My little guy turned two a couple of weeks ago, and y’all, somehow he IMMEDIATELY become more stubborn, and picky, and all-around-harder-to please overnight. We’re STILL crashing with my mama and daddy (Going on month 5 now. Cross your fingers that we don’t devolve into House of Cards over here.) so this new development isn’t really helping everyone’s sanity.
He used to eat everything that we ate (minus some green veggies and spicier foods) but now he’s more interested in animal crackers and jelly rolls than really anything else. Unless my dad’s invention of Dragon Thumbs are on the menu. In THAT case, they are devoured and licked clean and then seconds are requested. And what’s even better than a clean plate is that he repeats a funny rhyme from Jack and the Beanstalk that’s modified to fit dinner… “Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, I’m gonna eat a Dragon Thumb!” (which is way better than “the blood of an Englishman” in my book.) Anything to get them to eat, right?
What’s awesome about Dragon Thumbs is that they work really well for meal-eaters of all ages–grown folks, too– can be seasoned in tons of different ways, plus we’ve also served them as appetizers (think like chicken wings). Read on for our favorite version and please leave a comment if you find a seasoning recipe you’d like to try!
I love how you can make these spicy, or BBQ’d or really any way, and kids and grown folks eat them up. This is especially great since we live in the hometown of Sanderson Farms, a fantastic southern poultry company. We like to support local businesses, so we eat A LOT of chicken.
- 10 Chicken Drumsticks
- 3 Tablespoons canola oil or 20 sprays of cooking spray
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 10 pinches of sage (one for each drumstick)
- 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ Cup of Hoisin Sauce
- ½ Cup of Fresh lime juice
- Green onions to garnish
- Preheat oven to 450° F.
- To make the "dragon thumbs" begin by cutting away the gristle around the knuckle from bottom of the leg, removing it and the tendons, skin, & tissue. There should only be bone left.
- Push up the leg meat to the top of the leg making a kind of lollipop.
- Coat each leg in canola oil or use cooking spray & season each with salt, sage, and pepper.
- Arrange the chicken in a cast iron skillet so that meat lies on bottom of pan and legs stick out over the edges.
- Place the skillet on the bottom rack of the 450 degree oven & roast for 30 minutes.
- Mix together the hoisin, red wine vinegar, and garlic powder, to make a sauce.
- As legs begin to brown, baste them once every 5 minutes or so, which will make a lovely brown glaze.
- After 30 minutes, the legs should be a lovely, shiny brown and will be cooked all the way through. If still pink on the inside, cook for 5 minutes more.
- Spritz the legs with lime juice and sprinkle with green onions to serve. (Adult servings: 2 legs a piece)
To modify the recipe, either add cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or Sriratcha, OR replace the Hoisin with Worchestershire or BBQ sauce. We serve ours with English peas, Asparagus, or snap peas, and usually some form of rice. Y’all, this is GOOD. 😉
Such a great idea! Sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try on my grands.
Yay! Let us know what you think and what they think!
I love this and the name!
Thank you! Daddy says that you’re invited to the bulletproof cafe (his kitchen) anytime!