Herb and orange baked chicken

"Christmas is coming"

Sometimes you just want to bake some drumsticks for a crowd. This is definitely a crowd-pleaser kind of chicken that both adults and kids would love. It’s fairly simple to make and does not take up much time. Quick and easy is a good combination for the holiday dinners where there are so many other things to prepare. Salty, Sweet, sticky and full of flavor, just the way a drumstick should be.

I had no intention of adding this recipe to the blog. Its one of those recipes you just make on a whim and it turned out so good you figure everyone would love it. The freshness of the orange combined with the rosemary and sweetness from the maple syrup is such a yummy combo. It’s a similar recipe to my pineapple rosemary drumsticks. That recipe however is a bit more hands off, you just let the oven do its thing. With this recipe I wanted a bit more control over the glaze, so I made sure to cook it before adding it to the chicken. Not to mention, I wanted to use up some of the fresh herbs in my mother’s garden. So in addition to the dry seasonings, this chicken marinated in some fresh herbs before baking.

The result was a flavorful drumstick with a super sticky sweet glaze with hints of maple and rosemary. Reducing the glaze on the stove top then allowing it to caramelize in the oven on the chicken really made a difference. The only thing I wish is that I had doubled the amount of sauce so there would be extra to put on the rice and peas. But I guess I can do that next time I make this chicken, because there will most definitely be a next time.

Ingredients (printable recipe)

12 to 15 Chicken drumsticks

1 ½ teaspoon Salt

1 tablespoon onion powder

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon Black pepper

For the marinade

¼  tablespoon Oil

2 tablespoon fresh Rosemary

2 leaves French thyme

3 stalks Scallion

1 Garlic clove

1 tablespoon Orange zest

½ small onion

1 tablespoon allspice berries

For the sauce

Pan drippings

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

¼ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon rosemary

Instructions

• Season the clean chicken drumsticks with salt, onion powder, sugar and black pepper making sure to coat well
• In a blender combine all the ingredients for the marinade
• Pour the green mixture over the chicken and make sure to coat it all thoroughly ang pushing some marinade under the skin
• Allow the chicken to sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes up to overnight in the refrigerator
• Before the chicken goes in the oven allow it to rest outside the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes just so it’s not freezing cold going into the oven
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Place the chicken on a lined baking sheet and cook in the oven uncovered for 15 minutes
• Turn unto the other side and cook for another 15 minutes
• The chicken should be browning nicely, and the tray should have drippings
• Remove the chicken from the oven, and pour off the drippings into a pan and place the chicken back in the oven for another 10 minutes
• While the chicken is in the oven bring to boil the pan drippings, orange juice, maple syrup and rosemary, reduce to a light glaze
• Once the glaze is reduced pour it back over the chicken and allow the sauce to caramelize on the skin for another 5 minutes
• Serve

XOXO Greedygirl