That Spicy Chick

Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes

These Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes are super simple and easy to make, naturally gluten-free, and lighter and healthier than your average chicken wings! They’re perfect for a game day snack or appetizer, and always a crowd pleaser!

Mamma Mia!

I should actually be saying mama mio instead though, because this little masterpiece was handed down to me by my sweet and simple Mama!

Although it’s been slightly manipulated by yours truly of course, these Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes are completely easygoing and simple, just like her! 🤗

Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes garnished with freshly chopped coriander lined up on a long white rectangular serving plate.

So funny story behind the name of this recipe…

Up until I decided to blog about these lip-smacking garlicky and peppery chicken drumettes, they were exclusively known as Patto Chicken in our household.

Back in my Taipei days, my parents and a group of their married friends used to get together every Saturday night for an evening of cards and yummy home cooked food served potluck style. They took turns hosting each week, and they truly went all out with the food. Every woman of each couple would make one or two dishes to be served on the cards table as an appetizer, or later on in the evening during break time for dinner.

Anyways, their game of choice was rummy, but to my sister and me, our folks and their buddies just liked playing “patto” (or cards when translated from Sindhi).

Whenever it was my folks’ turn to host the cards night at our home, my mom would always make these delicious Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes to serve as a snack while they played. There were never any leftovers and she used to make about 40 or so chicken drumettes (while of course, keeping a few pieces aside for me and my sister)! Yes, they were and are THAT good. And they used to be devoured within minutes by 6-8 hungry card players!

Front view of 3 Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes on a white square plate with a black floral pattern. To the right side is a diagonally placed plate of Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes. At the back is a stack of square white snack plates with a black floral pattern and a small white dish stacked with lemon wedges.

My sister and I (being the innocent lil’ kids we once were with limited brain capacities) only gathered that the chicken dish made an appearance on every cards night. Subsequently, we named it Patto Chicken.

Yup, that’s right, Cards Chicken. 😂 We still call it Patto Chicken to this day at home. But for the sake of not sounding entirely nuts on this little blog of mine, I gave it a new name that is more fitting for these mouthwatering chicken drumettes!

Diagonal view of Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes garnished with freshly chopped coriander on a long white rectangular serving plate. Small white dish stacked with lemon wedges in the back.

WHY I’M COMPLETELY IN LOVE WITH THESE GARLICKY BLACK PEPPER & TURMERIC CHICKEN DRUMETTES:

  • They’re low maintenance and easy to make. We’re talking about just a four step process: marinate chicken, sauté chicken with some onion, garnish, and SERVE!
  • Very quick and easy to make if you marinate them the day before. Like REALLY quick and ready in just 25 minutes!
  • They’re loaded with turmeric powder! The turmeric adds a little somethin’ somethin’ by giving the chicken its pretty vibrant yellow color. It’s also good for digestion and has really powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. 🙌
  • One Pan Dish for the win!!! Less clean up = my pretty pink nails and me squealing for joy!
  • They are lighter than your usual chicken drumettes/wings because I cook these babies sans skin. Less fat, lower in calories, and healthier than skin-on chicken. That’s right. You can enjoy them with ZERO guilt! Win! 💃
Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumette garnished with freshly chopped coriander on a long white rectangular serving plate.

You actually don’t have to use drumettes only and can use a combination of wings too. Or you can go with boneless diced chicken breasts if you’re not a fan of chicken with bones. I’ve done it both ways but prefer using drumettes whenever I can because:

  1. That’s how my Momma used to make it.
  2. I personally feel that chicken with bones are more flavorful than boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Even though my mom used to serve these as an appetizer, I occasionally eat them with steamed white rice for dinner. They actually taste fantastic over a bed of rice, not only just as an appetizer. And you can serve them with some veggies on the side too to make it a full meal. 😊

Overhead view of diagonally placed square white plates with 3 pieces of Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes on each of the plates.

Pro tips:

  1. To save time: Get your butcher to remove the skin from the chicken drumettes/wings. Or you can also buy skinless chicken drumettes if they are easily available to you.
  2. Marinate a day in advance: Not only does this allow for the marinade to penetrate through the chicken and flavor them more, it saves you time the next day. All you have to do then is sauté them with some onion! Just make sure to take them out of the fridge 40 minutes to an hour in advance so that they can come to room temperature before they hit the pan.

Bottom line my friends, these Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes are big time crowd pleasers! I guarantee that you’ll be making them over and over again! 🤗

Super close up of a Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumette garnished with freshly chopped coriander on a long white rectangular serving plate.

MORE CHICKEN FINGER FOOD FAVORITES

Looking for more easy chicken finger food recipes? Here are a few of my favorites!

