Well, my hungry readers, it’s time to share a recipe, as requested. Which makes sense — as the owner of Fire Catering, I should be sharing some fire food with the Island community. The other night, my wife Vika and I made fried chicken drumsticks with my maple-roasted carrots. I don’t even have to tell y’all how expensive this Island is, so lately we have been trying to cut down our spending where we can — like buying chicken drumsticks instead of wings or thighs. Overall I dislike drumsticks, but there are ways to make them delicious.
First, take your chicken out of the package and place it in a colander in the sink. Bring some water to boil and then slowly pour it over the chicken. This process tightens up the skin and kind of “par-cooks” the skin, which leads to a crispier skin later on. Next, pat the drumsticks dry and put them in a zip-close bag filled with 4 cups of pickle juice. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes. While that marinates, get a big pot or wide, shallow skillet — cast iron if that’s your thing — and fill it a little above halfway with an oil that’s good for frying. I prefer canola. Set the heat a little below medium. (If medium on your stove is five, set it to four.) Take the chicken out of the pickle juice and pat it dry again. While the oil heats up, go ahead and season your chicken with the ingredients I have included below. To lock in the flavor, let the seasoned chicken rest while your oil heats up.
Next, prep your carrots. Quarter them lengthwise; try to get all the pieces cut as evenly as possible. Place the carrots in a glass dish and mix them with olive oil, butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Put the carrots into the oven at 400°F until tender. This can take around 20 minutes depending on the size of the carrots. Cook times will vary so be sure to fork-check for desired tenderness.
At this point your oil should be hot enough to fry. While the carrots are baking, start frying your drumsticks. Do not crowd the pot. I went with putting in four pieces at a time. Fry the chicken until it reads 165°F for internal temperature. Let the chicken rest on a wire rack, or on a plate covered with paper towels, and lightly salt.
When everything is finished, it’s time to plate. For a dipping sauce I went with a ramekin of Buffalo sauce and Vika went with ranch. I laid the drumsticks cross-leaning on the ramekin, with a small stack of carrots on the side. Vika and I like feeling fancy, so we sprinkled a little dried parsley on the plates.
Last step: Taste. If it’s delicious, it’s my recipe. If you don’t like it, it’s Vika’s. Ha ha! Don’t tell her I said that!
Dill-Brined Fried Chicken and Maple-Roasted Carrots
8 chicken drumsticks
4 cups of pickle juice
1 Tbsp. Dash lemon pepper
1 Tbsp. Goya adobo
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
8 medium-size carrots
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. softened butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
optional dipping sauce: ranch dressing or Buffalo sauce, or another of your liking
