Smoked Chicken Drums Tandem 1.55 lbs

From the Balkan deli counter to your table — slow-smoked chicken drumsticks with a deeply golden crust, tender juicy meat, and that unmistakable Eastern European smokehouse character. Crafted by Tandem and ready to enjoy straight from the pack.

About These Smoked Chicken Drums

Smoked chicken drumsticks — known as pusheni pileshki butcheta in Bulgarian — have been a fixture of Eastern European deli counters, market stalls, and family tables for generations. The drumsticks are seasoned, then slow-smoked at low temperature using a traditional smokehouse method that produces a deeply penetrating smoke flavor, burnished golden-brown skin, and meat that stays remarkably moist and tender all the way to the bone.

Tandem produces these smoked chicken drums following the Eastern European tradition — the same method that made smoked poultry a beloved staple across Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, and the wider Balkan region. Each pack is 1.50 lbs of fully cooked, ready-to-eat drumsticks.

How to Enjoy Them

Serve cold straight from the refrigerator for a quick snack or picnic, or warm gently in the oven at 350°F for 10—12 minutes to revive the skin’s crispness. These drums pair beautifully with Bulgarian-style shopska salad, fresh bread, pickled vegetables, or a simple side of mustard and horseradish. They also pull cleanly off the bone and can be shredded into soups, pasta, or grain bowls for a fast weeknight meal with serious depth of flavor.

What Makes Them Special

Most mass-market smoked chicken relies on liquid smoke and high-heat processing that dries the meat out. Tandem’s approach is different — slow, low-temperature smoking that allows natural wood smoke to penetrate gradually, preserving the juiciness of the drumstick while building a genuinely smoky, complex flavor in the skin and outer meat layers. The result tastes like it came from a traditional smokehouse, not a factory production line.

Quick Facts

✓  Product type: Smoked chicken drumsticks (fully cooked, ready to eat)
✓  Meat: Chicken — bone-in drumstick
✓  Process: Slow-smoked using the Eastern European smokehouse tradition
✓  Serving: Ready to eat cold or warmed
✓  Brand: Tandem
✓  Weight: 1.50 lbs
✓  SKU: TM272
✓  Items per case: 10-20

Balkan Serving Tip

In Bulgaria, smoked chicken legs are the ultimate quick meal — pulled from the deli counter, wrapped in paper, and eaten at the park or at the kitchen table with a few slices of crusty bread and a bowl of tarator (cold yogurt and cucumber soup). For a proper spread, arrange the drums on a board alongside Lukanka Trapezica and a wedge of Bulgarian kashkaval — the smokiness of the chicken plays beautifully against the spice of the cured meats.

Pairs perfectly with: Bulgarian Cow Kashkaval (SKU: CKY 450cow), Lukanka Trapezica (SKU: TM364), and Filet Elena by Tandem (SKU: TM31) for a mixed Balkan meat platter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the smoked chicken drums fully cooked?

Yes — these drumsticks are fully cooked during the smoking process and are ready to eat straight from the pack. No additional cooking is required, though warming them in the oven for 10—12 minutes at 350°F will refresh the skin’s texture and amplify the smoky aroma.

How should I store smoked chicken drumsticks?

Keep refrigerated at all times. Once opened, consume within 3—4 days for best quality. If you wish to extend shelf life, the drumsticks can be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months — thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

What kind of wood smoke is used?

Specific wood type information is not listed on the product packaging. Eastern European smokehouse tradition most commonly uses beech, alder, or apple wood for poultry, which produce a mild to medium smoke character without bitterness. Contact Malincho at [email protected] or 1-866-203-3525 if you need precise ingredient or allergen information.

Can I use these in recipes, or are they only for serving whole?

These drums work excellently in recipes. The meat pulls off the bone easily once warmed and can be shredded into smoked chicken soup, bean stew, pasta, rice dishes, or tacos. The smokiness adds a depth of flavor that is nearly impossible to replicate with unsmoked chicken, making even a simple weeknight soup taste like it has been cooking for hours.

How many drumsticks are in a 1.55 lb pack?

The exact count varies slightly by the natural size of the individual drumsticks, but a 1.50 lb pack typically contains 4—6 drumsticks. Each piece is a whole chicken drumstick with bone and skin intact.

How do these compare to store-bought smoked chicken?

Most supermarket smoked chicken is processed using liquid smoke injection and rapid high-heat cooking, which produces a flat, one-dimensional smoke flavor and often results in drier meat. Tandem’s approach follows the Eastern European slow-smoking tradition — lower temperature, longer smoking time — which produces a fuller, more layered smoke flavor and noticeably juicier meat. If you grew up eating smoked chicken from a Bulgarian or Eastern European deli, this is the flavor you remember.