Spicy Chicken Drumsticks & Cauliflower Casserole

This weekend was wonderful. Our friends, J & D, got married. The Hubs was in the wedding so I got to enjoy a front row seat of friends and family. The rehearsal dinner was at The Magnolia Room and the food was great. (I had the blackened grouper with a crawfish cream sauce. YUM.) The wedding was lovely and the reception a blast. Hubs was gooooood lookin' in his suit on Friday and tux on Saturday. I can't believe I forgot to get our picture taken! *Head slap* It was such a good time. Almost too fun. I was sad to see folks go home to where they came from.

Sunday was in need of a pick-me-up to stave off the sadness of the weekend coming to a close. So the optimistic dog and I set up camp in the kitchen.

Since the massive fail from last year, I've been wanting to try my hand at some big drummies again. With a tactical change... As my friend T suggested, I brined the drumsticks. I used a kosher salt & apple cider vinegar mix and let it sit in the fridge for a little over an hour.

While the drummies soaked, I prepared the chili paste for Spicy Chicken Drumsticks. The chili peppers at Kroger weren't marked so I think I got serrano chilis. I de-seeded 3 and took a teensy bite to test the heat. The raw chili heat spread through my mouth to my lips as if on a time release. And then I started coughing. And then I drank some milk. These were much hotter than I expected. When my genius-self decided to nibble on raw chilis. Anyhoo, after making the ancho FIRE sauce for the adobe meatballs on taco night, I'm a little scared of too much heat. So I used about a pepper & a half.

After making the paste, I let the chicken sit as the recipes dictated. And started to google cauliflower recipes.

We eat a lot of cauliflower at our house. I usually roast or puree it. But I've done both dishes a bazillion times so I wanted to do something different. So many cauliflower casserole recipes call for tons of cheese, sour cream, or even Velveeta. I found a decent recipe and "cleaned" it up. I steamed the cauliflower for about 5 minutes and mixed with some Greek yogurt, little bit of cheese, orange bell pepper diced, garlic powder, and salt/pepper. Topped it with some Panko and a couple of evoo spritzes from the misto. Stuck everything in the oven (or convection oven. Those things rock when you're baking AND broiling.)

Cauliflower Casserole
Looks a lil orange (prob from the orange bell & cheddar) but I think turned out pretty tasty

I let the drumsticks sit in the oven for a few extra minutes at 350º. (Just in case.) Pulled them out, and they were a beaut.

Broiling rocks

Plated with casserole & a twice baked potato

The drummies were cooked perfectly! For once! They had a nice flavor and were super moist. The brining was absolutely key. I do wish I hadn't gotten scared of the heat though because they weren't very spicy. But still, pretty good results if I do say so myself. And a nice end to the weekend.

Until next time, Bubbleland...

Spicy Chicken Drumsticks

INGREDIENTS

• 10 green onions (scallions), white and green parts, chopped
• 1/2 habanero or Scotch Bonnet chile (or 3 serrano chilies), seeded and chopped
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for additional seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 10 chicken dumsticks (3 1/2 lbs)
• Olive oil, grapeseed oil, or other high smoke point cooking oil

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor, purée the green onions, chilies, vinegar, garlic, thyme, allspice, salt and pepper into a thick paste.
2. Put the drumsticks in a large bowl and coat with the chili paste. Let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Position the oven rack in the center of the oven and set the broiler to high. Coat the bottom of a broiler pan (under the perforated top part of the pan) with oil. (Note that a broiler pan really works best here. A regular baking pan may warp under the high heat of the broiler.) Arrange the drumsticks on the pan and sprinkle generously with salt.
4. Broil chicken, turning once after about 10 minutes. Continue broiling until cooked through (juices run clear when poked with a knife tip) and nicely browned, about 20 minutes total. Note that some pieces may cook faster than others, in which case remove the pieces that are done and continue to cook the rest until cooked through.