicken drumsticks. They taste fried but without the oiliness. There is a satisfying crunch when you bite into them and they are cooked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees – well done, so you easily bite right down to the bone.  Its not the quickest recipe but its super easy to prepare. Baking time is an hour and some, however since the prep is so quick,  its not so bad. You can spend that time making your side dish..and you don’t even have to bother turning the drumsticks over, just forget ’em for a while.

This recipe works well whether the drumsticks are skinless or not.

For best results, please buy/use a meat thermometer.

Ingredients:

1 generous cup of Pastene seasoned bread crumbs

1 generous cup of Panko bread crumbs

2 large eggs , beaten

1/4 cup of grated romano cheese (or parmigiano, but I used romano)

1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp of garlic powder or other favorite seasoning

1 tsp of kosher salt

(please feel free to season to your liking. Taste your crumb mixture and adjust it if needed)

12 chicken drumsticks, skinless or not.

a small amount of vegetable oil & pastry brush

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse and pat drumsticks dry.

Line a shallow roasting pan with parchment paper

Mix together the breadcrumbs, salt, garlic powder , cayenne and grated cheese.

Lightly beat eggs in a shallow dish.

Roll each drumstick into the egg and then into the crumb mixture ensuring that they are well coated. You can press down to help the crumbs stick better.

Place drumsticks into prepared pan. With a pastry brush dipped in some vegetable oil, just lightly dab the top of each drumstick. You wouldn’t want to drench them because they won’t crisp up. 

Place them into the preheated oven, without turning, for just a little over an hour or when the internal temperature reaches 180 or at least very close.

You can serve these drumsticks hot , room-temp or chilled.

You can’t go wrong.

Enjoy!