Drumsticks in the pan

[eager]

Hi guys,

I am new here and I am having a little difficulty cooking drumsticks in a pan (not an oven).Some professional precise advice would be great.

I was experimenting with cooking drumsticks in a pan, and they turn out pretty well except for the very internal part. The bone often still has a little pink-ish color. The meat is extremely tender and the skin is nice crispy but I just can't seem to cook it perfectly so that the bone is not pink-ish any more.

At the moment. I take a drumstick at room temperature. put it in a little flour with some salt and fry it at both sides in olive oil for 4 minutes sharp (so 8 min) so they are nice golden and crisp at both sides than i add some thyme garlic and butter and glace the chicken for about 1 minute. Than i let the chicken rest for 3 minutes.

All and all it taste great but the pink bone part i am not happy about. I have seen some people pouch the chicken, but I am really afraid that will make it dry as hell.

If anyone has ideas tips and or tricks please let me know. Oh and as said, I want to do this in a pan not an oven. Thanks in advance!

Eager

 

[Andy M.]

It's not uncommon for the bone in chicken drumsticks to be purple in color when fully cooked. The best way is to take its temperature. The temperature of a full cooked drumstick should be about 180º F. Actually it's safe to eat at 161º F but the texture improves if you go to the higher temp.

 

[Kayelle]

My guess is you're not cooking it long enough but the best thing you can do for yourself is to invest around $10.00 in a digital instant read thermometer. For chicken to be safe it should register 165 degrees. Sometimes the bone on a drumstick will appear "redish" even though it's been cooked to required temp.

 

[Kayelle]

It's not uncommon for the bone in chicken drumsticks to be purple in color when fully cooked. The best way is to take its temperature. The temperature of a full cooked drumstick should be about 180º F. Actually it's safe to eat at 261º F but the texture improves if you go to the higher temp.

USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures

• Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.
• Cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
• Cook all poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

 

[eager]

Hi Andy!
Thanks for your swift reply, I was afraid this would be the best method
I still have to buy a thermometer. So i'll do that tomorrow.

By the way you say if the temperature is higher the texture improves. May I assume you mean it gets more tender? Do you have any thought on poaching the chicken in advance?

Just wondering for a good chicken does the meat have to easily fall of the bone like for instance spare ribs?

Anyway thanks again for the reply! I'll get that thermometer and test out the temperature differences and textures.

Cheers!

 

[eager]

Hi Kayelle

Thanks for the temperatures, I just recalculated them. (Europe here )
Always good to have these kind of rules of thumb.

Cheers!

P.s. If anyone has more tips all is welcome the more I learn the better

 

[Josie1945]

Welcome to DC.

Josie

 

[Kayelle]

Good luck, Eagar, and welcome to Discuss Cooking. You'll love it here......good food, good folks and good fun.

 

[eager]

Cheers guys! amazing forum already. Good to see it's very active

Hope i don't drop my law study for cooking, its very addictive

 

[Andy M.]

Hi Andy!
Thanks for your swift reply, I was afraid this would be the best method
I still have to buy a thermometer. So i'll do that tomorrow.

By the way you say if the temperature is higher the texture improves. May I assume you mean it gets more tender? Do you have any thought on poaching the chicken in advance?

Just wondering for a good chicken does the meat have to easily fall of the bone like for instance spare ribs?

Anyway thanks again for the reply! I'll get that thermometer and test out the temperature differences and textures.

Cheers!

Yes, it does get more tender.

I wouldn't poach first as you are giving up flavor to the poaching liquid.

You can do the entire process in the oven as you would roast a whole chicken. Roast at 400º F (about 200º C). Rub some oil on the drumsticks and season first. The higher temp and fat on the skin will ensure a crisp skin.

If you want to do it on the stovetop, Fry it as you have been then turn the temp down and cover the pan to finish cooking the drumsticks through to the bone.

"Falling off the bone" is a commonly used and misleading expression. For pork ribs, literally falling off the bone means overdone, the same goes with chicken. You'd lose points in a BBQ competition if your ribs actually fell off the bone. The meat should easily come off the bone but neither ribs or drumsticks should fall apart.

 

[eager]

Great advice Andy, and thanks for clearing up the 'fall of the bone myth'.
I'll try it out tomorrow.

Cheers!

 

[babetoo]

welcome to d.c. we are glad to see you here

 

[vitauta]

welcome, eager, to dc. i predict you will love it here for many more reasons than tips on frying drumsticks. my favorite part of the chicken--or duck, or game hen, or turkey, etc.,...seems like you have this frying chicken in a pan well under control, with plenty of good advice. i would like to suggest just one thing in case you've not done this already--buy and fry a pan full of organic drumsticks. big wow.

 

[eager]

I'll give that a try vitauta!
I ended up making risotto today, so that will have to wait

 

[Hoot]

As a side note on the color of the chicken near the bone, often with very young chickens, the marrow will leach out of the bones and discolor the meat. Sometimes it is almost unavoidable but harmless, if the temp is right.
BTW, welcome to D.C.!!

 

[eager]

As a side note on the color of the chicken near the bone, often with very young chickens, the marrow will leach out of the bones and discolor the meat. Sometimes it is almost unavoidable but harmless, if the temp is right.
BTW, welcome to D.C.!!

Cheers that is good to know. The chicken was indeed very young i think. the bone marrow was pretty red when i took it out of the package.

What I did today though. was cook it the same as yesterday but in the end I added some extremly fine diced chalots and garlic in (saute), than splashed a cup of white whine in it with a few table spoons of stock. (while the roasted side was up so it stayed crispy). some butter in and extremly fine diced chalots and garlic and let it simmer for 2 min after that put it on a plate gravy over it and let it rest 3 min.

So in total i added 2 minutes to the dish. and because of the extra liquid it steamed from beneath a bit i think. And i must say, the flavour was awesome the chicken still tender and I lost the pinkish stuff.

 

[Kayelle]

Cheers that is good to know. The chicken was indeed very young i think. the bone marrow was pretty red when i took it out of the package.

What I did today though. was cook it the same as yesterday but in the end I added some extremly fine diced chalots and garlic in (saute), than splashed a cup of white whine in it with a few table spoons of stock. (while the roasted side was up so it stayed crispy). some butter in and extremly fine diced chalots and garlic and let it simmer for 2 min after that put it on a plate gravy over it and let it rest 3 min.

So in total i added 2 minutes to the dish. and because of the extra liquid it steamed from beneath a bit i think. And i must say, the flavour was awesome the chicken still tender and I lost the pinkish stuff.

Woo Hoo......now you're cookin', Eager!! Good job!