750 gms chicken legs ( I do not remove the skin since it keeps the chicken moist inside)

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tsp khus khus / poppy seed

2 tsp salt (or to taste)

6 stalks of green coriander

6 peppercorns – crushed

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp cumin / jeera powder

1/2 tsp turmeric / haldi powder

2-3 cloves – powdered

juice of 1 lime – approx. 2 tbsp

The day before

Clean & wash the chicken. Make 2-3 slits in each piece of chicken. Apply the salt and leave aside.

Grind the rest of the ingredients in a food processor using 1-2 tbsp of water as needed.

Apply the paste to the chicken. Covered the dish with cling film and leave in the fridge.

Putting it together

Start with getting the chicken out of the fridge. The chicken should not be fridge cold when putting it into the oven.

Heat the oven to 170C – top & bottom heat. Choose a wide oven tray and line it with aluminium foil. Drizzle a few drops of cooking oil on the foil and spread to oil the tray.

Arrange the pieces of chicken on the foil keeping the skin side up. Leave a little space between the pieces to allow maximum heat to reach the chicken. Cook in the oven for 75 mins at 170C.

You can cook this on a frying pan or on the grill but I find that using an oven is easier. You can control the temperature a lot better and there is less cleaning up to do after the cooking. 🙂

Serve with wedges of lime and some bread to mop up the cooking liquids.