Grilled Paprika-Ancho Chicken Drumsticks
Looking for another use for that Paprika-Ancho Rub? Fire up the grill for indirect cooking and grab some chicken! Pair with California Black Bean Salad and Arugula & Burrata Salad and dinner is done.
Yield: about 6-8 servings
Ingredients
4 lbs. chicken drumsticks
3/4 cup Paprika-Ancho Rub
Yellow mustard, Dijon Mustard, Sriracha, or Vegetable Oil*
Charcoal (for smoker/grill)
1-2 hardwood chunks (i.e. pecan, cherry, apple wood)
Probe thermometer
Instructions
Prepare your smoker or set up your grill for indirect cooking. You should be aiming for a grate temperature around 300°F-325°F.
While the grill heats up, place the drumsticks in a large bowl. Squeeze some mustard (or sriracha, or drizzle some vegetable oil) over the top and toss until all the drumsticks are evenly coated. Use one hand to sprinkle the rub over the top of the drumsticks while using the other to toss them in the bowl. You don't need to use all of the rub if the drumsticks are looking well coated. Just save any remainder for another use (assuming it wasn't contaminated with any raw chicken).
Set aside until the grill is ready. Add the hardwood to the top of the charcoal pile and set your grate in place. Once the grate is hot, place the chicken on and smoke for about 45 minutes. Turn the chicken over and continue smoking for about another 15 minutes. Pick the largest drumstick and insert the temp probe into the wide end of the drumstick, into the thickest part (parallel to, but spaced from the bone). Continue smoking until the temperature reads at least 165°F (it may take up to an hour and a half total).
Make sure to use clean tongs to remove the cooked chicken from the grill and allow the chicken to rest for at least 5-10 minutes before serving (a perfect amount of time to throw the Arugula & Burrata Salad together). If you want a crispier skin on the chicken (and who doesn't?), move the chicken to direct heat on your grill once the internal temperature reaches 155°F-160°F and finish cooking over direct heat until the temperature hits 165°F.
Notes
*As with the Smoked Pulled Pork, the mustard, sriracha, or oil is just to help the rub stick to the outside of the chicken. The mustard doesn't add a lot of flavor, but it's my preferred choice. Sriracha will add a little bit of heat to the drumsticks and a combination of mustard and sriracha is also a great option.
Leftover chicken?
If you have any leftover chicken, remove it from the bone, cut into bite-size pieces and save for buffalo chicken lettuce wraps. You'll need butter, hot sauce, 1 head butter lettuce (cleaned and separated into leaves), shredded cheese (Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, etc.), green onions, and some tortilla strips (if you want something crunchy in there). Depending on the amount of chicken you have, melt 1 part butter in a bowl and stir in 2 parts hot sauce (i.e. 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons hot sauce). Add the cold chicken to the bowl and toss to combine. Serve the chicken in a butter lettuce leaf, top with a sprinkle of cheese, green onion, and tortilla strips. If you need to cool it off a touch, a little ranch or blue cheese dressing should do the trick!
