Life has been quite hectic recently with work, Christmas, and family and friends visiting. Consequently, I am have been thoroughly enjoying simple, uncomplicated weeknight dinners. I am all about efficiency in cooking, while still holding onto those delicious flavors!
This roasted white wine chicken drumstick recipe, prepared in just one pot, has become on of my favorite go-to weeknight meals lately. It is simple, packed with vibrant flavor, and best of all, cooked in one pot – my favorite! Roasting the chicken drumsticks in wine imparts a juicy tenderness to the meat, and when combined with rosemary, smoked paprika, garlic, and other spices, it delivers vibrant bursts of flavor! With that being said, let’s dive in!
Why You Will Love this Recipe:
- Easy: This recipe is super easy and can be made all in the same pan, which I absolutely love.
- Juicy: Because the drumsticks are roasted in wine, it makes for a fall-off-the-bone drumstick. The meat tenderizes will keeping all of the juices intact.
- Flavorful: This recipe is packed with tons of vibrant spices curating delicious flavor that you and the whole family will love.
Tips For Making Roasted Chicken Drumsticks:
- Dry: Thoroughly rinse and dry off your drumsticks prior too cooking. This will help take out the moisture sitting on top of the chicken and help give a really nice browned skin.
- Don’t skimp on the spices: The spices are going to add lots of flavor to your chicken and your sauce so be liberal with the spices.
- Keep chicken juices: Keep the juices and extra fat from the chicken in the pot. This adds a lot of rich flavor and body to the sauce later on.
- Cold butter: When making the sauce after cooking the chicken, make sure that you are using cold butter one tablespoon at a time. This is going to help give more structure to the sauce as the butter will slowly melt and emulsify into the sauce. This will help prevent separation from the sauce and the butter.
How to Make Roasted White Wine Chicken Drumsticks:
Begin by rinsing and thoroughly drying off the drumsticks.
Next, sprinkle the drumsticks in salt and allow them to sit for 10 minutes. This step is not necessary but is nice for getting a good sear on the chicken skin, as the salt removes moisture from the chicken.
After 10 minutes, pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
Sprinkle cracked black pepper, dried rosemary, dried oregano, dried thyme, and smoked paprika over the chicken. I also like to used Trader Joes, “21 Seasoning Salute” over the chicken, if you cannot find this, you can always substitute it for an Italian seasoning, or add garlic and onion powder. Either will work great!
Next, add 3 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil to a dutch oven pot set over medium heat.
Add in the chicken and sear the chicken skin until it get’s crispy. Do not stack the chicken in this phase. You want every chicken to be in contact with the bottom of the pan.
Note: We are not fully cooking the chicken through, rather just crisping the outer skin.
If you are making multiple batches make sure to rotate the chicken, placing the cooked drumsticks on a clean plate and the raw drumsticks into the oven.
Add all of the chicken and the juices back into the dutch oven.
Add the white wine and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary.
Preheat the oven to 425° F and bake the chicken covered with the lid for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven.
Take the chicken out of the pot and onto a plate.
Place the dutch oven on the stove over medium heat and add 4 Tbsp. of cold butter to the sauce.
Slowly stir in the butter with a wooden spoon, scraping the bits off of the bottom of the pot.
Bring the sauce up to a light simmer and continue cooking until the sauce cooks down and becomes a bit thicker in consistency.
Place the chicken back into the sauce to warm back up, and then serve.
Top with fresh basil.
FAQ:
- Can I use red wine instead of white wine? You definitely can. I recommend using a dry red wine such as a cabernet. Keep in mind, using red wine will make the sauce a little bit bolder in flavor.
- Do I need a dutch oven? I do recommend using a dutch oven. If you do not have a dutch oven you could also use a deep cast iron pot.
My Favorite Weeknight Meals:
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Roasted White Wine Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 10 chicken drumsticks
- 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. salt
- 2 tsp. pepper
- 1 Tbsp. thyme
- 1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)
- 1 Tbsp. oregano
- 1 Tbsp. italian seasoning
- 187 ml dry white wine
- 4 Tbsp. butter (cold)
- 4-5 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F.
- Thoroughly rinse and dry off the drumsticks using a paper towel.
- Sprinkle Salt over the drumsticks and allow them to sit for 10 minutes. This will help release some of the moisture from the drumsticks and make for a nicer sear later on.
- After ten minutes, pat the drumsticks dry with a paper towel.
- Next, sprinkle cracked black pepper, dried rosemary, dried oregano, dried thyme, and smoked paprika over the chicken. I also like to used Trader Joes, "21 Seasoning Salute" over the chicken, if you cannot find this, you can always substitute it for an Italian seasoning.
- Add 3 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil to a dutch oven pot set over medium heat.
- Add in the chicken and sear the chicken skin until it get's crispy. Do not stack the chicken in this phase. You want every drumstick to be in contact with the bottom of the pan. Note: We are not fully cooking the chicken through, rather just crisping the outer skin.
- If you are making multiple batches make sure to rotate the chicken, placing the cooked drumsticks on a clean plate and the raw drumsticks into the oven.
- Once all of the chicken has been braised and seared, add all of the chicken and the juices back into the dutch oven.
- Add white wine and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Bake the chicken covered with the lid for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven.
- Take the chicken out of the pot and onto a plate.
- Place the dutch oven on the stove over medium heat and add 4 Tbsp. of cold butter to the sauce.
- Slowly stir in the butter with a wooden spoon, scraping the bits off of the bottom of the pot.
- Bring the sauce up to a light simmer and continue cooking until the sauce cooks down and becomes a bit thicker in consistency, about 10 minutes
- Place the chicken back into the sauce to warm back up, and then serve.
- Top with fresh basil.
