Sticky BBQ Chicken Drumsticks with Wedges

• 8chicken drumsticks, skin on
• 900 gMaris Piper potatoes, cut into wedges
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• 1 tspgarlic granules
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1 tbspapple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsprunny honey
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 120 mlsmoky BBQ sauce
• ½cucumber, cut into sticks
• 2carrots, cut into sticks
• 4 tbspsoured cream
• 1lemon, zest and juice
• 200 gquick pickled red cabbage slaw (optional)
• 2corn cobs, halved (optional)
• 4brioche buns (optional)
• 200 gcoleslaw made with cabbage, carrot and a lightly dressed mayonnaise (optional)

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Toss the wedges with the oil, oregano, a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper on a large tray, spreading them in a single layer with space between each one; crowded wedges steam, spaced wedges crisp. Roast for 20 minutes while you build the glaze.
2. 2Whisk the BBQ sauce with the honey, vinegar, smoked paprika and garlic granules in a bowl until glossy. The paprika needs a moment to wake up, so let the bowl sit for a few minutes. Loosen with a splash of water if it's gloopy; you want brushable, not claggy.
3. 3Season the drumsticks generously with salt and pepper. Lay them on a lined tray with a clear inch between each drumstick. Crowd them and the skin steams instead of rendering, and you'll never get that lacquered finish.
4. 4Roast the drumsticks for 15 minutes to let the skin render and tighten, then brush generously with half the glaze.
5. 5Continue roasting for 25 to 30 minutes, brushing with more glaze every 10 minutes, until the skin is sticky and mahogany and a probe reads at least 75°C for 30 seconds at the thickest point. Juices should run clear when you pierce the joint.
6. 6For the final 5 minutes, bump the oven to 220°C fan if you want deeper caramelisation; watch it closely, because honey glaze goes from glossy to scorched in under a minute.
7. 7Pull the wedges when they're deeply golden and crisp at the edges, turning them once halfway if the underside needs colour. Squeeze a little lemon or a splash more vinegar into the remaining glaze if it needs sharpening, and brush the drumsticks one last time off the heat so the acid lifts through the sweetness.
8. 8Pile the drumsticks and wedges onto a board with the cucumber and carrot sticks and a bowl of soured cream for dipping. Bring the corn on the cob, brioche buns and coleslaw to the table so everyone builds their own plate.

Per serving

kcal

857

protein

54.2g

fibre

7.9g

carbs

69.8g

fat

41.3g