Marinated Chicken Drumsticks Stuffed With Mushrooms And Mozzarella

Chicken drumsticks are delicious, convenient-to-eat cuts of meat. Juicy and tender, they're a household favorite and a dinnertime classic, no matter how they're prepared. But what if you could make chicken drumsticks even better than they are in their original form? In this recipe, we've developed a way to stuff chicken legs with a juicy, cheesy mushroom & mozzarella filling. Add a tangy homemade marinade and bake it in the oven, and you've yourself got the perfect chicken drumsticks!

Yield: 10
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Inactive Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty Level: Moderate

You'll Need:

For the marinated chicken drumsticks:

  • 10 chicken legs (approx. 2 lbs)
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • ⅓ cup cream cheese
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

For the mushroom & mozzarella filling:

  • ¼ stick butter
  • 14 oz mushrooms, diced
  • ½ red onion, diced
  • ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp turmeric

Here's How:

1. To prepare the chicken drumsticks, gently separate the skin of the chicken leg from the bone, being careful not to tear the skin off completely. Make 1 long cut in the meat lengthwise and carefully remove the bone, making sure the meat, cartilage, and skin all stay together.

2. Cut off a small piece of the leg meat and set it aside for later. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the boneless chicken leg and flatten it with a meat tenderizer or similar tool.

3. For the marinade, stir together the paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, milk, garlic powder, cream cheese, tomato paste, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar until combined. Brush the marinade over the flattened chicken legs, but leave the skin you peeled down uncovered. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. For the mushroom & mozzarella filling, chop up the chicken you set aside earlier along with the parsley, mozzarella, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and turmeric. Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the diced mushrooms and red onions briefly. Let the mushroom mixture cool briefly, then stir in the mixture of chopped ingredients.

5. Spread the marinated chicken legs out on a clean work surface and spoon 2 tablespoons of the filling into the center of each one. Fold the sides of the chicken leg inwards towards the center and carefully pull the skin up over the wrapped up filling, sealing it in.

6. Hang 2 wooden skewers in the oven on the oven rack so that they reach across the entire width of the oven. Place a large baking tray on the bottom rack of the oven to collect anything that drips off of the stuffed chicken drumsticks while they're baking. Skewer each chicken leg on a wooden skewer and hang them on the 2 wooden skewers positioned in the oven. Bake the stuffed chicken drumsticks at 350°F for 25 minutes.

Feel free to switch up the ingredients you use to stuff these delicious chicken drumsticks to fit your taste preferences. This recipe is so delicious, you'll never want to eat plain old drumsticks again!

Get the recipe for the Stuffed & Fried Chicken Drumsticks featured in the bonus video.

Comments

Also hefty