SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN

Actually, as you will see, this chicken isn’t fried but baked, which means it is way lower in calories and fat but still so good. Chicken drumsticks are cheap and tasty, so are ideal for this recipe, and as they take a while to cook, the crumb coating browns and crisps up nicely.

SERVES 4

● 1tsp garlic powder

● 1tsp onion powder

● 1tsp dried thyme

● 1tsp ground black pepper

● ½tsp salt

● 200ml (7fl oz) buttermilk

● 1tsp Worcestershire sauce

● 8 chicken drumsticks, skinned

● 75g (2¾oz) breadcrumbs

● ½tsp sweet smoked paprika

● Sea salt and black pepper

● 1tbsp olive oil

First, you need to marinate the chicken. Put the garlic and onion powders, thyme and black pepper in a large bowl with the salt, buttermilk and Worcestershire sauce. Mix thoroughly. Make deep slashes in the drumsticks – 3 or 4 in each one – and add them to the buttermilk mixture. Use your hands to massage the buttermilk marinade into the drumsticks so they are well coated, then cover the bowl and put it in the fridge. Leave the chicken to marinate for at least an hour or overnight.

When you are ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and line a baking tray with parchment. Mix the breadcrumbs with the paprika and season with salt and pepper. Dip each drumstick in the breadcrumbs and arrange them on the baking tray. Mix the oil with a tablespoon of water and brush this mixture over the drumsticks. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, turning once or twice during the cooking time.

INFO PER SERVING (2 DRUMSTICKS) CALORIES 225 PROTEIN 25g CARBS 17g SUGAR 4g FAT 6g SATURATED FAT 1g FIBRE 0g SALT 0.6g