Sunday, August 5, 2012

Crispy Buttermilk Sage Chicken Drumsticks


This is the chicken you imagine bringing on a picnic.  You know the picnic... the one where you gather all the appropriate utensils and and a blanket (preferably a red plaid one), and you place them ever so lovingly in an oversize wicker basket.  Then you gather a couple other food items, maybe a crisp green salad, a rustic looking stone fruit tart, and a bottle of wine, a chilled rosé if possible.  You head to a ridiculously scenic location with an ocean view and wildflower blossoms surrounding you, of course.

But... you never actually go on that picnic.  It isn't because you don't like picnics in theory.  You just don't like picnics in practice.  You realize that the chicken will probably be cold and the salad wilted.  That scenic location is actually a public park, so you can't bring that bottle of wine.  I mean, i guess you could bring a flask, but that is a bit less romantic.  And you remember the ants and other assorted bugs creeping around the food and blanket.  So instead, you eat the chicken in the comfort of your own home, warm and crispy, fresh out of the oven, on clean plates with your glass of rosé, and imagine the original, umblemished version of that picnic at the beach.


Ingredients
6 chicken drumsticks
1-2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup chopped sage leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
pie pan or 8x8 baking dish

Instructions
Place the chicken in a ziplock bag and pour enough buttermilk over the pieces so that they are coated.  Let the chicken marinate in the buttermilk overnight.  Heat oven to 450.  Pour melted butter in the baking dish.  In a shallow bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and sage leaves.  Take each chicken drumstick and coat generously in the flour mixture.  Place in the baking dish and repeat for each drumstick.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until the bottom side is nice and crispy.  Flip and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes, until the other side is browned as well.

46 comments:

  1. Yes. Exactly. This is all true.

    And that chicken looks fiiiiercely delicious!

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  2. This looks like an excellent method for crispy "fried" chicken!

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  3. I made something like this last weekend, but didn't get to take pictures of them - but I didn't add the sage. Although I bet it will be fantastic with them. Thanks for sharing!!

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  4. This looks so scrumptious!!love the addition of sage here too!YUMM....

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  5. This chicken looks utterly perfect my friend, great job :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  6. This looks great. I love the use of sage with it, this would be a great picnic snack!

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  7. haha nothing wrong with a little picnic on the living room floor :) this chicken looks so crispy and yummy! I LOVE that you added sage to it.

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  8. It looks like a terrific meal and would be delicious wherever it was eaten. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  9. Your chicken looks great! I agree with pic-nic idea :)

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  10. Buttermilk makes fried chicken so much better. Love that you've added sage to it. Now I'm craving it!

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  11. This looks AMAZING! Love the addition of sage! (...and I feel the same way about picnics- amazing in theory, mostly frustrating in practice. bottle of wine is necessary either way.)

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  12. That fried chicken is a marvel! And it would definitely be brilliant with a glass of rose.

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  13. Haha, I actually go on picnics all the time. But I go to the park where there are tables. And guys with no shirts doing the fitness circuit that I can ogle.

    I mean, that chicken looks fabulous.

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  14. You crack me up! But I still love that chicken (and glass of wine please :-) )

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  15. Yum, yum and a little more yum. I love a good crispy chicken and this fits the bill.

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  16. Seriously? I can only imagine how good that sage tastes in here. Why oh why am I a vegetarian??

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  17. The chicken looks crispy and delicious!Love the sage flavor!

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  18. This is perfect picnic food! Even if the picnic is at your kitchen table!

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  19. I've been dying for some kind of fried chicken dish and this looks much better! Making it this week. :)

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  20. That is one amazing chicken recipe! Love it.

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  21. Ooh, yum! I'm always on the lookout for new chicken recipes.
    Also I agree. It's hard to actually do the picnic thing. I like my chicken hot ;)

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  22. I'm not super big on picnics either. I'd rather stay home and eat my food while it's just out of the oven.

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  23. Your intro cracked me up. I often see cooking shows like Barefoot Contessa where she packs everything for a picnic and I think 'what a great idea!' But I never do it. Don't have a basket, don't like bugs while I'm eating. A shame, because there are some great locations in DC to chill. Love the chicken!

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  24. Love the chicken. And you're so right about picnics - although I'm planning one later this month.

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  25. Yum! Definitely going on this stay-home-picnic!

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  26. It looks delicious, and with so much flavor, love the sage addition!

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  27. I'm so craving chicken right now! (And ocean view picnic on a Martha Stewart blanket.)

    I see that you're putting your new camera to use! :D

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  28. No chicken for me, but I definitely want to make this for my boyfriend! :D

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  29. Haha, this made me giggle. I am with you on liking picnics in theory. In reality they are just a cumbersome, complicated mess. I am certain this chicken would be more amazing eaten hot at the kitchen table, and that's just where it'll be eaten! :-)

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  30. I've never tried sage in fried chicken. Thanks for the tip!

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  31. Woah! I just LOVE the ingredients here. So earthy and fresh. Fantastic looking too. And, yes...I totally feel the same way about picnics. It's always buggy and hot too, which is not appetizing. lol! I hope you have a great day!
    ~Kate

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  32. I don't know. I am imagining this picnic.

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  33. True. Business idea: Rent out a perfect picnic location. Only allow certain number of family in. But then again, that would be a waste of business space ;D Love the sage!

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  34. Haha you totally had me wanting to go on that picnic, but then killed all my dreams... but it's okay, because this chicken sounds amazing, and I'd gladly eat it in the comfort of my own home.

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  35. This chicken looks ridiculously good! I'll take a drumstick for each hand, please :)

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  36. a few things about this post:
    i am a leg & thigh girl, i love that it's all about the drumstick.
    i like your thinking, it's lovely to eat on a blanket outside in a romantical setting in theory but realistically it's a cluster. i try to find a happy medium: al fresco dining, on a balcony or deck, or enclosed patio.

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  37. I love sage in poultry...this DEFINITELY looks nice and crispy!!

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  38. Mmmmmmm....this sounds amazing! I also love sage with chicken, but when I made chicken saltimbocca last week, the ol' hubby pulled out all the sage :/

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  39. I really like the idea of marinating it over night in buttermilk. Can totally imagine the crusty top and succulent and tender inside. Absolutely divine!

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  40. with this summer heat I'd rather stay home and eat a huge plate of this fab chicken, thanks for sharing!!

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  41. Well, we can have a virtual picnic at home, where the chicken will be crispy and all the food will be warm. This chicken looks very inviting!

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  42. Yum! I am loving the coating on these drumsticks!

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