Sweet Chile-Lime Drumsticks
Our rating: 4.6 / 5 
March 26th, 2008
Yeah I frenched that chicken
We’re eating frenched chicken drumsticks that were soaked in a sweet chile lime marinade for several hours then baked. The chicken was served with a quinoa salad composed of sauteed baby artichokes, shallots, Spanish chorizo, green onions, banana peppers, feta cheese, and a tangy lime vinaigrette.
A: there’s something about frenched drumsticks that i think just looks cute… like little lolly pops!
T: to me they look more sophisticated and exotic that way. Even if it is just chicken. And, they seem easier to eat. I think pretty much every chicken leg should be frenched.
A: i like to french chicken legs. 
T: now, are you talking about cutting tendons on the chicken leg, or are you talking about a special kiss involving your tongue? I’ll let that go unanswered. I will say though that I enjoyed rubbing my tongue all over these chicken legs… damn they were good! Just a touch of sweet, and they went awesomely with the quinoa salad. It was a thrilling meal I gotta say.
A: heheh you’re easy to please! i definitely liked it a butt ton though. the drumsticks were a little sweet, but they were also nice and savory from the smoked paprika and chile powders. i will definitely be using this marinade in the future. i used lime juice and zest in it then decided that i was going to bring that flavor out by dressing the quinoa in a lime vinaigrette.
They still look like little condoms
T: The salad was quite tasty in and of itself. The baby artichokes were delish, and the spanish sausage was fire. And by fire I mean very tasty. I give the meal a 4.84/5. I just gobbled it up- it was so good.
A: woah dogg. i know you said you thought it was da fire, but jeez! 4.84! that’s a huge score! like i said i totally thought it kicked ass and all but i guess i wasn’t feeling it quite as much as you. i give the meal over all a 4.43/5. frickin’ good, but it could still use some work. i actually thought the quinoa salad as a stand alone item was a touch overly lime-y. combined they married beautifully though.
T: they certainly did. That’s something you have a gift for. Making things marry well. They should call you the Minister of Food.
A: i hold services every night from…oh, 8pm to 9pm. (we eat late!)
T: very few divorces.
For the marinade:
juice and zest from 1 lime
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp hot new mexican chile powder
1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes (vary depending on how spicy you like things)
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tbsp ginger paste
1/2 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp canola oil
6 chicken drumsticks, frenched
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
sealable plastic bag, gallon-sized
Add all of the ingredients for the marinade into a mixing bowl. Whisk to thoroughly combine.
Place chicken into sealable bag. Pour marinade over chicken. Seal the bag, making sure to remove as much of the air from the bag as possible (think vacuum-sealed!). If necessary, shake up the bag so that the chicken is completely coated with marinade. Refrigerate and marinate for 2 to 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit.
30 minutes before cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
Line a sheet pan with alluminum foil.
Place chicken on the sheet pan.
Roast the chicken at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, turn the chicken once, half way through cooking.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
March 26th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
I never met quinoa I did not like.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:34 am
This looks fabulous and love the quinoa! We made quinoa a few weeks ago too but after reading your post, we just have to re-name our dish to….Spring Carrots with Minted Mini Condoms !!!
BTW- For your beer question of the week, we actually have three of those in our fridge right now except for the Natural Light. Will have to check it out.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Yum! I don’t think I’ve ever frenched a chicken leg before.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
bobby, me too. thanks to you! all my grain salads are thanks to the time i spent working with you. we ate a toasted barley pilaf the day before and that was due to you too. you definitely instilled all the grains in me.
so i’m thinking about trying to buy a “mobile vending truck”. i’d definitely need a loan, but it would be a good way for me to work for myself… i think!
thanks WoR couple! i beg of you! do. not. check. out. natty. light.!!!!! really, it’s not a good beer… but it is only 11.99 for a 30 pack! it’s the economical favorite.
thanks rachel! it definitely makes them cuter and more fun… at least it makes me happy.
