Cinnamon Chicken Recipe - Yasz Style!

I've created this recipe a couple of days  back and when I say created that actually means I didn't even Google for any cinnamon chicken recipes on the net (God, how geeky is that...=)) and I've never experimented cooking with cinnamon powder before except using a cinnamon stick in curries of course. I just had the feeling that I got to marinate the chicken drumsticks that I have and throw in some of the spices available in my current kitchen into the marinate.

So this is how I make my original cinnamon chicken recipe:

1. Chicken drumstick washed and cleaned.

2. Throw in some generous amount of cinnamon powder and Italian seasoning ( if you don't have this, you can always use any types of mix herbs usually comes readily in a pack).

3. To add some spiciness which we Asians must always have; the spicier the better really; I added a generous amount of black pepper and this wicked Baba's Chili powder. The redness of the chili powder adds a good blend of color with the already sweet and brown colored cinnamon powder.

4. Lastly, I added some EVOO - extra virgin olive oil ( or any types of vegetable oil will do) and a touch of salt because I'm very particular with my sodium intake. Haha.

That done, mix it all together and it smells really good already. You got in here a perfect blend of original sweet flavor of the cinnamon which is very distinct in it's own cinnamony way with a touch of heat from the superb chili powder and black pepper. Leave it to marinate overnight and the longer it takes to marinate, the better the cinnamon chicken will taste. Longer time will mean extra time for the flavors to  blend well into the chicken meat.

To cook it, simply heat up and lightly oil the pan. In my case, I'm using a cookingware from Fissler which is really great because once you have the lid covered over the pan, it'll speed up the cooking time and it is almost like frying plus steaming your meal. I let the chicken drumsticks to brown on one side - 5 to 7 minutes before flipping it on the other side, all the while putting on the cover. I guess by having the lid on, it helps to retain the moisture in the chicken because it won't ended up being brown and dry.

I remove the drumsticks once they are cooked and I also deglaze the bottom of the pan with some milk and water or you can use a mix of  plain flour with water to create a gravy from the brown bits left on the pan. Once that done, transfer back the drumsticks into the pan and let is mix together with the gravy. Finally, get ready to eat. It's so yummy and you are going to go for seconds and thirds on this one. You can trust me on that and it's for sure peeps.

On another note, this cinnamon chicken recipe is suitable for people who are always on the go and don't have much time to prep up for your food. You can prepare the marinate over the weekend and have a delish meal just waiting to be fried up over a pan in 20 minutes tops. Give this recipe a go and do tell me what do you think about it in the comment. Last but not least, Happy cooking!