Crispy Cornflake Chicken

In a large mixing bowl combine the buttermilk with the garlic, ½ tsp smoked paprika and a pinch of cayenne. Add the chicken drumsticks, season with salt and pepper and stir to coat them in the buttermilk mixture. Cover and marinade in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

Once the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and line two large, low sided oven trays with baking paper. Alternatively, preheat an air fryer to 200°C.

Add the cornflakes to a mixing bowl and roughly crush using the back of a rolling pin – there should still be some bigger pieces of the cornflakes to provide texture. Stir through the remaining cayenne, 2 tsp paprika, onion granules and oregano and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer to a large plate.

Lift 1 chicken drumstick out of the bowl at a time, allowing the excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl, then lay in the cornflake mixture and turn to coat each one evenly. Transfer this to your lined baking trays, or your air fryer basket, and repeat with the remaining drumsticks and cornflake mixture, sprinkling over any excess. Make sure the chicken pieces are well spaced out. If you can’t fit all the drumsticks in your air fryer, set half aside and cook them in two batches.

Cover each piece of chicken with about 3 sprays of the sunflower oil. Bake in the oven for 1 hr, covering loosely with foil after 20 mins if they start to darken. If using an air fryer, cook your cornflake chicken for 50 mins, carefully turning the drumsticks over halfway through the cooking time. To ensure the chicken is ready to eat, the juices should run clear when the thickest part of the drumstick is pierced with a skewer. If you are cooking the chicken in the air fryer in stages, keep the first batch warm in a low oven while the second batch cooks.

Serve the chicken straight away with the coleslaw and gherkins, if you like.