Anyone else feeling the fall vibes yet? I'm feeling it with the foliage that started a week ago and that little chill to the air. It's that time of year when I start craving comfort foods. Today, I'm sharing this really tasty chicken drumsticks with olives & figs. This is a great option for a quick weeknight dinner with amazing flavors. Everything goes in one baking dish and it only takes about 45 minutes to cook. This is really (and I mean really) not hard to make.
Drumsticks for dinner: affordable and delicious
Look, grocery shopping is getting more expensive so we've got to get smarter about what we're buying and get better at shopping the sales. One item I've found stays at a reasonable price are chicken drumsticks.
I'm usually so obsessed with chicken thighs I forget about these lovely drumsticks as a dinner option. They are versatile and, like the thighs, have that dark meat flavor I'm always craving. Other than the outside skin there isn't enough fat that you have to take time to trim it - so time save right there!
However, if you do chose to make this with chicken thighs (recipe could hold about 6 thighs) you should take a few minutes to trim the fat. If you need help in this area, I made a great tutorial video called how to trim the fat from chicken thighs and if you have time - give that a look.
Drumsticks with olives & Figs: A couple pantry items, a couple store-bought
There are certain items I consider to be under the umbrella of pantry items. Some are in the fridge and some are in our cabinets. Most of us keep things like garlic and onions around, right? These are two ingredients I always have. Always.
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Figs and olives are a little different. I may have a jar or two of olives around, but I don't keep figs on the regular. Have you ever tried the packaged golden figs they sell in the produce department? They are a revelation! They only cost about $4 for a 9-ounce package. You could also use fresh figs too, but they don't always have them and it can depend on the time of year.
all the ingredients to make chicken drumsticks with olives and figs
- fresh or dried thyme
- garlic
- red onion
- chicken drumsticks
- package of golden figs
- olives
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
easy steps to making chicken drumsticks with olives & Figs
Chicken Drumsticks with Olives & Figs
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 portions 1x
Description
Fantastic fall comfort food coming your way with this easy-to-make chicken drumsticks with olives and figs.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
- 6-7 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 medium red onion, cut in chunks
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 packages of golden figs (9-ounce pack)
- 1 cup of pitted olives (I used ½ castelvetrano and ½ Kalamata) see notes
- Olive oil
Note: You will need non-stick cooking spray for this recipe
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Instructions
- If you’re using fresh thyme for this, gently pull the leaves from the stem (about 7 or so). Then rough chop the thyme.
- Peel and smash 6-7 medium cloves of garlic. You can smash with the side of your knife or use the bottom of a pan or kitchen mallet. (my video shows this well).
- Peel one medium red onion and cut into chunks.
- Put your chicken drumsticks on a plate or small sheet pan and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Open the package of golden figs and pluck the small stems off each one. You can keep some figs whole and cut some in half.
- Measure out the olives, minus the liquid, and smash some of them. I left some whole and some smashed – do what you like here.
- Add the onions, olives, smashed garlic, figs and thyme to a large bowl. Add a couple of glugs of olive oil (2 tablespoons or so) and toss to coat.
- Spray the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray then add the olive and fig mixture to the bottom of the dish. Spread it out evenly. Place the chicken drumsticks on top of the olive and fig mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 40-45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees.
- Once out of the oven, let cool a few minutes then transfer everything to a large bowl and toss everything together. The fig and onion caramelize a little while cooking and there is a delicious juice in the baking dish. Be sure to scrape all of that into the bowl.
- Everyone can serves themselves or you can serve on a platter and garnish with fresh herbs. You can serve with a side salad, potatoes or side of veggies like asparagus or broccoli.
Notes
- For the thyme you can use fresh or dried. I like using fresh herbs whenever possible. I also like buying the package of what’s called “poultry herbs” at my supermarket which includes fresh thyme, rosemary and sage in one package. You can use a little rosemary and sage if you like as well. I like to garnish with fresh herbs too for a nice presentation.
- I love castelvetrano green olives so I used those, plus some kalamatas. The kalamatas actually came in a mixed jar which was labeled a “Mediterranean” mixture so there were more green pitted olives here too. You should be using pitted olives for this recipe.
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