Smoked chicken drumstick recipes: 7 healthy benefits

Smoked chicken drumstick recipes are a menu of different smoked chicken drumstick dishes, from the traditional barbecue in a bag to the sophisticated balsamic chicken wings. You can add them to your list of grilling recipes for the summer and make this a weekend favourite.

The delicious flavours you can create are endless and so easy to prepare! Perfectly seasoned, fatty, and juicy grilled chicken drumsticks make great finger food appetizers, party food, or even a hearty dinner at home with your loved ones.

What are the Smoked chicken drumstick recipes?

Smoked chicken drumstick recipes are the low and slow way of smoking chicken. Unlike in tandoor, smoked chicken drumstick recipes do not require “tandoor” or clay ovens to cook. However, if you are looking for the best-smoked chicken drumstick recipes, you may want to try them in your smoker instead. 

This dish can be made on an open fire pit or around a bowl of charcoal fire with an infrared heat source or electric smoker. More commonly, it is done on an electric smoker.

How Long Will It Take To Prepare?

• Prepare time: 15 minutes
• Smoked time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Recommended temperature: 110 degrees F
• Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Servings: 2

How to prepare Smoked chicken drumstick recipes?

Ingredients:

• Smoked chicken drumstick
• Mustard sauce
• Vegetable oil
• Butter powder (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Step:1

Choose the drumsticks you want to smoke.

Step:2

Cut off excess fat from drumsticks using kitchen shears or scissors.

Step:3

Remove skin from the chicken legs by peeling it off using a knife. Cut away the skin on both sides of the chicken leg without peeling and rub salt in it to eliminate bacteria that cause a bad smell.

If you use butter powder mixed with some water, it will keep the meat juicy and soft, so skipping this step is better.

Step:4

Divide chicken legs into 4 to 6 on all sides.

Step:5

Mix butter powder and vegetable oil in a large bowl to form a paste. Rub the sauce evenly on the chicken legs and cover them with plastic wrap.  

When applying the mixture, make sure you use your hands to apply it and avoid using a spatula, as this can damage the skin.  Do not marinate for too long because it will become hard and dry.

Step:6

In another bowl, mix salt, pepper, and seasoned flour. Add 1 cup of water and mix with your hands until it forms a loose paste. Mix it with chicken legs and coat them well to spread the sauce on the drumsticks evenly.

Step:7

Prepare smoker for smoking at 110 degrees F for 1 hour 15 minutes.  Put chicken legs in the smoker skin-side up until they are evenly browned.  Remove from smoker and serve with mustard sauce.

Additional Tips:

You can use butter powder or onion powder instead of flour. You can also add crushed red pepper flakes for extra heat in the mustard sauce. You may also like to add some mace or nutmeg to give a more robust flavour.

Smoked chicken drumstick recipes are easy and versatile, but you must prepare them before cooking so the meat will not dry out. The best way to obtain a juicy and tender smoked chicken is through dry brining.

Nutrition facts of Smoked chicken drumstick recipes:

7 healthy benefits Smoked chicken drumstick recipes-

1. Fatty foods from chicken legs contain essential vitamins and minerals that promote a healthy body.
2. Aside from the food’s essential protein, nutrients, and vitamins, it is also high in zinc, which helps boost your immune system.
3. The amino acids found in chicken drumsticks help repair muscle tissues and improve muscle and bone health.
4. Smoked chicken drumstick recipes help with heart health as well. It is high in dietary fiber that allows good cholesterol in the blood to be formed, thus decreasing your risk of heart disease.
5. Chicken legs also contain minerals such as iodine, iron, zinc, and copper necessary for bone and teeth health.
6. It also contains several antioxidants that help protect the body from cellular damage caused by free radicals, a harmful substance in cigarette smoke.
7. Smoked chicken drumstick recipes are also low in fat as it contains a limited amount of saturated fat.

What’s the benefit of adding butter powder?

It keeps the chicken leg moist and soft after cooking. It also makes it crispy when cooked, making it easier to eat. Not only that, but butter powder also adds an interesting flavour to your chicken legs.

My chicken legs have a bad odour; what should I do?

Make sure you remove the skin first. A bad smell comes from bacteria seeping out of the pores in the skin and then drying up, which can be cleaned with salt or vinegar. But remember that this will make your chicken dry and hard, so better skip this if you want moist chicken leg meat.

Why is the skin of the chicken darkening during cooking?

During smoking, the skin of the chicken will blacken due to the high levels of mercaptans in smoked chicken drumstick recipes. You should remove the skin before you serve your smoked chicken drumstick recipes to guests.

What side dishes should I serve with my smoked chicken drumstick recipes?

Since smoked chicken drumstick recipes are so delicious and filling, you can serve them with a side dish that is easy to digest. Before serving this dish, remove the skin, as it can be difficult to digest.

Some great side dishes that go well with these chicken legs are rice salad, pasta salad, or vegetables cooked with olive oil.

What is the best wood to smoke chicken drumsticks with?

When smoking chicken legs, you can use different types of wood. Good wood options include cherry, hickory, apple, and ash. Try experimenting with different varieties to see what tastes best.

Is it Gluten free?

If you use gluten-free flour, it is not gluten-free. So, read the ingredients on the back of your flour bag before buying.

How do you make the Smoked chicken drumstick recipes healthy?

There are several ways to make these smoked chicken drumsticks recipes healthier, including substituting part of the oil in the marinade with lemon juice. You could also reduce your smoking time as it is not always necessary.

Is it healthy for children?

It would help if you did not feed children smoked chicken drumstick recipes because of the high sodium content. Instead, it would help if you served them with a fruit and vegetable snack, such as celery sticks or applesauce.

You can also give your little ones a good dose of Vitamin C from fresh oranges with mashed potatoes or fruits like kiwis.

What are your favourite variations of Smoked chicken drumstick recipes?

Instead of using butter powder, you could add whole dried prunes to your chicken legs marinade. You can also use those instead of mustard sauce.

When the drumsticks are cut off, use a pair of scissors or a cleaver to remove the skin from the drumstick. This procedure is needed because the process will help eliminate any bad smell left on the drumstick after smoking.

How to store Smoked chicken drumstick recipes?

It is best to freeze smoked chicken drumstick recipes as it will keep for up to 4 months at 0 degrees F. Remember that the benefits of smoked chicken drumstick recipes are the same whether you eat them right after smoking or after freezing.

Conclusion

Smoked chicken drumstick recipes are high in nutrition and flavour. Chicken is one of the healthiest meats you can find anywhere, which goes double for smoked chicken.

Not only is it delicious, but it’s also good for your health. So, take some time to prepare smoked chicken drumsticks today because they are tasty and very easy to eat and cook.