Butterflying chicken legs is a great way to get them cooked super-fast, meaning this dish qualifies as one of Ree’s famous 16-minute meals.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 16 min |
| Active: | 16 min |
| Yield: | 2 to 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 stick salted butter, melted
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
- 4 to 5 dashes preferred hot sauce
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3 ounces Parmesan, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Caprese Salad, recipe follows
- 3 whole ripe tomatoes, sliced thick
- 12 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
- Fresh basil leaves, for topping
- Olive oil and balsamic glaze, for drizzling
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
- Butterfly the chicken legs by finding the bone, then, using a sharp knife, making contact with the bone, cutting down the center and cutting the meat away from the bone. Using the tip of the knife, make another cut down the other side of the bone, pushing the meat flat to one side as you go.
- Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil, then sprinkle with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Place the chicken on the grill, skin-side down. Let sit, undisturbed, for 7 to 8 minutes to help crisp and char the skin. Flip the chicken and grill until cooked through and nicely charred all over, an additional 4 to 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the butter, garlic, red chile flakes, hot sauce and lemon juice in a large bowl.
- Remove the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat. Sprinkle in two-thirds of the Parmesan and toss. Remove to a platter and garnish with the parsley and remaining Parmesan. Serve with Ree’s Caprese Salad.
- Arrange the tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter. Arrange the basil leaves between the slices.
- Drizzle olive oil over the top of the salad, getting a little on each slice. Do the same with the balsamic glaze, making designs if you want. End with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1153 |
| Total Fat | 89 g |
| Saturated Fat | 38 g |
| Carbohydrates | 10 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 76 g |
| Cholesterol | 387 mg |
| Sodium | 1315 mg |
Reviews
This is amazing!!! Best drumstick I’ve ever had.
Made this tonight. After reading the reviews, I thought I might be in over-my-head. However, preparing the chicken was no big deal and they were AWESOME! We may have a new Memorial Day tradition.
Thanks Ree.
Thanks Ree.
Yummy recipe! Was a hit with the fam. The only thing I would do differently next time is cut back on the butter. This one’s a keeper!
We have made this twice. Once you get the butterfly technique done it goes alot faster. I am not a chicken leg person but cooking them this way has changed my mind. Love that the legs are fully cooked and seasoned!
This sounds delicious and I’d use the same ingredients to make this, but skip the butterflying part and just bake the legs off in a hot oven, tossing them in the butter-parm-hot sauce after they’re done. Not a 16 minute meal, but still, sounds good!
First off I know this is not gonna be a sixteen minute meal because it’ll take a good twenty minutes to butterfly the drumsticks. If I have a sou chef to do this for me then I might be inclined to make it. Too time consuming.
Delicious. Definitely NOT a 16 minute meal. Butterflying the drumsticks is very time consuming. Still recommend, very yummy.
I didn’t make this or any of the “16 minute “ recipes. But aside from mushroom tacos, none of them take only 16 minutes, especially this one. It would take 10 minutes just to prep the drumsticks. And the salmon recipe? Grated ginger, etc.
This is similar to a recipe I’ve made for years except we add apple cider vinegar.