Chicken Tikka Drumsticks

I was really looking forward to making Chicken Tikka Drumsticks from Pinch of Nom based on the success of trying some of their other fantastic recipes. Drumsticks are cheap and ideal for weekend lunches and snacks. But I should have known things were not going to work out when my supermarket delivery swapped the red food colouring I’d ordered for purple cupcake colouring! So much for creating authentic looking drumsticks.

But my biggest issue with this meal is that for all the spices it states to use, the end result didn’t particularly taste of chicken tikka. The book does say you can use 2 tablespoons of curry powder instead if you don’t have all the spices which would be less ‘faffy’. This recipe serves 8 but 1 chicken drumstick is never going to fill you up, so I recommend having 2 drumsticks (in total 242 calories with dip) and a side salad.

I’m going to stick with the Hairy Dieters alternative choices – sticky chicken drumsticks and fusion tandoori chicken – which I think have more flavour.

Recipe: Chicken Tikka Drumsticks

Calories: 121 per drumstick (with dip)

Serves: 8

Book: Pinch of Nom – Everyday Light

Prep time: Approx 15 mins

Cooking time: Approx 40 mins

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken drumsticks
• 150g fat-free natural yoghurt, plus extra for serving (optional)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp garlic granules
• ½ tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• 1 drop of red food colouring (optional)
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• ½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
• Fresh coriander, to serve (optional)

Cost per drumstick: Approx £0.33

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C / Fan 200 degrees C / gas mark 7

Remove the skin from the chicken drumsticks and discard. The easiest way to do this is to pull the skin down to the thin end of the drumstick and then trim off with scissors. Place the drumsticks in a roasting dish.

In a separate bowl, mix the yoghurt, paprika, coriander, cumin, garlic granules, garam masala, ginger, food colouring (if using) together and season with salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Pour the yoghurt mix over the drumsticks and make sure you turn them so that they are coated on both sides. Sprinkle the chilli powder over the top of the drumsticks (if using). Put the drumsticks into the middle of the oven for 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve sprinkled with fresh coriander (if using). The drumsticks can also be frozen once cooled. Make sure they are properly defrosted before reheating in the oven.