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Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes

Diagonal view of Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes garnished with freshly chopped coriander on a long white rectangular serving plate. Small white dish stacked with lemon wedges in the back.

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These Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes are super simple and easy to make, naturally gluten-free, and lighter and healthier than your average chicken wings! They’re perfect for a game day snack or appetizer, and always a crowd pleaser!

  • Author: Lavina
  • Prep Time: 45
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1216 Drumettes 1x
  • Category: Appetizers
  • Method: Sauté
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 710g Chicken Drumettes (about 12 – 16 pieces, you can use the wing part too if you like) – cleaned thoroughly, skin removed and discarded, excess fat trimmed if needed, and pat dried with paper towels.
  • 7 Garlic gloves – finely minced
  • 1 TBLS Ginger – finely minced
  • 58 Red Chilies, to taste – finely minced
  • 12 small Green chilies, to taste – finely minced
  • 1/3 Red Onion – thinly sliced
  • 23 TBLS freshly chopped Coriander (Cilantro)
  • 1 + ¼ TSP Black Pepper 1 TSP Kosher Salt, to taste 1 TSP Garam Masala (store-bought or homemade)
  • ¾ TSP Turmeric powder
  • ½1 TSP Kashmiri Red Chili Powder or ground Cayenne, to taste 1 TBLS + 1 TSP freshly squeezed Lemon juice, to taste
  • 12 TBLS Olive Oil (or any other cooking oil)
  • 1 TSP Chili Oil (optional)

To Garnish/Serve:

  • Remainder chopped Coriander
  • Lemon wedges (optional)

Instructions

FOR THE CHICKEN MARINADE:

  1. In a large bowl, combine chicken drumettes, garlic, ginger, red and green chilies, black pepper, kosher salt, garam masala, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder or ground cayenne, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Mix thoroughly with a spoon and ensure that the chicken drumettes are coated well with the ingredients. Cover with cling wrap and set aside for 30-45 minutes, or overnight in the fridge for best results.

FOR THE GARLICKY BLACK PEPPER & TURMERIC CHICKEN DRUMETTES:

  1. Heat olive oil and chili oil (if using) in a deep medium sized sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the marinated chicken drumettes and cook them while flipping them over occasionally until they are no longer pink on any side – about 3 minutes. Cover the pan with a lid and turn down the heat to medium-low. Let the chicken cook for about 8-10 minutes, uncovering every 3-4 minutes to move them around and flip them.
  2. Once the chicken is tender and cooked, remove the lid and turn the heat back up to medium-high and add the sliced onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes with the chicken until they have softened slightly. They should still retain some crunch so don’t cook them for too long!
  3. Sprinkle half of the coriander over the chicken pieces and give it a good stir to combine. Turn off the heat and transfer to a dish or a large serving plate.
  4. To Garnish/Serve: Garnish with the remainder chopped coriander. Serve as an appetizer with lemon wedges (optional – for squeezing extra lemon juice if desired) or with steamed rice for a main course meal.

Notes

  1. Feel free to make this milder or hotter by reducing/increasing the amount of fresh red and green chilies as well as Kashmiri red chili powder/ground cayenne.
  2. If you prefer, you can blitz the garlic, ginger, and red and green chilies in a food processor <— (affiliate link – this is similar to the one I have) to save time. I personally prefer to finely mince the ingredients as I find it’s more flavorful this way. But totally your call! 
  3. To make ahead, you can marinate the chicken drumettes a day in advance and cover with cling wrap before storing overnight in the fridge. The next day, take them out of the fridge about 40 minutes to an hour before you cook so that they can come to room temperature before they hit the pan.
  4. I’ve made this with white onion too and it tastes just as great. Use whichever type of onion you have on hand or prefer.
  5. If you’re not big on chicken with bones, feel free to use boneless and skinless diced chicken breasts. You’ll need about 2-3 large chicken breasts that are roughly 400-450 grams in total.
  6. Prep time includes the minimum time for marinating the chicken for this recipe, not the time for the overnight marinating route.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4 Drumettes
  • Calories: 336
  • Sugar: 5.1g
  • Sodium: 444.2mg
  • Fat: 13g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.6g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 8.3g
  • Trans Fat: 0.1g
  • Carbohydrates: 12.3g
  • Fiber: 2.2g
  • Protein: 41.2g
  • Cholesterol: 101.2mg
LongPin - Photo 1: Super close up of a Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumette garnished with freshly chopped coriander on a long white rectangular serving plate. Photo 2: Garlicky Black Pepper & Turmeric Chicken Drumettes garnished with freshly chopped coriander lined up on a long white rectangular serving plate.

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