recipe: tandoori chicken drumsticks

i had drumsticks in the freezer, a thai/indian craving, and a flurry of great recipe ideas from foodgawker.com at the ready. tonight's FG-inspired recipe is from Modaretto.com, scaled up for 3 ppl, and served with coconut rice.

ingredients list:
- 6 chicken legs
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger (i used the tubed-variety)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp cardamom
- 1 & 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 1 & 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 & 1/4 cups yogurt

to make: remove skin from chicken, then mix all remaining ingredients in large bowl or zip lock. add chicken, and stir until the chicken is fully coated. allow to marinate for a few hours or overnight.

when ready to cook, preheat oven to 415 degrees. line a baking sheet with tin foil, placing a wire rack over top (sprayed with cooking spray) to cook the chicken. reserve marinade. bake chicken for 20 minutes, then brush on both sides with the reserved marinade, and turn chicken over. bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, until juices run clear.

***

i really liked this one! i hadn't looked at the recipe before dinner, so didn't marinate it for too long. the flavors were really nice as-is, but i'm sure they would have been even deeper & yummier if i let it sit overnight. next time i will add a little additional heat - it was great as-is, but i want the same heat level of the chicken to the sweet level of the rice (if that makes sense). popping it a 7.5*******~.

recipe: asian glazed drumsticks

din din tonight, taken from skinnytaste.com's Asian Glazed Drumstick recipe. this was perfect for tonight b/c i had a bunch of drumsticks (PC sale this week) and a desire to not get fat from eating chicken skin... can't ask for more in a recipe.

ingredients list:
- 6 chicken drumsticks, skins removed (cooking for 3, we made 2-per)
- olive oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce
- 1 tsp chili oil
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup lo-so soy sauce
- 4 tsp sugar (orig recipe calls for agave nectar if you have it on hand)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- 1 tsp sesame seeds

to make: heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in large pan over medium heat, adding chicken and cooking for about 2-3 minutes per side. stir together hot sauce, chili oil, balsamic, soy sauce, sugar, garlic & ginger in small bowl. after chicken is slightly golden, add the liquid mixture to the pan. after liquid begins to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, turning chicken periodically. remove cover and boil over medium-high heat to reduce sauce (i added about 1 tsp of cornstarch at this point to hurry it up). serve with a sprinkle of chives & sesame.

we had this with cilantro lime rice (recipe is exactly the same as the name), and were pleasantly surprised. for a very quick, easy week night din this was great. i like the cook method for the drumsticks and will def make this or a similar recipe again... after eating chicken breasts nonstop you really forget how much flavor chicken can have. would give it a solid 7 overall *******.