lemon drums

I developed this recipe for two reasons:

1. I wanted to use up a jar of homemade lemon marmalade that was open in my refrigerator.
2. I wanted to make crispy chicken wings for Connor. Connor loves his wings.

The problem was – when I went to Costco to buy the chicken wings, I accidentally picked up a huge package of chicken legs instead. And when I say huge … I’m talking 30 chicken legs, aka drumsticks.

Solution – I made crispy drums instead and Connor loved them just as much as he loves his wings.

Problem – I only used 10 of the 30 legs for this recipe.

Solution – I threw the remaining 2o legs in the freezer so I’ll just have to come up with another leg recipe the next time Connor comes home for the weekend.

This recipe can easily be changed to accommodate chicken wings… just use wings instead of legs.

Crispy Baked Lemon Chicken Drums

10 chicken legs (drumsticks or “drums”)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup lemon marmalade (substitute orange if lemon is hard to find)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse chicken legs and then pat dry. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with vegetable oil, salt, and pepper.

Place a rack or racks (I used two cooling racks) on a large baking sheet.

Position the oiled legs in a single layer ensuring that they are over the baking sheet and that they are not touching each other.

Bake in the preheated oven, turning the legs over halfway through, until fully cooked, about 45 to 50 minutes total.

Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil and olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes until golden brown.

Add the red pepper flakes, marmalade, and hoisin sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven and use tongs to transfer legs to a large bowl.

Pour the lemon sauce over the chicken, tossing to thoroughly coat. Use tongs to remove legs to a serving platter. Pour the sauce from the bottom of the bowl into a small serving dish and serve on the side for dipping.

Makes 10 “drums”