Lowcountry Recipes: Roast Chicken Drumsticks

I love Lowcountry recipes. I have to, whether I want to or not. Lowcountry cuisine is in my blood, so to speak. My family hails from the Lowcountry of South Carolina, and I grew up listening to stories about Charleston and the surrounding area, told to me by my grandmother and great-grandmother. Both ladies were experts with Lowcountry recipes, and I don’t claim to be as proficient as they were, but I do my best. Actually, my recipes are pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. This particular recipe is for roast chicken legs, or as we call them down here in the South, “drumsticks.” Now, I’ve never been a big fan of drumsticks, but the grandkids love them. That’s good because it’s almost as if chicken legs were made especially for kids. They’re just the right serving size, and they even have their own built-in “handle.” This recipe has a little heat to it, so if you’re kids aren’t use to warm foods, you might want to adjust the seasonings, accordingly. Of course, if hot food fans are going to be the ones enjoying the drumsticks, you might want to add more cayenne, more hot sauce, or both.

I’ve found that this recipe works best with medium-sized chicken legs. Don’t buy scrawny little legs, but don’t buy huge ones, either. Small drumsticks might dry out with this recipe, while the colossal ones will take longer to cook. The big ones won’t be as flavorful, either, because there will be a smaller flash to surface area ratio. Remember – the seasonings are on the surface area – the outside of the roast chicken.

Serve these drumsticks with a tossed or fruit salad, a baked potato, and a glass of milk for a hearty, nutritional meal. If you make rice to go with the chicken, spoon some of the drippings over the rice.

What you’ll need:

12 chicken legs

1 stick butter, melted

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon hot sauce (vinegar-base type)

2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

Garlic salt with parsley

Paprika

Black pepper

Cayenne

Directions: Rinse chicken legs under cool running water and pat dry. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, lemon juice, hot sauce, Liquid Smoke, celery salt, and onion powder.

Line a shallow baking pan with foil.

Dip legs in butter mixture and place on baking pan. Legs shouldn’t touch each other. If there’s any butter sauce left, drizzle it on the drumsticks.

Sprinkle the chicken legs with garlic salt, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes.