Lightly Fried Chicken Drumsticks

I was thinking how lovely it would be to have a picnic on one of these Saturdays, these long, sizzling August Saturdays that are dwindling in number. August. August. I love the word August. I love the heavy, throaty, roundness of the sound. To me it is almost an onomatopoeia; I can almost feel the weighty heat, the lengthy hours, the sticky anticipation of Fall, just in the word "August." If you use august as an adjective it means "inspiring awe, imposing." You can even use the related adverb "augustly," as in, "Augustly, and with an air of assumed innocence, she sauntered into the courtroom." Or the noun, "augustness" as in "Struck by the augustness of her demeanor, he regretted his trite gesture of flowers." Or you can use the proper noun August, the one we know so well, the one that means the eighth month of the year. Or in bold augustness, you can skip the grammar indulgence, and just augustly plan a picnic in the august heat of August. Either way, I hope you'll include these chicken drumsticks.

Drumsticks are ridiculously cheap, and you know why? Because no one wants them anymore. We all want our boneless, skinless chicken breasts and so the other parts of the bird are shipped to other parts of the world, or are left languishing in the refrigerated section. Snatch them up and take them home. Drumsticks are just perfect for a picnic, a sort of savory lollipop, that can be made ahead and enjoyed later. I made my recipe with just a minimal amount of oil for frying, so they need to cook a little longer than most. Have a happy August day.

Money Saving Tips: You could easily you use a whole chicken cut up as well. I paid $1.69for eight large drumsticks, plenty for a hearty meal for four. You can deep fry these drumsticks, but I cook them in just a generous slick of oil. It saves money and you know what else.

Fried Chicken Drumsticks

Estimated Cost: $4.00 for 8

1 cup buttermilk

2 pounds chicken drumsticks (or equivalent amount of bone in chicken)

1 and 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

about 1/3 cup vegetable oil

In a zip top bag, combine 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper, buttermilk and drumsticks. Marinate for at least two hours or up to overnight in fridge. Remove from bag and discard marinade. In a separate zip top bag, combine flour, chili powder, ground red pepper, plus 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Place chicken in bag, a few pieces at a time, zip top shut, and shake to coat well. Place chicken on a rack to dry for about 15-30 minutes, if you can. (This will help the coating adhere.) Heat about 1/4 inch vegetable oil in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Place the chicken skin side down in skillet. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. (if they are getting to brown turn the heat down.) Turn the chicken over and cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes, or until nicely browned. Drain on paper towels.

P.S. Thank you so much to my sweet reader, Anella (sp?) M, for your kind words. It's readers like you that keep me going and going and going.

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