Sesame Chicken Drumsticks

To admit it honestly, this Sesame Chicken Drumsticks recipe was a surprise even for me! Lately I cook chicken very rarely – white meat is simply not my favourite. Even though it can taste delicious if it is cooked with skill, it’s just not to my taste. And you can never be sure how the chicken was raised and what exactly was it fed with to grow to the size of a dinosaur. That is why it is part of our meal plan even rarer. At home, we cook chicken mostly in soups or we roast the drumsticks with rice.

For the last couple of years I’ve had the feeling that there is hardly a restaurant menu that doesn’t include sesame chicken drumsticks or wings. With a hand on my heart I confess I have tried it only in the cases when my friends ordered this meal (personally I would never order it) and I have asked myself the same question over and over again – how could you eat that?! It doesn’t have any taste at all! Or to me at least… that is why I decided to cook the chicken drumsticks myself and see if I can eat them too. I can tell you they are super easy to make, scrumptious, especially while they are still hot, and I finished everything on my plate! Definitely the best sesame chicken drumsticks I’ve ever had.

Ingredients for the sesame chicken drumsticks:

• 6 small chicken drumsticks (around 600-700 g)
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp sesame
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Ingredients for the garnish:

• 1 chicory head
• 1 pak choi
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• sesame – for sprinkling
• balsamic vinegar to taste

Sesame Chicken Drumsticks Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°С (top and base heat). Prepare a baking tray.
2. Use a garlic press to crush the garlic into a small bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir to make the marinade.
3. Brush the marinade over the chicken drumsticks and arrange them into the baking tray. Pour over the remaining marinade. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 40 minutes.
4. Wash thoroughly the chicory head and pak choi. Remove the outer leaves and cut in half.
5. Heat the olive oil into a frying pan. Add the pak choi leaves and fry for 2 minutes. Add the chicory and fry for further 2 minutes while turning. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir.
6. Arrange the sesame chicken drumsticks onto serving plates. Decorate with balsamic vinegar and sesame, add the garnish and serve.

Bon appetit!