Hot & Sticky Chicken Pops

These are just great. If you've got pickier kids then you can dial up the honey and dial down the hot and they'll love them. For adults, do the opposite. I like to serve this type of stuff as a heavy snack or during a chaotic dinner where you've got lots of folks coming and going. Obviously, these are open to be dressed up any way you like or even just straight roasted / fried for the crispy angle.

Popping the knuckle off of drumsticks is a great trick. It not only makes a nice little handle, it's also visually appealing. Lastly, it severs the little tendons that run up and down chicken thighs that aren't the most pleasant when eating. This is a good technique to get used to using in many different chicken dishes. I believe it is called "Frenched chicken".

Gather the Good Stuff

1. Chicken Drumstick - 6-8 or what ever will fit comfortably in your roasting pan

2. 1 Tbsp - rice wine vinegar

3. 1 Tbsp honey - use good stuff

4. 1-3 Tbsp Sriracha

5. Salt & Pepper

Putting it all Together

1. Grab the drumstick tightly and with a small sharp knife cut all around the bone about an inch up from the bottom. Make sure you get right through to the bone and cut through the tendons

2. Carefully using your knife, scrape the skin up and towards the end of the drumstick

3. Proceed your knife up into the joint revealing the bone beneath. Once you've got a view of where the bone meets the joint make a very small incision between the two just to help loosen it. From there, just pop the joint off with your hands leaving the bone only

4. Assemble your chicken on a plate and salt / pepper generously. Make sure your oven is preheat to 200C / 390F

5. Roast in the 200C / 390F oven for 40-45 minutes until well cooked through, to internal temp of at least 160C

6. Meanwhile prepare your glaze by mixing all the wet ingredients together

7. 5 minutes before the chicken is done, remove from the oven and brush half the glaze onto the drumsticks. Return to the oven for the last 5 minutes

8. When time is up, remove from the oven and glaze again

9. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to garnish

Comments

Chicken Paprikesh

One thing we all appreciate about chicken is how nicely it can be transformed into something awesome and in pretty short order. This dish certainly fits that bill. It won't take you much more than 25 minutes to prepare and I'm confident how pleasantly surprised you'll be with the work / reward ratio of this dish. Key things to focus on are using a good smokey paprika and making sure you take the time to brown the onions well.

Gather the good stuff:1 Tbsp butter or better Chicken legs and thighs. Enough to fill a big pan. 2 or 3 Yellow onions - sliced. 1 Tbs of paprika. I use smoked but you can use regular paprika as well 1 cup chicken broth at room temperature1/2 cup sour cream Putting this together Cut your chicken into thighs and drumsticks. Pat dry and salt well. Meanwhile slice your onions and set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a heavy pan on medium high heat . Fry chicken skin side down for 5 minutes or until skin easily lifts off the pan. Flip chicken and fry for another 3…

Loco Moco

The first time I had this I was on the big island of Hawaii and I had never heard of it before my now wife and I walked into a small diner in some tiny town that I can’t even remember the name of. I do remember that we had both had too much wine the night before and this particular menu item jumped right out at me as something that might help with that. I’ve since learned that this is the quintessential Hawaiian comfort food and if you decide to make it, you’ll appreciate why.
Key things to look out for: How you season the patty is going to greatly colour the dish. I like Cajun spices but you do you Don’t wipe out the pan in between the patties and the gravy. The fondant is exactly what you’re after when making a good gravy

Gather the good StuffPatties
Ground beef - enough for a few small patties. Probably about 400g or so. I like them on the thinner side but you do you Cajun seasoning to taste Garlic salt to taste Black pepper to taste 1 egg Gravy 1.5 cups beef broth 2 tbsp soy sauce …

Ma Po Tofu

If you have ever been to Asia you've likely come across this dish at some point. There's a thousand variations but all with a few key ingredients that really bring out the flavour that we are looking for here. I make this when it gets cold where we live. The heat and spice of this dish will bring you right back to life. If you want an authentic version, you're going to need to make a stop at an Asian grocer. The ingredients you'll find in a standard grocery store won't work nearly as well. Especially the Do-Chi and the Dou-ban-jiang which are crucial to getting this right.
Gather the Good stuff 300-400g Tofu. (Don't use super firm tofu, you want it a little soft). Often, especially at Asian grocery stores you can find a variety called Silken Tofu. I happen to think it is perfect but you do you. 100-200g minced pork (you can substitute beef as well)1.5 Tbsp Dou Chi - Little fermented asian black beans. 1 Tbsp Doubanjiang (or for the spicier version La-doubanjiang…

Upside Down Cooking

Search This Blog