Drumette vs. drumstick: What’s the deal? Finding the correct answer to this tricky question seems challenging since both are similar in appearance, making them indistinguishable. You can find it easier after reading the in-depth information in this post.
Have you ever wondered if a drumette is a baby chicken’s drumstick? If yes, you are not alone. Though they are distinctive parts of a chicken, many may get in trouble telling them apart. Why don’t you keep reading this post to find out their differences and more?
What Is A Drumette?
I’m sure you have found or even eaten drumettes several times, but do you truly know what they are and why people call them drumettes? Let this article unite your knot.
Linguistically speaking, in the English language, the suffix -ette indicates a smaller version of something, and drumettes’ appearance looks more like a drum. Therefore, you can get the idea that a drumette is simply a tinier version of a drumstick.
However, it is the upper part of the chicken wing, attaching the wing to the chicken’s body. This tasty part contains a higher dark meat ratio compared to other wings. You can use drumettes in various recipes, including deep-frying and grilling.
What Is A Drumstick?
Drumsticks are another story. Along with the thigh, it forms the lower part of the chicken leg. To be more specific, a drumstick connects the bird’s thigh and foot.
The meatiest part of the chicken legs, a drumstick, contains a high dark meat ratio and fat content compared to other chicken pieces. They can do their jobs as incredible ingredients in various recipes, such as deep-frying, frilling, and broiling.
Critical Differences Between Drumettes And Drumsticks
As promised, I will provide in-depth information about the vital features of drumettes and drumsticks in this section. Therefore, give this complete comparison a thorough read, and you will no longer get confused when distinguishing the two chicken parts.
Amount Of Meat
Because they are different cuts of chicken, their amount of meat is unequal. Though known as mini drumsticks because of their slightly similar shape, drumettes have less flesh than their counterparts.
If you have a penchant for something a little bit meatier, you can opt for drumsticks and vice versa.
If you want to eat boneless drumsticks, learn how to debone them with a few simple steps here.
Location
One of the most striking differences between drumettes and drumsticks lies in where they are located in a chicken. Let’s dig deep into their distinctive locations.
Drumettes
Some of you may consider drumettes the same as chicken wings, but that’s not true. If you take a closer look at a chicken wing, you can see that it includes three main elements, one of which is the drumette.
The wingtip or flapper at the top has mostly bones. Moving to the middle part, you can see the wingette or the flat with a little meat. Last comes the drumette, the bottom part of a chicken wing.
A drumette looks more like a mini drumstick. It helps connect to the chicken’s body and is also the meatiest part of the wing.
Drumsticks
Some wrongly claim that drumsticks are the thighs of the chicken. The drumsticks are located between the bird’s thighs and feet. Generally, a chicken leg comes in two parts: the thigh and the drumstick. The former is at the top of the chicken leg, while the latter is exactly the chicken’s calf.
You can get the drumsticks out of a whole chicken leg by cutting through the joint between the femur (the thigh bone) and the tibia (the shinbone holding the drumstick). People usually sell drumsticks that include both skin and bone.
Flavor
Another essential feature that distinguishes drumettes from drumsticks is their taste. Although these two types belong to chicken, they have slightly distinct flavors. Let’s cook them and see what they feel like
Drumettes include dark meat, which has a richer, more distinctive flavor than white meat. Moreover, they are milder in flavor than regular drumsticks.
By contrast, drumsticks are among the juiciest cuts of chicken. They taste better and are stronger than drumettes, thanks to having more muscles. When cooked, the skin of the drumsticks will usually be crispy and beautifully colored.
Shape
A drumette is similar in shape to a chicken drumstick but is only half the size. In particular, the drumette is connected with cartilage and ligaments so that you can digest the whole piece of meat, creating a unique crispy and chewy texture.
Let’s talk more about the shape: a drumette has one thick and rounded end with lots of flesh and then tapering down to another thinner and less fleshy end.
Conversely, a drumstick appears to have a stick-like appearance, with a long thin bone covered by meat. You can consider it the low part of a chicken’s leg.
Availability
Because drumsticks have more meat, people usually use them to make various delicious and nutritious dishes. Therefore, they are more ubiquitous than drumettes. What’s more, people rarely sell drumettes separately: they only sell whole chicken wings instead.
Therefore, if you want to cook something with drumettes, you have to know how to split them properly from the wings, which takes a lot of time and effort. By contrast, fresh drumsticks are packaged and sold in any supermarket and store.
You can easily find and choose the best delicious pieces of drumsticks and bring them home to make fantastic meals.
Cooking Method
The different features in the texture lead to distinct cooking methods for these two parts of chickens.
Whilst you can cook both in the same way since they’re both chicken meat, many assume that drumettes will do their job better in baking and grilling. Conversely, drumsticks are more suitable for slow cooking and frying because they contain more flesh than drumettes.
