This is a super easy carnivore recipe that will yield tender, juicy, sweet, and sticky chicken drumsticks in less than an hour.
This recipe works well too with whole chicken legs, chicken wings, chicken drumettes, or chicken thigh cutlets.
Ingredients
- 6 medium chicken drumsticks (skin on)
- 1½ tsp sea salt
- 1 cup thick bone broth (see note below)
- 2 tbsp tallow
- 3 tbsp raw honey
Instructions
Step 1
Bring the chicken drumsticks to room temperature by leaving them on the kitchen bench for 15 minutes.
Dry the chicken drumsticks thoroughly with a paper towel. Rub them with salt and let them sit for one hour.
Step 2
Heat a thick base frying pan on high heat. Add tallow and wait till it bubbles.
Add 3 chicken drumsticks to the pan, skin side down, and fry for about 5 minutes per side or till the skin is golden brown and crispy.
Repeat with the remaining chicken drumsticks.
Because there is no seasoning or sauce used in this recipe, the browning process is what brings out the flavor of the meat and gives it a golden color later on.
Step 3
Place the chicken drumsticks in a pot. Add stock and honey. Pour in any remaining juice in the frying pan.
Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until tender. You can test using a fork, if it goes through the meat easily, it is done.
If you use pasture-raised chicken drumsticks, you may need longer cooking time.
Transfer the chicken drumsticks to a shallow bowl or plate (carefully lift them out with a spatula if you don’t want the chicken drumsticks to fall apart).
Increase heat to reduce the stock by one-half.
Pour the remaining sauce on top of the chicken drumsticks and serve.
The gelatin in the broth and the honey will help create a sticky and sweet coating on the chicken drumsticks.
Tips
If you are cooking for little ones, choose smaller chicken drumsticks or chicken drumettes (the meatier section of the chicken wing that looks like a small drumstick). You will need less cooking time in this case.
Because this recipe uses no seasonings, it’s best to use bone broth made from roasted bones. Although you can make bone broth from raw bones, roasted bones will give you a better flavor and color broth.
For a thick broth that will help create an extra gelatinous and sticky coating for the chicken drumsticks, add a few pork trotters or a handful of chicken feet when making bone broth.
If you like pure chicken flavor in this dish, use broth made from chicken bones only.
Those chicken drumsticks freeze well. If you enjoy them, you can double the recipe and freeze half to save time.
Chicken drumsticks taste great and are very affordable if you are on a budget.
The best chickens to eat, if you can afford it, are pasture-raised chickens. They are generally leaner and smaller and take longer to cook but have awesome flavors.
They also have a better nutritional profile than conventionally raised chickens.
If you can’t afford pasture-raised chickens, chickens, in general, are incredibly nutritious and you definitely still can have conventionally raised chickens now and then for variety if you wish.
If you use pasture-raised drumsticks, save the bones for bone broth later on by storing them in a bag in the freezer.
If they come from conventionally raised chickens, I wouldn’t bother You can get beef bones pretty cheap from the butcher.
Other recipes that you may be interested in:
Is It Okay to Eat Chicken on the Carnivore Diet?
Super Easy Carnivore Bone Broth Recipe
Carnivore Braised Pork Belly and Eggs Recipe
Carnivore Pan-fried Salmon Recipe
Delicious and Nutritious Carnivore Meatloaf Recipe
Disclaimer: The information in this post is for reference purposes only and not intended to constitute or replace professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified medical professional before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle.