Smoked Chicken Drumsticks with Bourbon Honey Orange Glaze

These drumsticks are tender, smoky, spicy, and delicious, and the skin gets super crispy. I used 6 drumsticks since I was making this for 2 people, but this recipe makes plenty of rub and glaze if you want to make more. I recommend serving these with my Chipotle Sweet Potato Purée.

Ingredients:

6 chicken drumsticks
3 tbsp. light brown sugar
2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin


Glaze:

1/2 cup orange juice
5 tbsp. bourbon
2 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix light brown sugar, kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried mustard, cayenne, chili powder, and cumin. Rub on drumsticks and refrigerate drumsticks for at least 2 hours before smoking. Take drumsticks out of refrigerator at least 30 minutes before smoking.

In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, bourbon, honey, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat smoker to 300˚. Using indirect heat, smoke drumsticks until they reach an internal temperature of about 145˚. This should take around an hour and 15 minutes. Raise heat to 450˚. Mop or spray chicken with glaze. Using direct heat, cook chicken for about 20 more minutes, glazing about every 5 minutes. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165˚. Remove from smoker.

Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti Squash

Yesterday felt like fall, and I wanted to make something warm and comforting. I had heard spaghetti squash could be a decent substitute for regular pasta, so I picked one up at the farmer's market. Turns out, it can be used as a tasty and healthy alternative to spaghetti. At least every now and then.

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds with a spoon
2 chicken cutlets (or 1 breast butterflied and cut in half)
2 - 4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
28 oz. can san marzano tomatoes, crushed
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh oregano
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil (plus some for tomato sauce and squash)
1/2 cup parmesan
1 tbsp. basil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Coat medium sauce pot with olive oil and heat over medium. Add onion and sprinkle with salt. (This helps to sweat the onion.) Cook until translucent and soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add san marzano tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Depending on your tomatoes, the sauce might be bitter; if it's bitter, you can add a little sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450°. Sprinkle spaghetti squash with salt, pepper, and cup olive oil. Cook facing down on a baking sheet for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Let cool slightly and use fork to pull spaghetti squash away from skin.

While the squash is cooking, marinate chicken in 1/4 cup olive oil, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Let marinate for at least 20 minutes. Heat oven safe pan over medium high heat. Sear chicken for 2 minutes, flip and coat top of chicken with generous serving of sauce sauce, then top with
mozzarella, and parmesan. Bake at 450° for 3-5 minutes, until cheese begins to bubble and brown. Broil if necessary. Remove from pan, sprinkle with basil and extra parmesan and serve over spaghetti squash.