Over the summer, I fell in love with a chipotle-lime vinaigrette dressing I found at ALDI…and then they stopped carrying it…womp, womp. The very thing I love about ALDI is also the thing I hate about it – they’re always changing up what they keep in stock. I tried to make my own version at home but it just wasn’t as good. I used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, while they used ground chipotle pepper so obviously I had no choice but to buy myself some ground chipotle pepper. I was pretty excited, not going to lie ;). Despite buying the ground chipotle pepper with the intent of making my own dressing, the first recipe I tried wound up being these baked chipotle-rubbed chicken legs. I’m not usually a dark meat fan, but since I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I’d fixed something other than chicken breasts or fish I decided to mix it up some. I tend to marinate way more than I use dry rubs. I’m not sure why, maybe I always thought that marinades added more flavor than dry rubs. I guess that’s true in some cases but not so with this rub! There aren’t a lot of ingredients but it has a ton of flavor! I baked my drumsticks for about 30 minutes (at 425 degrees) and then placed them under the broiler for a couple minutes to let the skin get nice and crispy. It worked like a charm. They had a nice brown, crispy skin just like they’d been cooked on the grill. Of course, if you have good weather and little extra time I’m sure they’d be equally delicious (or maybe even better) cooked on an outdoor grill. I wasn’t sure how much chipotle pepper to use and so my drumsticks ended up being smoking hot(!!!) – like mouth-on-fire hot! Jordan loved them, but I think next time I’ll use a little less chipotle pepper. Feel free to adjust the amount to your desired heat level. You could use this rub on wings too – perfect game day food =). Enjoy!
Baked Chipotle-Rubbed Chicken Legs
2 pounds drumsticks
1 tbsp ground chipotle pepper (this is different that chipotle powder which may have other spices added) , or to taste (I used 2 tbsp and mine were smoking(!!!) hot)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place baking rack on top of foil. Spray generously with nonstick spray.
2. In small bowl, combine chipotle pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place drumsticks in large ziploc bag. Add seasonings and toss until each drumstick is fully coated.
3. Place drumsticks on prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until 160-165 degrees on meat thermometer. Turn oven to broil and broil chicken for 3-4 minutes or until skin in dark brown and crispy. Remove from oven. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
*adapted from Old World Garden Farms
