I spend a lot of time thinking about protein. I get about 120g per day which is almost the minimum for my weight. I’ve seen articles recommending 1-1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight when you’re active. Because I weigh 244lbs (today), and my goal is 200lbs, I think I should just target the goal weight quantity.
So, let’s do some chicken this week. That’ll help right? Of course, Kenji’s got me covered. That link is a recipe for his oven wings. Wings really aren’t great for a diet, so I decided to try the treatment for drumsticks.
I went to Costco and got a 2 pack of Flank Steak (just wanted to tell you), and one of those 6-packs of chicken drumsticks. I used three of them for this recipe. I’m glad I did because these turned out a little salty. I’ve adjusted the recipe to account for the saltiness.
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Chicken (duh) | 3 Pouches |
| Baking Powder | 3g per Pound of Chicken |
| Kosher Salt | 3g per Pound of Chicken |
Mix your salt and baking powder together in a bowl. Then arrange your chicken parts in a large bowl so that some of the surface of each piece is exposed. You’re then going to ‘snow’ your salt mixture over all the pieces. Once you’ve emptied all the salt, toss the chicken to coat.
Now take your baking sheet + foil + wire rack (@TODO show this setup) combo and spread the chicken parts out. I like to make sure the skin on the drumsticks is pulled up to cover the meat, it has a tendency to slip down like shitty socks. Leave some spaces between the pieces and then pop it in the fridge. Go away for 24 hours.
In that time, the baking soda and salt will desiccate the chicken skin and break down some of the proteins. The goal here is to allow the skin to more easily brown in the oven.
The next day, set your oven to 425F and pop the tray in. Kenji mentions that you should flip your pieces and I would follow that advice if I were you. Flipping while the parts are still juicy will likely prevent the horror show of adhesion I experienced. Seems like broken-down chicken skin proteins make a great glue.
After an hour of cooking and flipping, you should be good. I like to make sure my drumsticks are totally cooked and the more time you give the chicken to brown with this treatment, the better off you’ll be.
