Delicious Party Chicken Drumsticks

I'm currently back home in the UK for my Father in law's 60th birthday and my wife and I were asked to help out with some of the catering for the buffet.

Having been the victim of awful, dry and tasteless chicken in the past at buffets I quickly decided I wanted to make some drumsticks with a difference. They would be served cold but I wanted them to be not only succulent and moist but also have a unique flavour.

The secret here is not just the marinade but also several bastes with the juices during the cooking as well as turning the drumsticks.

Equipment:

• ZipLoc bags or a large, lidded bowl - to marinade the chicken.
• A roasting tray - or several depending on the amount you're cooking.
• A cooling rack.
• Some tin foil (alu foil).
• Glass jug.
• Basting pump thing - I don't bother with one of these I tend to pour the juices from the tray into the jug and then pour it back over maybe giving it a brush too.

Ingredients:

For the marinade - for 80 drumsticks

• 2 litres apple juice
• 1 bottle maple syrup
• 3 sticks cinnamon roughly broken
• 2-3 tablespoons muscavado sugar dissolved in hot water
  
• 10-20 cloves of garlic - up to you how garlicky - peeled or unpeeled and crushed
• Olive oil - a good splash - maybe 4 to5 tablespoons
• Soy sauce - 4 to 5 tablespoons
• Malt vinegar - 1 to 2 tablespoons

80 Chicken drumsticks

Method:

1) Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl.

2) Add the chicken to the marinade either in the bowl or spread the chicken out into several ZipLoc bags and pour the marinade into the bags - enough to cover the meat.
3) Leave for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
4) Pre-heat the oven to 200C (gas mark 6).
5) Place the chicken into the baking tray/s and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

6) Remove from oven and turn the chicken over, pour the juices into the jug (or use a basting pump thing) and pour them back over the meat.
7) Return to the oven for another 20 minutes.
8) Remove from the oven again and pierce the thickest part of the largest drumstick with a sharp knife, if the juices are clear the chicken is done.
9) Remove the chicken from the baking tray/s and place on the cooling rack.

The marinade should have stuck to the chicken giving it a golden glaze and the meat itself should be succulent, tender and as was the case at our party create a great deal of positive comments from your guests.

Enjoy.

ps The marinade also works great with pork steaks, ribs etc

Tequila Lime Chicken

This tasty chicken dish combines the tangy flavour of the tequila and lime marinade with a creamy, south western style dressing and tops it all off with a melted cheese blend. Note: Be sure you don't marinade the chicken longer than 3 to 4 hours or the citric acid in the lime juice may toughen the chicken. You can serve this dish with your choice of rice but personally, I love this dish served with crispy, thin cut chips (French Fries) with maybe a little salsa on the side. Serves 4

Ingredients:

For The Chicken Marinade

• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce - see our Chicken Teriyaki recipe
  
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon mesquite liquid smoke flavouring
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 shot (25ml) tequila

4 chicken breast fillets

For The Mexi-Ranch Dressing

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream/creme fraiche
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoons minced tomato
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced canned jalapeno slices
• 1 teaspoon minced onion
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or a hot pepper sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder - you can increase this for extra heat
• pinch garlic powder
• pinch ground black pepper

For the cheese melt topping and crispy base
1 cup grated Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend (M Jack can be hard to find but to be honest I've made this dish using all sorts of cheeses (as long as they melt).
2 cups crumbled corn chips or fried tortilla strips

1. Prepare marinade by combining marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl, cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours.

2. Make the mexi-ranch dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well until smooth, then cover dressing and chill it until needed.

3. When you are ready to prepare the entree, preheat the oven to high broil. Also, preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to high heat. When the grill is hot cook the marinated chicken breasts for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until they're done.

4. Arrange the cooked chicken in a baking pan. Spread a layer of mexi-ranch dressing over each piece of chicken (you'll have plenty left over), followed by 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese blend. Broil the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, or just until the cheese has melted.

