Low Carb Crunchy Chicken Drumsticks w Baked Macaroni

Talk about Keto soul food! If you’ve been craving some comfort food, look no further. What wakens up your inner child more than biting into a crunchy chicken drumstick and a mouthful of rich mac and cheese? Your drumsticks are tenderized for a full 24 hours before rolled in a breading mixture of pork rinds and a handful of spices. They’re fried on your stovetop until you have a thick, crusty outside and tender, juicy inside. Served on the side is an American Southern style of baked mac and cheese. Inspired by African-American soul food, this macaroni is baked in a dish with a variety of cheese and a rich dairy liquid filling. You might call it a casserole, but the original creators just call it mac and cheese!

Tips On Tenderizing Chicken Drumsticks

It’s the acidity of dairy products that helps tenderize chicken and other meats. Chicken is best tenderized in heavy cream or buttermilk because of the high-fat content as well. The acids break down the protein in the chicken slowly, which is how the texture becomes more tender. When marinating your drumsticks in dairy, choose a dish that fits your meat snuggly. With fewer pockets of space, you can save on how much cream you use.

I Can’t Find Shirataki Elbow Noodles

If you can’t find elbow-shaped shirataki noodles, don’t worry. Since the macaroni dish is baked, you can use any style of shirataki noodle. However, try to find thicker styles that can hold heavy cheese fillings. No matter which type of shirataki noodle you use, your macros won’t change. Just substitute any type of shirataki noodle by weight!

Jessica L.

Net Carbs

6.4 g
Fiber

1.2 g
Total Carbs

7.6 g
Protein

51.4 g
Fats

61.2 g

781 cals

Quantity

Serving Size

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Chicken Dark Meat Drumstick Only Enhanced Raw

20 oz
Salt

0.25 tsp
Black pepper

0.25 tsp
Cream Heavy Whipping

4 fl oz
Cheddar cheese

0.25 cup, shredded
Colby Jack cheese

0.25 cup, shredded
Mozzarella cheese, whole milk

0.25 cup, shredded
Butter, unsalted

1 tbsp
Cream cheese

1 oz
Shirataki Noodle

8 oz
Cream Heavy Whipping

4 fl oz
Buttermilk, unprepared dry powder

2.5 tbsp
Water

3 fl oz
Raw egg, yolk

1 large
Liquid Stevia

5 drops
Salt

0.25 tsp
Black pepper

0.25 tsp
Onion powder

0.13 tsp
Garlic powder

0.25 tsp
Nutmeg Ground

0.13 tsp
Mustard powder

0.25 tsp
Paprika

0.25 tsp
Raw egg

1 large
Fried pork skins

3 oz
Paleo Baking Flour

1.5 tbsp
Garlic powder

0.25 tsp
Onion powder

0.13 tsp
Paprika

0.25 tsp
Black pepper

0.25 tsp
Avocado oil

4 tbsp

Step 1

Prepare the chicken drumsticks 24 hours in advance so they can tenderize. Place 5-ounce raw chicken drumsticks in a dish, such as a casserole dish, and season them with salt and pepper. Then, pour heavy cream into the dish until it is filled and the drumsticks are soaked in cream. This means you will need more cream than what is listed in the ingredients, but you won’t be consuming the excess. Cover your dish and marinate the drumsticks in your refrigerator for 24 hours.
Step 2

When you’re ready to cook your meal, prepare the baked macaroni. For 4 servings, prepare a 7X5 glass baking dish by mixing shredded cheddar, colby, and mozzarella in the bottom of it. Do not use any oil and pan spray in the pan. Dice butter and cream cheese, and distribute the pieces over the shredded cheese. Meanwhile, fill a pot with water and place it on your stove to bring it to a boil.
Step 3

Follow the directions on the shirataki noodle packaging to prepare the noodles. Drain the noodles, rinse them, and drain them again. Once your water is boiling on the stove, add the shirataki noodles and boil them for 2-3 minutes. Then, drain the boiling water from the noodles, and immediately pour the hot shirataki noodles into your baking dish. The hot noodles will melt all the cheese and butter in the dish.
Step 4

While the steam from the noodles is melting the cheese, turn on your oven to preheat to 350 degrees. Return to your baking dish, and stir the noodles in the dish until they’re all coated in melted cheese. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together heavy cream, dry buttermilk, water, egg, stevia, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, mustard powder, and paprika. Pour the filling into the baking dish until it fills around your macaroni and cheese. Let the filling settle into the dish.
Step 5

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake the dish in your oven for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil, and bake the dish for another 45 minutes. At your discretion, you can bake the dish longer or cook it under your broiler for a darker top. For doneness, there should be no liquid at the bottom of the pan, the edges of the pan are golden, and the cheese on top is bubbled and browned. Let the dish cool for a few minutes before cutting it into slices for serving.
Step 6

While the baked macaroni is in its final stages of cooking, make your chicken drumsticks. Pull your dish of drumsticks from your refrigerator, and transfer the cream-coated drumsticks to a clean plate. Keep the excess cream in your dish, and whisk an egg into it. Create a dry breading by pulsing pork rinds in a food processor until they’re ground to a fine crumb. Mix the pork rinds with paleo flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and pepper on a wide, clean plate.
Step 7

Fill a frying pan with avocado oil until it’s about 1 ½-inches full. Again, this is more than the amount of oil listed in your ingredients, but you will not consume the excess. Heat the oil on medium-high heat for frying. Once the oil is hot, one by one, dip a drumstick in the egg and cream mixture, let the excess drip off, and roll in the pork rind breading until the drumstick is completely coated. Place the drumsticks in the hot frying oil to begin cooking.
Step 8

Cook the drumsticks for about 2-3 minutes per side in the oil, rotating the drumsticks onto 4 sides each. Use a meat thermometer to check for an internal temperature of 165 degrees in the thickest parts of the flesh to know the drumsticks are done cooking. You can adjust the heat of the frying oil throughout the cooking process to avoid burning the outside, but expect the pork rinds to darken significantly. Transfer all cooked drumsticks to a paper towel to drain and cool. Serve 1 drumstick with 1 slice of baked macaroni per person.