What do you get when you cross a chicken drumstick with a pizza? I’m not great at jokes, but thankfully I’m better at coming up with recipes, butterflied chicken drumsticks have become a bit of a thing on BBC social media over the last couple of years. I felt that the butterflied flattened chicken drumstick was a perfect mini “pizza” base with a built-in handle.

Ingredients

4 chicken drumsticks, 2 per person

 Coarse sea salt and coarse ground black pepper

 1 tsp dried mixed herbs

 4 tsp tomato puree

 60g grated mozzarella

 4 slices pepperoni

Method

1. Set your BBQ up for moderate heat, direct lid-down cooking, approximately 160-180°C.

2. Take your chicken drumsticks, and using a small sharp knife butterfly out the thick meaty part of the drumsticks, cutting through the skin, and into the meat, butterflying the meat out but keeping the bone in and attached. 

3. Lightly season both sides of the chicken drumsticks with a pinch each of the salt, pepper and mixed herbs. 

4. I added a small handful of cherry wood chips to the coals, to give a subtle sweet smoke, and then placed the seasoned chicken drumsticks on the grill skin side down for around 20 minutes until the skin was crispy. Then I turned the drumsticks to give the meat side some heat for 10 minutes. Ensure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 74°C.

5. Top the meat side of each drumstick with 1 tsp tomato puree, spread this around with the spoon, then top generously with mozzarella and a slice of pepperoni. Place the drumsticks back on the grill with the lid down and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese melts.

6. Enjoy these with a fresh green salad.