5. Spread a bed of 1/2 cup of the tortilla strips or crumbled corn chips on each of four plates. Slide a chicken breast onto the chips on each plate and serve with your choice of rice and salsa.

Additional info
Crumbling shop bought tortilla chips is the easy way to make the bed of crunchy chips that the tequila lime chicken rests on. But, you can make tortilla strips like those served at the restaurant by cutting a stack of eight 6-inch corn tortillas in half.

Stack the halves on top of each other and slice the tortillas into thin strips. Fry the tortilla strips in 2 cups of oil preheated in a large skillet for 3-5 minutes or until crispy.

Salt lightly and allow to drain and cool on paper towels.

And...... that's it!

Honey BBQ Chicken Wings

This great recipe re-creates a KFC style crispy breading on the chicken wings and a delicious sweet and tangy, honey BBQ sauce.

This makes 2 to 4 servings (20 wings) depending on how hungry you are.



Ingredients:
For The Sauce

• 1 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon Mesquite/Liquid smoke* (see tidbits)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

For The Crispy Coating

• 6 to 8 cups vegetable oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon MSG** (Optional)
• 20 chicken wing pieces

1. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the ingredients are well combined and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes to thicken.

2. As your sauce is simmering, heat up 6 to 8 cups of oil in a deep fryer set to 350 degrees.

3. Combine the beaten egg with the milk in a small bowl.

4. In another small bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper and the optional MSG.

5. When the vegetable oil is hot, dip each wing first in the flour mixture, then into the milk and egg mixture, and then back into the flour. Arrange wings on a plate until each one is coated with the flour, milk/egg mixture.

6. Fry the wings for 9 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. If you are using a small fryer or pan, you may wish to fry the wings in smaller batches. After frying the wings, allow them to drain on paper towels or a cooling rack.

7. When the sauce is done, brush the entire surface of each wing with a light coating of sauce. Serve immediately. Note: You may want to ensure a good supply of paper towels/napkins :O)

Additional Info
*Mesquite/Liquid smoke
A flavoring found in many stores near the barbecue sauces and marinades. Use hickory-flavored liquid smoke if you have a choice.

**MSG
Monosodium Glutamate, the solid form of a natural amino acid found in many vegetables. It can generally be found in oriental food markets and is often labelled as Gourmet Powder flavour enhancer. MSG is very popular in a lot of oriental dishes but it's use has become somewhat controversial. Check out this article from the Guardian newspaper about MSG in food.

Restaurant Style Teriyaki Chicken

Delicious Chicken Teriyaki in 10 easy to follow steps

Serves: 4
Ingredients:

• 4 Chicken breasts with skin on
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Sake (rice wine)
• 4 tbsp Mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 clove garlic (Optional) finely chopped
• 1 to 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or try our seasoned ginger oil)
  

Note: If Mirin is not available you can use regular rice wine and increase the amount of sugar to taste.

For The Garnish
Grated ginger - Available from Asian supermarkets but easily prepared using fresh ginger blended with a little water.

1. Pierce the skin on each chicken breast with a fork.

2. Mix the other ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Marinade the chicken in the mixture and place in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.

4. Remove the chicken from the marinade mixture and retain the leftover marinade for later use.

5. Heat the vegetable oil (or our seasoned ginger oil if you're using that) in a frying pan and fry the chicken, skin side first over a medium heat until the skin has browned.

6. Turn the chicken pieces over and gently fry the other side over a low heat.

7. Pour the retained marinade mixture over the chicken in the pan and cover, allowing the chicken to steam cook over a low heat until it's cooked through.

8. Remove the cover and allow the sauce to simmer until it becomes thick.

9. Remove the pan from the heat. Slice the chicken breasts diagonally and serve them on a plate.

10. Pour the thickened Terikayi sauce from the pan over the chicken and garnish with the grated ginger (Optional).

Serving suggestion.
Why not try this delicious Chicken Teriyaki with our Benihana style, Japanese Egg Fried Rice or alternatively served cold in a pitta bread pocket with salad.