Secretly, (or not-so-secretly for close readers of this blog) I actually enjoy the challenge of coming up with dinner on short notice with ingredients at hand. Such was the case yesterday when my young collegiates let me know that semester finals were completed, that they would be coming home forthwith and, by the way – was I making a good dinner? Having no choice, really, but to answer in the affirmative, my mind immediately went to the two trays of chicken drumsticks I had purchased because they were inexpensive, but without any firm culinary plan.
A word about the American fascination with the chicken breast – it makes the thighs, wings and legs a great value. As I’ve mentioned before, the darker meat tastes better anyway, and two trays of six drumsticks each cost $5.00. That’s six adult servings of delicious, lean protein for $.83 per person.
If a small, cast iron pot with a lid is at hand, this is a great time for it, but a deep teflon skillet and foil for a lid work just fine. I heated a Staub pot and added some peanut oil. I browned six legs, and then tossed in the remaining six drumsticks and browned them also. Two cups of chicken stock brought the heat under control, and I also added a half cup of soy sauce, a half cup of hoisin sauce, and a tablespoon of sesame oil (all available at your favorite grocery store). I adjusted the heat so the liquid just simmered, and added a combined two cups of grated fresh cabbage, broccoli stems and carrots before dropping the lid on the pot. The Staub pot had the meat falling off the bone in 30 minutes, but I would give a skillet 45-50 minutes.
Removing the lid, I added a double handful of whole almonds, and dropped in Chinese noodles (angel hair pasta is an excellent alternative) until most of the liquid was soaked up. As the nuts softened slightly and the noodles cooked, I put more grated cabbage and carrots on the mixture for visual vanity, and hollered “come and get it” to the college crew.
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