March 27th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
mouth watering….and also smoked paprika is the end all. I just now in my 32nd year discovered this holy spice and am now on the verge of smokey overdose since i put it in almost everything. mmmm. i want to eat the screen.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
hi there! i just discovered your blog about 5 minutes ago and now i am extremely hungry. i have a similary situation as you two where i cook and my bf eats. but he gets to clean up too if i cook at his place.
March 28th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
This looks absolutely amazing. So smoked paprika’s your secret ingredient? I’ve tried it with chili powder and pepper flakes but didn’t think about smoked paprika. Thanks for sharing!
March 28th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
cheila, please! don’t eat the screen! i don’t know what toxins it could be made of.
i agree that smoked paprika is the shizz. i have a relatively fresh jar of it that i am trying to use before it looses some of its yumminess so it appears to be making its way into several of my dishes lately! my only problem with smoked paprika is that it can easily steal the show and be the predominant flavor.
hi susan! i’m glad you discovered my blog because it means that i got introduced to your blog - which i love. you know, it’s supposed to work out that tyler cleans after i cook…only most of the time it doesn’t work out that way and i’m left doing the dish too! bad T! bad!
no problem, liberalfoodie! fresh smoked paprika has some serious flavor to it and the liberal dose of brown sugar gave it the sweetness.
March 31st, 2008 at 6:43 pm
oooo something new to do with chicken! that’s always welcome. these look really tasty.
April 2nd, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I may know someone who has a vending truck for sale in the Los Angeles area.
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I have to confess…I felt a little naughty when I’d read that you frenched the chicken. Then I remembered it was a food blog. ahh. that’s better.
And, could I gently point out that you still haven’t shared your quiche recipe? I’ve been languishing away without it.
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Don’t buy the vending truck until you talk to my friends who tried it in Castaic, CA!!!!!
April 4th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
How do you french a chicken drumstick?
April 5th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
With lots of tongue…
April 6th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
they really are cute! i didn’t know it was called frenched - how marvelous is that! and chili-lime, i love your flavors they are always so vibrant - when i win lotto will you cook for me — you guys can have the poolhouse
:)
April 6th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
I love your frenching a butt ton. (and I’m stealing that phrase too. butt tons for everyone!)
April 7th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
French smench. I’ll be impressed if you can debone a quail with out taking the back out.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hi again AmazingAmanda! This recipe looks awesome! I want to try it! Would it be possible for you to give me a brief rundown on how to go about frenching the drumsticks properly? (without kissing them). I had them that way once (made by someone’s mom) and the presentation is really nice, but I’ve never done it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much. You guys are awesome!
April 10th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
These look pretty good. I’m always looking for new things to do with chicken. I’ve never frenched it though!
April 10th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
The photos make the frenched drumstick look so tasty. How do you actually french the chicken? Is it the same as marinating?
April 11th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Is the Frenching of the drumstick as simple as cutting the skin below the meaty part and chopping the bone off above the cartilage part? Or is there more to it than that?
April 11th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
hi everybody! sorry for the lack of responses. i’m a lazy bastard! i will get around to saying something something to everyone but for now a real quicky to answer darbar’s question…
darbar, you’re right on basically. all you have to do is make a cut all the way through the meat and tendons to the bone at the foot end of drumstick. you don’t have to chop any bones. it’s an extremely simple technique that results in the lollypopification of the meat as it cooks and the elasticity of the muscle contracts. we were going to do a brief instruction photo post on french (we’ve already taken the photos) but who know when that’s gonna happen at this rate!
April 17th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
How do you french the chicken…
April 29th, 2008 at 12:04 am
ooohh quinoa….my fav. grain!
April 30th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Whats up amanda and tyler. Today was the first time Ive looked at your website. Pretty awesome. Im going to try this chicken recipe in the next couple weeks. Ill tell you how it turns out, unless I screw it up.