Good food doesn’t always have to have meat in it. If you are considering giving your chicken loving family a small break from meats,then illusion food is the right way to get them to fall in love with their veggies. I was toying with the idea of creating an illusion dish which would not only trick, but also appeal to the eyes and the palate. And when you are taking on a universal favorite like Chicken drumsticks, the look alike has to be really good. It had to not only look but taste delicious. That is how the idea of chicken less drumsticks was conceptualized.
The first time I made this dish, I did not use any veggies. I decided to go with two types of cheeses- Cottage and Processed. The result was extremely good. The crust was crunchy and the center was soft and flavorful. And yes… they did look like Chicken drumsticks. The second time around I substituted a part of cottage cheese with mashed potato and that turned out delicious as well. And if you are wondering what the bone substitute is…Well!! I used cumin flavored bread sticks. Of course you can try some other flavor like sesame,mint or oregano bread sticks. You can prepare them in advance if you are planning a party and just fry them before serving. If you want to try this tasty appetizer,make a note of the recipe.
Chili Cheese Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 200 g Paneer (Cottage Cheese)crumbled
- 2 Cheese cubes grated
- Salt to taste
- White pepper powder to taste
- 1 tsp. dried Oregano
- 1 green Chili chopped
- 2 tsp. Cilantro/Coriander leaves chopped fine
- 5 Bread sticks(slim ones) broken into two each
Step One
- Mix all the above ingredients except the bread sticks.
- Divide into 10 equal sized portions.
- Take one half of a bread stick and wrap the cheese mixture on one end shaping it gently within your palm so that it looks like a drumstick.
Ingredients for the breading station
- 1-2 cups fresh bread crumbs
- Flour for dusting
- Water in a cup
Step Two
- Dust the drumsticks with dry flour.
- Dip them one at a time in water. It shouldn’t take more than a second.
- Immediately roll in bread crumbs.
- Deep fry two or three at a time.
- Serve hot.
Aromas and Flavors from my Kitchen 
How very clever! They look good enough to scrape off the screen and pop into my mouth! ;->
Virtual hugs,
Judie
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Thank you Judie! I really wish such things could happen.Maybe some day they will. Sigh!! drool!!
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Perception plays…well done!!
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OMG I *LOVE* theseeee!!!
What a neat idea! I love the photography as well, absolutely stunning!
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Thanks dear!💖
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I love the idea of these, but my husband isn’t a massive cheese fan at all. Do you have any other ideas for a veggie version? It’s weird as I’ve just been talking about this with my colleague, about going veggie for a few days a week. We don’t realise just how much meat we eat until we actually look! 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by and liking the post. You can try a veggie version with mashed potatoes.Take chopped onions, carrots, capsicum and beans. In a pan put some oil and fry onions till pink, add the veggies and saute them till done. Add boiled and mashed potatoes, vegetables,season them with salt, paprika powder, cumin powder and some allspice powder. Soak a couple of bread slices in water for a few seconds. Squeeze out all the water and add to the potato mixture. Shape them into drumsticks and press them on the breadsticks. Dust with flour, give them an egg wash and roll in breadcrumbs. Deep-fry or airfry. Enjoy.
I am sure you will love this version just as well.
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These drumsticks sound so good!
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Thanks Nancy. They turned out really good.
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Me and my son both are cheese lover. This drumsticks recipe looks delicious. Going try this recipe.
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Thanks Punam. I am sure you both will enjoy the recipe.
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These look delish! What an amazing and creative idea
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Thank you so much😊
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They really look like chicken lollipops…I would have popped them in my mouth without asking. Lovely blog.
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Thanks for stopping by and for bthe kind words Smitha😊
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Looks delicious!
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