Fall Harvest Meal –
Apple Honey Drumsticks
At Bee Wild we encourage people to eat local, seasonal, organic food. Fall is the time to get apples and pears from your local farmers. It’s fairly easy to do because most Farmer’s Markets are open in October. Today’s recipe, Apple Honey Drumsticks, combines apples with Gallberry Honey, which holds up well in cooking and baking.
Make Your Own Healthy Apple Juice
One of my wellness mentors is a juicing expert, and over the years his belief that important phytonutrients are in the seeds, skin, leaves, and stems of plants is well-documented. So, I’ve learned to make my own juice using my Vitamix. It is very important to have a 3-horsepower blender like a restaurant-style Vitamix or Bentec blender, as you want the motor to last as the blender works through the seeds, skin, leaves, and stems of the veggies and fruits you use for your smoothies and juices.
So, I buy local, seasonal, organic apples. I quarter 2 or 3 medium size apples and put them in my Vitamix with 1 1/2 c reverse osmosis (or distilled) water and a squeeze of fresh organic lemon juice. This is my apple juice.
If I don’t use all my apples for juice, I quarter them, coat them in some fresh organic lemon juice, and freeze them in airtight containers. I use these frozen apples for smoothies, instead of ice cubes.
The Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 skin-on prgranic free range chicken drumsticks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups apple juice (We make our own juice from local, organic apples.)
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (We use Braggs.)
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (Weuse tamari since it's gluten free.)
- 2 teaspoons Bee Wild Gallberry Honey
- Grated zest of 1 organic lemon
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Put the drumsticks on the rack and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Bake 30 minutes; flip the drumsticks and continue baking until golden and crisp, about 30 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: Bring the apple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt to a high simmer in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the sauce is syrupy and coats the back of a spoon, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside until the chicken is done.
- Stir the sesame seeds into the sauce, if using, and warm over medium heat, if necessary. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl. Add the sauce and butter and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken to a platter and drizzle with any remaining sauce from the bowl.
Notes
We'd like to credit the Food Network for the basis of this recipe. We cleaned it up!
