I'm going to admit straight out-when I first saw this recipe, I was completely skeptical. Breaded and baked chicken can be tricky-some recipes can turn out dry and sandy, and others leave you with a soggy breading. I hate trying new recipes with the risk of failure, but most from John Bishop turn out amazing, so I gave it a go. Not content with just plain breadcrumbs, I couldn't resist adapting by adding a bunch of spices.
Drumsticks were on sale at the store this week; buy 1 package, get one free, which meant our chicken legs were only $.50 each. A steal! You can leave the skin on here if you like that, but I don't and always remove it. These babies baked up super moist with a tasty crunchy coating, and we scarfed down every last bit while licking our fingers and exclaiming about how downright delicious they were. Try having them cold the next day in your lunch, with some potato salad, and you have a picnic! Kevin declared these to be "just like Shake N Bake, but SO MUCH better!". Well, then! A great home made alternative?
12 chicken drumsticks (skin removed if desired)
1 cup fine dried breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a shallow bowl, whisk together the mustard and oil. Set aside. In another shallow bowl or pie plate, stir together the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, pepper, paprika, and oregano.
Dip each drumstick in the mustard mixture, coating well. Roll in breadcrumbs and set on the baking sheet. Continue with each drumstick until all are coated.
Bake for 30 minutes, turning the chicken pieces half way through. Make sure to use a spatula/flipper instead of tongs so that you can lift each piece and keep the coating intact. Tongs tend to allow some of the coating to stick to the pan and come off.
Once the drumsticks are cooked through, remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, and serve.
Makes 12 pieces
