Marinated chicken drumsticks

This was our 4th of July lunch meal, consisting of marinated chicken legs (we call them drumsticks), potato salad and Orzo salad (recipes still to come), plus water melon. It wouldn't be a real Midwestern BQ without corn on the cob, so we had that available too.

The drumsticks are a family favorite and they are also a relatively affordable way to feed a crowd. You could just sprinkle the drumsticks with salt and pepper and they would taste just fine but I think they are so fantastic after a couple of hours in marinade. I have been using this marinade recipe since it first appeared in Cooking Light magazine way back in 2005. I find it to be perfectly citrucy and tangy. There are a lot of ingredients in this marinade, 11 to be exact, but they are all staples which you are likely to have in your pantry already. And they combine together to give the chicken a deep and delicious flavor. The added step of basting with the marinade while grilling makes these really nice and juicy. We use a charcoal grill which tends to char meats, especially chicken, more than a gas grill, but that is how we like it!

This recipe is enough marinade for 8-10 chicken legs. I tripled it since we made 30!

Marinated Grilled Chicken legs

1 cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon dry sherry

1 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon basil oil

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

8-10 chicken drumsticks (about 2 1/4 pounds), skinned

Cooking spray

Green onion strips (optional)

If you can find already skinned chicken legs you are lucky. This saves some work. Mine had the skin on, and I used a piece of cheese cloth to get a good grip on the slippery chicken to pull the skin off.

Combine the first 11 ingredients in a large zip-lock plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat 3 minutes. Place chicken on grill coated with cooking spray; grill 30 minutes or until chicken is done, turning and basting occasionally with reserved marinade. Garnish with green onion strips if desired.

Serves 4

Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine, June 2005