By CJ called this week with news that is not surprising but that still lands with weight: he has found an apartment in Huntsville that he's buying—not renting, buying, a condominium downtown, near the research corridor where he works—and he is putting down roots in a way that is final and intentional and right for him. He is twenty-five years old, this child, and he is making the choices that make a life, the sequential choices—job, apartment, health insurance, 401(k), all the infrastructure of adulthood—and he is making them thoughtfully, the way he does everything, with a diligence that came from Calvin and a practicality that came from me.
I told him I was proud of him. He said, "Mama, it's just a condo," and I said, "Baby, it's not just a condo. A condo is where you come home to. A condo is what you put a kitchen in. A condo is the place where you will feed yourself and eventually feed other people and someday, God willing, cook with children who are learning from your hands." He was quiet for a moment and then he said, "Mama," in the tone that means he is moved and he is a Simms man about it, meaning he will not say so directly. I said, "I know. Go buy the condo. I'll be there to cook the housewarming meal."
Bernice's Table on Tuesday had thirty-eight people—down from forty, which I am not alarmed by because numbers fluctuate and the purpose doesn't depend on the number. What I am tracking is not just the count but the faces. The regular faces. The woman who comes every week with the two children. The older gentleman who always takes his cornbread home in a napkin. The young man who once said "Mrs. Simms, the chicken" and has been back every week since. They are regulars. They are mine, in the way that the people you feed regularly are yours—you hold them in the category of known hunger, known need, known person who trusts this table enough to return. That trust is the most valuable thing the table produces.
When I told CJ I’d be there to cook the housewarming meal, I already knew what I was making — because there is only one dish you bring to a new kitchen, only one thing that says this place is home now, and it is chicken, golden and crisp from the oven, the kind that fills a room with a smell that makes people feel held. It’s what I’ve made for thirty years when someone I love crosses a threshold, and it’s what I make at Bernice’s Table when I want the regulars to know they are known and expected and welcome. These oven-fried drumsticks are the recipe — the one that travels, the one that works for a crowd of two or a crowd of thirty-eight, the one that tastes like I meant it.
Oven-Fried Chicken Drumsticks
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken drumsticks (about 8–10 pieces)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce. Add the drumsticks, turn to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. The longer they soak, the more tender they will be.
- Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack on top. Coat the rack with cooking spray.
- Mix the coating. In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, thyme, salt, black pepper, and cayenne.
- Coat the drumsticks. Lift each drumstick from the buttermilk, letting the excess drip off, then dredge thoroughly in the flour mixture, pressing gently so the coating adheres on all sides. Place on the prepared rack.
- Add butter and bake. Drizzle or brush the melted butter over each coated drumstick. Bake for 40–45 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the coating is deep golden and crisp and the internal temperature reads 165°F at the thickest part.
- Rest before serving. Let the drumsticks rest on the rack for 5 minutes before plating. This keeps the crust from steaming and going soft.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 31g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 520mg