Golden and crunchy on the outside, succulent and juicy on the inside, and baked (not fried). If this sounds like all your Christmases have come at once… well, let me tell you that they have.
Buttermilk is a wonder ingredient. When used in place of milk for cooking it provides extra tang and tenderness. Cakes, pancakes and scones all rise sky high when buttermilk is in the mix. They are lighter, fluffier and with a closer knit texture. The reason for this incredible success is due to the acidity of buttermilk. A slightly more acidic batter means that the tough strands of gluten are better broken down during the cooking phase resulting in a more tender result.
When buttermilk is used to marinate chicken overnight, the same result happens as in baking and the meat is tenderised from the marinating process.
Its part of why buttermilk fried chicken is so incredible. While I do love a cheeky piece of fried chicken every now and again, eating fried food simply can’t be a regular occurrence for a healthy lifestyle, so I’m always looking for ways to emulate my favourite fried foods by baking them to avoid all the extra calories.
Its no secret that baking food is often a poor substitute to frying it – while the outside gets crispy usually the crumb never really gets golden.
But thankfully I’m going to share with you a little trick to achieve a golden exterior and it is all thanks to a technique the gorgeous Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats employs (she is the reigning queen of baked chicken wings after all). Firstly, her trick is to use Japanese panko breadcrumbs and secondly, it is to sauté the breadcrumbs in a frypan until golden before you use it to crumb the chicken.
This really couldn’t be easier, by using buttermilk to marinate, you don’t even need to worry about dipping the drumsticks in flour and egg before crumbing. You simply shake the marinade off the drumstick, dip them in the panko crumb, and bake on a wire rack until golden and cooked through.
Then, mix together some Japanese Kewpie mayo with lime juice and hot sauce and serve beside the freshly baked drumsticks.
Baked Panko Buttermilk Drumsticks with Hot Sauce Mayo
Ingredients
MARINADE
- 2kg chicken drumsticks
- 2 cups buttermilk
- Juice 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon cholula hot sauce (or your favourite hot sauce brand)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Panko Crumb
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
Hot Sauce Aioli
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- Juice 1/2 lime
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cholula hot sauce (or your favourite hot sauce brand)
Directions
Prepare the marinade by combining buttermilk, lemon juice, hot sauce, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken drumsticks and use your hands to toss to coat the drumsticks liberally with the mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for between 6 and 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 Fahrenheit). Place a wire rack over a sheet tray and spray the wire rack and tray with olive oil spray.
To prepare the panko crumb, heat olive oil in a large frypan over medium heat, add the panko crumb, garlic salt and thyme leaves and sautee stirring constantly until the crumb is lightly golden (about 2 minutes) and set aside in a flat bowl.
Remove the chicken from the marinade piece by piece, shaking off the excess and dipping it in crumb mixture, use your fingertips to press the crumb onto the chicken. Place the chicken drumsticks on the prepared rack and tray and bake for 45-50 minutes until golden, crisp and cooked through.
Meanwhile, prepare the mayo by combining the mayo, lime juice and hot sauce in a small bowl.
Serve the drumsticks topped with coriander leaves and with the hot sauce mayo.
You are killing me with this recipe! It’s dinner time here!!! Love it…I just want to grab the whole plate !!
I just finished dinner and am not at all hungry, but you have me wanting to rush out to buy some chicken and have this for 2nd dinner! Really nice — thanks.
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Yum! I love buttermilk marinated chicken – these baked drumsticks look delicious and guilt-free!
Our kids would like this recipe. That chicken looks deliciously crunchy. Thanks for sharing.
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OK – I am so going to be giving these a go. I love the hot sauce in the buttermilk marinade and the panko crumb coating and they are oven baked too. All I need now is a cold beer 🙂
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Can almost hear the crunch of these drumsticks through the screen! What a clever clogs you are 🙂
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I’ve missed your posts, glad you posted this one.
You’re talking my language with these crispy beauties. I learned of the buttermilk trick years ago and found that the chicken gets so tenderized and like you mentioned, that extra tangy flavor, too. Pinned Amanda and congrats again on the engagement. 🙂
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What a perfect looking dinner! Love that these are baked and not fried and the addition of fresh thyme to the coating sounds delicious. Great photos, too 🙂
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My stomach is growling now, and it’s nowhere near dinner time! These look phenomenal and I can’t sing the praises of buttermilk loud enough! I’m pinning this for later.
Oh wow Amanda these look fabulous. I love using buttermilk too
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These look so so delicious Amanda! I love buttermilk marinated chicken..I do one with a cornflakes crumb and cajun seasoning too. Baked chicken is the new guiltfree indulgence of mine.
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This looks UNBELIEVABLY GOOD!! Those panko crumbs look amazing! My husband saw this, and immediately wanted me to make this for him!! I’ll have to make it happen soon 😀
I love this idea… chicken legs and thighs are ALWAYS on sale and I’m always looking for recipes that help with the weekly budget! We’re entertaining for a football party this weekend so I’m going to make these… winning… both reasonably priced and full, of yummy flavors! ? ? ?
thank you