Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Cook the Chicken and Potatoes
- Remove the skin from the drumsticks. You can pull it before boiling, or boil first and pull it after when it slips right off.
- Place the drumsticks in a large pot, cover with water, and boil for about 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Remove the chicken and let it cool enough to handle. Pull all the meat from the bones, removing any tendons, cartilage and small pieces of bone. Shred the meat and set the clean bones aside. You need one bone per drumstick.
- Peel the golden potatoes and cut them into chunks. Boil them in salted water until completely fork tender, then drain well and mash them smooth.
Make the Filling and Shape
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, mashed potatoes, shredded cheese, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper. Mix until you have a dough like mixture that holds together.
- Wet your hands or gloves, or rub them with a little oil. The mixture is sticky and dry hands will tear it apart as you shape. Reload between each one.
- Flatten a portion of the mixture into a thick patty. Place a cleaned bone in the center and add a little more shredded cheese around it if you want. Fold the mixture around the bone and shape it firmly into a drumstick, pressing well so it stays put in the oil. Repeat until all the mixture and bones are used.
Bread and Fry
- Set up three bowls with flour, beaten eggs and panko. Coat each drumstick in flour, then egg, then panko until fully covered.
- Heat a shallow pan with enough oil to come about halfway up the drumsticks. Bring the oil to approximately 350°F. Fry until golden brown and crispy, flipping halfway through so both sides cook evenly.
- Transfer to a wire rack to drain so the bottoms stay crispy. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
Take the skin off: Boiled chicken skin will not crisp or render. It goes soft and chewy, and shredded bits of it end up as chewy spots in a filling that should be smooth.
Wet hands: The mixture sticks. Wet your hands or gloves between each drumstick, or you will lose more of the mixture to your palms than to the pan.
Wrap tight: Any gap or loose spot is where it opens up in the oil.
Wire rack, not a plate: Steam under a hot fried drumstick will soften the panko you just built.
Make ahead: The mixture holds in the fridge and shapes better cold. You can also build and bread them ahead and fry later.
Timing: Prep and cook times are estimates. The 45 minute chicken boil is the only sourced duration. Go by fork tender on the potatoes and golden brown on the drumsticks.