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Monday, 28 May 2018

#ewew cooks Spice-Rubbed Roasted Chicken Leg

I'd love to 'own' many bottles of seasoning as we can do wonders with them.  But I don't cook that often, so investing in too many bottles of seasoning would be a waste of money as they'd expire before I can fully make use of them (and I'm talking from experience here).

Of all the seasonings, I thought smoked paprika and cayenne pepper would be the most versatile in cooking. I've since put the smoked paprika and cayenne pepper to good use in many recipes like when I made deviled eggs, with chicken fillets when I make pasta salads and even in flavoured bacon.

Now, I want to utilise both the seasonings further by making Spice-Rubbed Roasted Chicken Leg, especially after seeing phonghongbakes using those spices very often in her cooking of chicken.

Marinade for 2 chicken legs:
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
(you can increase the amount of seasoning if you like deeper flavours)

After marination, put it back into the fridge to let the flavours develop and 'get to know one another'.  I usually marinade it in the morning (or by lunch time at the latest) if I intend to make it for dinner.  I also like to leave it in the fridge uncovered as this helps to dry out the chicken for a crispier skin when baked.

Take it out at least half an hour before cook time to let the chicken come to room temperature (this will give rise to a crispier skin as well).

Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes.  Once it turns a nice golden colour, it's ready.  Look at those lovely pan juices...don't waste it, spoon it over your chicken! ^.^

If you want a 'carb-less' meal, then it's most ideal to serve it with some roasted vegetables.  I chose cauliflower and broccoli.  I seasoned the vegetables with salt and freshly cracked black pepper, drizzled olive oil over it and threw in some minced garlic as well.

I roasted the vegetables together with the chicken as they'll cook (and brown) in the same time as and when the chicken is done.

Roasted cauliflower and broccoli is not only one of the healthiest side you can make to pair with your protein, it's very tasty too.

I love the taste of this flavourful chicken leg, the skin was fragrant, savoury and crisp (coz the seasoning is somewhat of a dry rub), with a hint of spiciness, while the meat was tender and juicy.  I especially enjoyed the smoky flavour from the smoked paprika. ^o^

If you like more robust flavours, you can certainly add more seasoning (other than salt, of course) to spice up the flavours even more....it's entirely up to you to tweak to your liking.

I've seen recipes using twice the amount of seasoning (some even more) but you'll have to try that on your own accord to see how intense you like the flavours to be.  For me, I'm happy with the amount of seasoning I used.

Sometimes I would have this roasted chicken with just some packaged salad leaves.  Ah, that's where the pan juices come in....drizzled over the salad leaves as a dressing...hehe! ;)

At times, I'd even roast an extra chicken leg for my salad the next day.  Just remove the meat and skin from the chicken and store it (skin on top, meat at the bottom) in a heatproof glass container in the fridge.

To make my salad the next day, all I need to do is to stick the glass container into my toaster oven to reheat. Putting the skin on top of the shredded chicken allows the skin to crisp up nicely when reheated.

After that, just toss the reheated chicken with some salad leaves of your choice and you can have yourself a nice, healthy, delicious homemade salad.

And if you happen to have some bacon.....hey, why not! :P

The best thing about this roast chicken is that I can make it anytime since the bottles of seasoning are conveniently available at my disposal.

You know what.....this is now my favourite roast chicken I've made todate...in terms of taste + it looks pretty presentable too, don't you think?

This Spice-Rubbed Roasted Chicken Leg is so easy to assemble coz all you need is to invest in just three bottles of seasoning (and they're so versatile you can use them in many other recipes too).  Give this one a go, I think you'll like it! ^_~

10 comments:

  1. That does look good and I like your pretty dotted plates.

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    1. Why, thank you....they do look very colourful, don't they? :)

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  2. Oh yes, this is wonderful! Spiced roasted plump and juicy chicken legs. Very good idea that you separated the meat from the bones for you salad the next day. It does save a lot of time. Looks like there is no chance for your spices to expire hee..hee...

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    1. Hopefully not! ;) Eating salads, besides being healthy, is all about ease of preparation, with minimal cooking and washing, and all prepped and ready to go :)

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  3. your recipes make me feel like buying some produce and kitchen equipment and getting to work immediately :D paprika is something i guess i'd totally recommend for a home chef too, for its versatility and ability to add an interesting dimension to virtually any dish, from chicken to beef to veggies! :) can you buy decent saffron at a reasonable price at local supermarkets? i'm wondering if that's something you could also experiment with someday!

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    1. Ooo, I'm not good enough a cook to dare try and experiment with saffron seeing that it's such an expensive spice, so I've never gone about looking for them in supermarkets (though I know they can be bought online from as little as RM50 to a couple of hundreds). Plus, I only know it's commonly used in paellas and risottos...neither of which I know how to cook...wuahahahaha! ;D

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  4. I love to eat cauliflower very-very much and my wife could not understand my tongue. LOL. Now you just gave me an idea how to make better salad with chicken meat and roast all my cauliflower! I have been eating them stir fried all my life or baked with cheese (by restaurants). TQ

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    1. I now practically roast all my veggies coz I enjoy the grilled flavour in them. Try roasting your beloved cauliflower at home and you'll forever realise how good they can be. Aiks, the main star was my chicken but you liked my supporting cast more...kekeke! ;P

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  5. I like dinner like this, hassle free and wholesome!

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    1. Yup, easy and fulfilling at the same time :)

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