Lemon Chicken Drumsticks

Did your mom make Lemon Chicken or Lemon Pepper chicken when you were a child?  Mine did, a lot.  It was the 70's we hadn't heard of cholesterol, we were fat, dumb and happy.  We also drowned ourselves in Green Goddess salad dressing.  Mom's Lemon Chicken was greasy, lemony and garnished with a lot of paprika.  She would ladle the clear, golden colored, lemony grease from the baking dish she cooked the chicken in and ladle it on our instant mashed potatoes. We liked it, we liked it a lot, grease tasted good back then! The cool part was we got to use a lot of paper napkins and the napkins would stick to our hands!  Hey, my brothers and I were grateful for nights without sliced beets on our salads and liver and onions on my plate, pass the Heinz 57 please!

Now you get the picture, this dish has evolved plus who doesn't like a chicken drumstick.  Drumsticks are not only very budget friendly, food on a stick is just plain fun.  You can eat your dinner and feel like you're on a picnic or at the county fair.  It's summertime, relax and get your hands dirty.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, divided
10 - 12 chicken drumsticks
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Dried thyme
6 cloves of garlic, grated
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Heat  a large high-sided  skillet with a tightly fitted lid with the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. While the skillet is heating up, season the chicken with salt, pepper and dried thyme.

Once the butter has melted and begins to foam, carefully place the drumsticks in the skillet and brown on all sides. Place the lid on the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking chicken for about 20 minutes.

Remove the drumsticks and place on a serving platter.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet.  Once the butter has melted, add the grated garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.  Stir continuously for a minute or two.  Keep the garlic moving so it doesn't burn.  Add the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Remove skillet from heat and gently stir to combine.  Pour pan sauce over the drumsticks and garnish with chopped parsley and chopped chives.

Look mom, the less grease and no paprika!