Anastasia Barringer | Guadalupe Valley EC

A big, busy family with a desire for fun, on-the-go foods inspired Barringer to create this rustic, homey dish with sweet, buttery pan juices. For tailgating, she suggests serving the drumsticks in a hollowed-out loaf of bread, with the juices on the side for dipping.

6 chicken drumsticks
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided use
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 dashes paprika
3 dashes ground coriander
1 dash cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
4 drops sesame oil
6 strips bacon (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons butter with olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on all sides (in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding), about 7–10 minutes total, then remove skillet from heat.

3. Arrange chicken in skillet, alternating positions so drumsticks nestle side-by-side. Combine the spices with salt and sprinkle the mixture over chicken. Dot the meaty top of each drumstick with about a teaspoon of butter. Bake 15 minutes.

4. Make a basting syrup by combining the remaining butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and sesame oil, and microwaving until the butter melts.

5. Pour syrup over the chicken, wrap partially cooked bacon strips, if using, around each leg and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Makes 6 drumsticks.