Chicken Legs, a sensational spicy and tangy roast

Introduction to Spicy Baked Chicken

Looking for a hassle-free yet flavourful chicken recipe? These roasted chicken legs are your perfect solution for a tangy and spicy treat. This recipe is unique due to the combination of spices and the ease of preparation.

Chicken legs, especially drumsticks, are known for their juicy and flavourful meat. This recipe adds an amazing spice element which elevates ordinary chicken to something sensational to eat.

Roast chicken is a traditional recipe, however this recipe provides a twist on the traditional roast. The combination of spices used, elevates it from the standard roast chicken. This dish is particularly easy to cook and requires minimal preparation. The legs can be seasoned and cooked whole, making them an especially convenient option for weeknight dinners or casual meals.

Chicken legs are very reasonable to buy, so you won’t be breaking the bank with this dish. Another bonus in my book. The spice marinade really wows when you eat this chicken, it definitely will not taste like a cheap meal, but a very luxurious one.

How I came about my version of the Roasted Chicken Legs Recipe

On the birth of my youngest child, my friend kindly sent over food to our house. This is customary in Pakistani culture, to help the new mum. My dear friend also knew I had no family near by to help me on those long sleepless nights. I loved the chicken she sent over, for many reasons; the sentiment and the flavour! My friend gave me her recipe which I have now evolved and adapted over the years.

It is not often that I will use a ready made marinade, but this is one of the rare occasions I do use a peri-peri marinade. It just gives a different depth to the flavour which can’t be replicated. The Nando’s spice rub can be found at most large supermarkets.

This spicy baked chicken is now a staple at any family feast. They are always a sensational hit, I’m always asked for the recipe whenever I make them. Now you have it! They are so easy to make, you can pop the chicken in the oven to bake whilst you make your other dishes on the hob. If you do want more of a kick, add some chilli powder to the marinade. The recipe also scales up really well if you are having a large dinner party.

I use whole skinned chicken legs for this recipe, but you could just as easily use the marinade on chicken breast or chicken drumsticks. The dish makes a generous starter at any dinner party. Or you can make these legs for lunch/dinner; serve with chips or mash potato and salad. The marinade works really well for a barbeque in the summer too, make them with my kebabs.

I have even used this marinade on a whole chicken and used the excess sauce in the baking tray to make a complimenting gravy. When making the gravy, pour the marinade into a small sauce pan, add vegetable stock or chicken stock and some plain flour and mix through thoroughly. Then allow it to simmer down to a consistency you are happy with. Taste for salt and spice. You can add in anything extra to your taste.

Baked Chicken Legs: Tips for Success

I make this recipe with skinned chicken. It’s something we prefer as a family and I find the chicken absorbs the marinade better without the skin on.

I always make sure I wash any meat before cooking. Give the chicken a good wash and allow it to drain off in a colander or something similar. Then add all the remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Make sure the Nando’s marinade fully mixes through with the other ingredients and there are no clumps left.

I always use fresh garlic, I do find the flavour is better. However you could use garlic paste if you are short on time.

Then add the chicken to a large bowl and pour the marinade over, ensure that the marinade fully coats the chicken. You can use a basting brush to help you, or just use your hands to turn the chicken fully in the marinade, whatever you prefer.

I would then leave the chicken to marinate as long as possible in the fridge, ideally overnight and a minimum of 2 hours.

When you are ready to cook them, you can put them in trays to bake in the oven at 180C fan assisted heat. I cover the trays with foil, just to keep the chicken moist. As it is skinless, I want to reduce the chicken drying out.

Alternatively, you could shallow fry the chicken legs, you would need to do this in a frying pan on low heat, to make sure the chicken cooks through fully. Frying the chicken will you give a crispier chicken leg to eat.

If you wanted to vary the marinade, you could add some yoghurt or buttermilk to the marinade.

Easy Chicken Roast as a Ramadan starter

As the preparation is a matter of minutes, this is a perfect dish to make when you are tired and low on energy from fasting. The cooking itself is also minimal effort. The legs going in the oven leaves you free to do other things or just rest.

This dish is also great to prepare in advance of Ramadan, for example for some easy meals or as an iftari (meal to break the fast starter. The chicken you can freeze for up to three months. At the time you wish to cook them, allow them to thaw out in the fridge overnight. Then cook as per the recipe.

See my video on Instagram or TikTok to see how to make this dish!

Ingredients for Chicken Legs

Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Feeds 4-5 people

• 1kg whole chicken legs (approximately 5 whole chicken legs)
• 2 tablespoons soya sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons of finely chopped garlic
• 4 tablespoons of oil
• 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1.5 tablespoons of paprika
• 25 grams Nando’s peri-peri rub, medium spice

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients (except the chicken) and make a paste. Once mixed, then rub into the chicken and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight in an airtight container.

2. When ready to cook, pre heat the oven to 180 C fan assisted. Lay the chicken out comfortably in an oven tray, pour any excess marinade over the legs. Cover the trays with foil and cook for 30 minutes. Then turn the chicken over and recover with the foil for another 15-20 minutes (check the chicken is cooked through).

3. Then serve with finely chopped coriander. You can pour any excess marinade over the legs , depending on your preference of how saucy you would like the legs.