It’s always nice to feel appreciated, right? This recipe is such an easy way to accomplish that – to lure your whole crew into the kitchen to see what exactly it is that you’re whipping up, that smells so darn good. These Roasted Cranberry-Beet BBQ Chicken Drumsticks were demolished almost as soon as I set the tray down on the table.
It was all sticky fingers and lip smacking and “can I have another?” I don’t necessarily always garner praise and high marks for the food I make (or make possible), I’ll fully cop to phoning it in from time to time, but this chicken recipe is a nice way to infuse a little special into an otherwise ordinary, perfectly normal, nothing-much-to-see-here Tuesday night. Or Wednesday … or well, you get the picture.
For Beet’s Sake
These drumsticks are absolutely delicious and it doesn’t hurt that they come out of their last trip in the oven looking like they were lacquered by some magenta-loving artist. The hue is pretty fetching, no? It gets pinker the more beets/beet juice you add, and I should note that I wrote the recipe with less beets than I used to photograph them here.
I LOVE beets and like to add several into my sauce, but my husband isn’t as crazy about them, so I keep my recipe on the conservative side, as far as the beets go. But, you can add several more, if you like, to up the pink quotient. But it’s not just beets for beet’s sake (for beet’s sake – that’s hilarious to me). They’re essential to the texture, consistency, flavor, and clearly, the color of this truly delicious sauce.
I make a blueberry BBQ sauce in the summertime, a strawberry-rhubarb version in late spring, and I’ve got a chipotle-peach sauce in my cookbook.
Whether you choose to slather this sauce all over drumsticks like I’ve done here in this Baked BBQ Chicken Legs recipe, or you opt for say wings, or thighs, or … tofu … this sauce has a high probability of becoming a fridge door staple, no matter what vessel you choose to anoint with it.
How to Perfectly Bake Chicken Drumsticks (Legs)
We’ll elevate our chicken legs today, literally, by setting them on a cooling rack which we’ll lay over our baking sheet. This brings the chicken up and off of the baking sheet and allows the heat to flow all around the meat as it cooks, helping it to crisp up a bit more than it would otherwise.
This chicken will cook a bit longer than boneless, skinless cuts would, as any bone-in meat will typically have to cook longer to ensure total doneness. A good flip with some trusty tongs about every 10 minutes, followed by some basting with the sauce with help build flavor and texture on the drumsticks as they bake.
I like to pile these up on a platter and serve them family style with a side of rice pilaf or this Creamless Lemon Cream Angel Hair pasta and some sort of green veggie. It makes for a truly different and fun meal that just about everyone can agree on. Enjoy guys!
If this recipe floats your boat, you might also want to check these out:
“Pulled” BBQ Spaghetti Squash Sandwiches
Mediterranean Sun Dried Tomato Chicken with Farro
Cranberry Beet BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
· 1 Tbsp olive oil
· ½ smallsweet onion, diced
· 2 garlic cloves grated or minced
· Salt and pepper to taste
· 2 tsp ancho chili powder (or regular chili powder)
· 2 tsp smoked paprika plus a little extra to sprinkle on the chicken
· 1 Tbsp onion powder plus a little extra to sprinkle on the chicken
· 1 cup ketchup
· 2 Tbsp brown sugar
· 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
· 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegarto taste
· ¾ cup unsweetened cranberry juice
· 15- oz can whole beets drained
· 8 chicken drumsticks
Instructions
- To make the BBQ sauce, place a medium saucepot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Next, add the onion and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then add the garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute more.
- To the pot, add the chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Stir to mix everything well and cook gently, over med-low heat now, for about 5 minutes (this activates those spices). Transfer this mixture to a blender and add the cranberry juice and beets. Blend until very smooth, and then pour back into the pot. Taste it, see if you like it, adjust for seasoning. You do you here!
- Cook the sauce over low heat, and allow it to reduce for 25 to 30 minutes (it should sputter and simmer gently), partially covered, to catch those sputters. It will eventually thicken and cook down into a glossy, rich sauce.
- Meanwhile, prep the chicken. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly pat your chicken dry with a paper towel. Season it on all sides with salt and pepper, and then sprinkle on a light coating of both onion powder and smoked paprika, ensuring that all of the drumsticks are well-seasoned.
- Cover a large baking sheet with foil and then place a cooling rack over top. Lifting the chicken up via this rack will help it stay crisper as it roasts. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping about every 10. Remove from the oven and brush (with a silicone brush, ideally) a thick coating of the BBQ sauce onto the chicken, flipping them each time you add another coat – every 10 minutes – for 30 to 40 minutes more, or until the chicken is cooked through. I usually have some sauce leftover, and I like to serve it on the side.
- When the chicken is done, crank up your broiler and broil the drumsticks for about 2 minutes on each side, to really get them nice and brown. This will also crisp up the skin just a little bit.
- Serve right away, and enjoy.
