Today we would like to share with you a chicken drumstick recipe that we most frequently cook. This dish is full of flavor from the spices, protein-rich, and I can eat it every day without getting bored! That’s the reason we have added this dish to the Bargain Cooking Series today. The drumstick usually costs $1.99 per pound or less, making it one of the cheapest cuts compared to other parts of the chicken.
Another highlight of this recipe is that we try to make the whole process as easy as possible. Instead of splitting the drumstick into smaller pieces, we just use a paring knife to score the drumstick, which speeds up the cooking time and makes the flavor easier to penetrate. Even though we haven’t marinated it beforehand, it gets so much flavor during the 30 minutes of cooking time.
Check out our recipe below for more details!
Braised Chicken Drumstick
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp shaoxing wine
Spices
- 1 star anise
- 1 cinnimon stick
- 2 dried chili peppers
- 2 bay leaves
- ginger slices
Sauce
- 2 cup water
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
Veggies (optional)
- carrot sliced
- green peppers sliced
Instructions
- Use a paring knife to score the surface of the chicken drumsticks.
- Heat up a wok over medium heat and brown the chicken skin with 1 tbsp of oil. Deglaze the pan with 2 tbsp of Shaoxing wine.
- Add the ingredients from the “spice” and “sauce” sections to the wok and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, remove the foamy part of the broth, cover the wok with a lid, and let it simmer for 20 minutes, turning the chicken occasionally.
- After 20 minutes, turn up the heat, add the vegetables you like to cook together with the chicken, and stir frequently.
- Cook until the sauce thickens and 90% of the remaining broth has evaporated. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Important Tip
If you want to cook this type of braised dish the next time, you can scoop out 1/2 cup of the sauce after 20 minutes of cooking and freeze it. Make sure to filter out any other stuff and keep only the liquid. When you need to cook a braised dish (pork, beef, chicken) in the future, add this sauce back in. This way, the flavor compounds will accumulate and the flavor will build up.
Some braised shops in China can keep their stock for over 50 years! They keep a small portion every day and reuse it for the next day, making it really flavorful. But since we might not be able to cook it every day, it is better to freeze it. The next time you need to make braised chicken or braised pork, add about 1 cup of boiling hot water to the bowl to quickly thaw the frozen liquid, then add it to the pot, and cook with new spices and soy sauce.
Serving Suggestion
This chicken dish goes well with rice, and one of my favorites is to pair it with couscous. Cook the couscous according to the package instructions, then add a spoonful of the stock from the chicken pot before serving. It will make the couscous so flavorful!
Conclusion
We hope you enjoy this simple and delicious chicken drumstick recipe. It’s perfect for a quick and easy dinner, and the leftover sauce can be used to make future braised dishes even more flavorful!
