How To Butterfly Chicken Drumsticks (Chicken Legs)
Learn how to butterfly chicken drumsticks for all your grilling, smoking or baking needs. Using this method means your chicken legs or drumsticks can cook faster and evenly.
Chicken legs are a popular choice of meat loved by all, it is easy to cook and you can hardly go wrong with it.
Equipment
- sharp knife
- chopping board
Ingredients
- Chicken drumsticks
Instructions
- Step 1: Prep the chicken drumsticks: Remove any hanging skin off the chicken including the visible feathers. Wash the chicken if you prefer but make sure to do so safely and clean up after yourself. Pat the drumsticks dry with a kitchen paper towel. This is important so that the meat doesn't become slippery when you want to cut it.
- Step 2: Working on a piece at a time, place it on a chopping board, have a feel of where the bone is located. Make an incision down the center lengthwise with your knife to loosen the meat.
- Put your knife very close to the bone to loosen the flesh from the meat and cartilage without cutting it through. Cut along either side of the bone to flatten it. Ensure you do not cut all the way through.
- Alternatively, cut either side of the bone all the way down and open it with your fingers to flatten it. Make a parallel cut from the chunky meaty side to the joint on either side of the bone before you flatten it with your fingers.
- Step 3: Repeat the process with the remaining drumsticks then pat it dry with a kitchen towel. This way, the seasoning will infuse properly into the meat.
Notes
Tips
- Avoid using a dull knife as this can be dangerous and may even result in an uneven cut.
- Depending on the size of the drumsticks, it will take you about 10 -15 seconds to butterfly it correctly especially if using a sharp knife. In other words, be patient and do not try to forcefully separate the meat from the bone. This can cause the meat to tear which may not be great for presentation especially if serving it to guests.
- Be careful not to cut the meat all the way through. Keep the knife close to the bone or cartilage, imagine you are only trying to scrape the meat off the side of the bone or cartilage.
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