Recipe Background
Nicolas Cage Chicken Legs: bold flavors meet easy prep for a flavorful feast.
A few years back, I found myself elbows deep in boxes, exhausted from a cross-country move. It was the first time I'd set foot in California, a new chapter in a sun-drenched life. It seemed fitting that my first meal there had to be easy yet bold in flavor. As I rummaged through my sparse pantry, I discovered my trusty smoked paprika and garlic powder, two comforts in an unfamiliar space. Chicken drumsticks caught my eye in the otherwise empty fridge, and inspiration hit. The spice of smoked paprika would mingle perfectly with the juicy chicken, evoking memories of classic Western flavors.
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 3 teaspoons onion powder
- 5 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 chicken drumsticks
- olive oil spray to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a baking tray with foil, then place a wire rack on top.
- In a shallow bowl, mix the garlic powder, the onion powder, the paprika, the black pepper, the salt, the flour, and the baking powder.
- Toss the chicken in the olive oil, while stretching and pulling the skin on each of the drumsticks to coat as much of the flesh as possible.
- Coat each of the drumsticks in the spice mixture, shaking off the excess well.
- Spray the coated chicken generously with the oil spray and place it on the prepared baking tray.
- Bake, rotating the tray halfway through, about 30 minutes.
- Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and bake until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F and the skin is crispy, about 15 minutes.
- Serve.
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