There is a massive gap between the prices of chicken wings and drumsticks. Most people usually prefer them over drumsticks and demand many more wings for their meals, which makes the supply unable to follow.
Specifically, chicken wings have less meat, and when you want to serve them as a main meal for many people, you need to buy lots of them.
Nutritional Values Of Drumsticks And Drumettes
Drumettes and drumsticks are among the most nutritious chicken cuts. Although they are different parts of a chicken, they share some similarities in health benefits.
Thanks to their rich sources of essential vitamins and proteins, both are ideal for those who want to gain muscle or weight. Additionally, they possess an ample amount of calcium and iron, which can promote healthy and strong bones.
Of course, drumsticks and drumsticks are still meat, and overeating them can lead to the same health problems as red meat. These can include heart diseases, high bad cholesterol levels, cancer, and other chronic diseases.(1)
However, you can skin chicken drumsticks and wings to reduce their amount of saturated fats.
Are Drumsticks Healthier Than Drumettes?
That depends on many factors. Although drumsticks and wings have largely similar nutrition profiles, drumsticks are richer in protein than wings, which are suitable for those who want to build their body.
Still, drumsticks have more calories and saturated fats than wings (2). If you opt for drumsticks for your diet, you can remove the skin to make them healthier.
In addition, don’t downplay the role of cooking. Many methods, such as frying and roasting, significantly increase the amount of bad fats or cause losses of nutrients. By contrast, baked and boiled foods are considered very wholesome.
Removing the skin before eating is ideal for those who want to limit fat consumption.
How Can Get The Drumette Out Of The Wing
Most people just sell whole chicken wings, so you need to learn how to cut drumettes properly if you want to eat these parts only. The process is very effortless within a few minutes if you follow the steps below.
Step 1: Find The Drumette
Turn the entire chicken wing over so the skin part is down and the joints are visible. Find the first ridge between the drumette and wingette portions with your fingers.
Step 2: Cut The Drumette
Set a sharp knife next to the ridge and parallel to the drumettes’ long axis. Cut through it cleanly. In case you can’t, move your knife a bit until you don’t encounter as much resistance.
Step 3: Remove The Wingette And The Wingtip
Locate the second ridge between the wingette and the tip. Cut through the joint to separate the two pieces.
You can practice cutting chicken wings to get your perfect drumettes easily.
Outstanding Drumette And Drumstick Recipes To Try At Home
It’s time you showed off your cooking skills with loved ones. You can cook many tasty dishes with drumettes and drumsticks. Now I would like to share the top four delicious and easy-to-make recipes with you.
Sticky Sweet Chili Sauce Drumettes
You should put this on your go-to list if you are a spicy food lover. This dish is a beautiful blend of drumettes’ fatty flavor with the heat of chili sauce. With just a few simple steps and easy-to-find ingredients, you can make an irresistible dish to enjoy.
Asian-Jerk Chicken Drumettes
Pay attention to this recipe if you like rich, spicy food. In general, jerk chicken is a cooking style in which you marinate meat with a spicy mixture of spices. The burst of flavor of garlic, salt, cinnamon, scallions, and chili will please you from the first bite.
Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
Buffalo chicken drumstick is one of the most popular dishes with this ingredient. The juicy chicken drumsticks are covered with a signature sauce, the perfect combination of rich butter and spicy chili. But in case you cook this for children, add little or no chili.
You can learn how to make this wonderful Buffalo chicken drumstick recipe and practice making them at home.
Crock-Pot Chicken Drumsticks
You don’t need a lot of fancy ingredients to make a great dinner. Leave all hassle behind and welcome this simple Crock-Pot recipe!
You can cook this chicken dinner by combining some delicious oil and spice. After a few hours of slow cooking, you will have juicy, yummy, and perfectly cooked chicken drumsticks. It will be a meal that both kids and adults really like.
FAQs
It is a pity I cannot cover all the helpful information about drumettes and drumsticks. Therefore, I will give you some additional answers to frequently asked questions to make sure that you are equipped with fulfilled knowledge.
Drumette And Drumstick Are All Delicious
How do you feel about drumettes and drumsticks after reading all the in-depth information above? I believe that after gaining such helpful knowledge, you will be more confident when choosing either of them. If you are still confused, why don’t you choose both of them?
Please write what you think about the amazing article in the comment section. It would be better if you could like and share this post with others so that everyone will know how to enjoy chicken better.
References
- Is red meat bad for you? Benefits, risks, research, and Guidelines (no date) Medical News Today. MediLexicon International.
- Groves, M. (2018) How many calories in chicken? Breast, thigh, wing, and more, Healthline. Healthline Media.
