Buttermilk Chicken Drumsticks

Buttermilk reminds me of farm life and good home cooking.

Those in urban environments may be under the misconception that buttermilk is buttery, high fat milk, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Buttermilk contains no ‘butter’. It’s actually whey, the liquid left over after the fats have been removed when churning butter.

Combined with natural airborne bacteria, this liquid thickens and sours to produce a pleasant tangy flavour in a product that it slightly thicker in texture than milk, but not as heavy as cream.

Most commercial buttermilk is made by adding a lactic acid bacteria culture to skimmed or low fat milk. Buttermilk makes an excellent addition to biscuits, pancakes, baking and, as I have used it here, in marinades.

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Ingredients:

12 chicken drumsticks (approximately 1.25kg total weight)

500ml buttermilk

60ml vegetable oil, plus 30ml extra for drizzling

2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed

15ml crushed peppercorns

5ml sea salt

5mlground cumin

15ml maple syrup

Method:

Place the chicken drumsticks into a large plastic freezer bag and add the buttermilk and 60ml of vegetable oil.

Add the lightly crushed garlic cloves to the bag along with the crushed peppercorns and salt.

Sprinkle in the ground cumin and add the maple syrup, then gently squeeze the bag to mix the marinade ingredients together and coat the chicken.

Seal the bag and leave the chicken to marinate in the fridge, ideally overnight, or out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to two hours.

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Take the chicken pieces out of the bag, shaking off the excess marinade, and arrange them in a roasting tin lined with foil.

Drizzle over the remaining two tablespoons of oil, then transfer to the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, or until golden-brown and completely cooked through.

To serve, place two drumsticks onto each of six serving plates.