With leftover chard stems and potato salad in the fridge, the choice of protein was yesterday’s question. Answer: a bag of chicken legs in the freezer. So they got thawed and then brined for about 3 hours. I decided on a way to cook them that was novel for me: on the stovetop grill with Indian spices. The package of garam masala from Savory Spice indicated that it is considered a “finishing” spice. So be it. It went on at the end.
Indian-spiced chicken drumsticks
9 drumsticks, skin on
olive oil
ground cumin
black pepper
garam masala
Brine the chicken for 2-3 hours in 3 cups water in which 3 tbsp kosher salt have been dissolved. Rinse and dry.
Cut a ½” deep slit in each side of each leg through the thickest part of the meat. Brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle a couple pinches cumin in the slits and over the legs.
Heat the stovetop grill. Our front and back burners (electric) are different sizes. So I set the front at 5 and the rear at 6. That seems to give me fairly even heat.
Spray the grill with cooking spray. Cook the chicken, turning often, for 30 minutes (if you’re starting at room temperature – highly recommended), or until juices next to the bone are no longer red or pink. After the legs are browned all over, cover them loosely with foil. Apply garam masala when 5 minutes cooking time remains. Let the legs rest for 5 minutes before serving (tented with foil).
Indian-spiced chicken drumsticks
9 drumsticks, skin on
olive oil
ground cumin
black pepper
garam masala
Brine the chicken for 2-3 hours in 3 cups water in which 3 tbsp kosher salt have been dissolved. Rinse and dry.
Cut a ½” deep slit in each side of each leg through the thickest part of the meat. Brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle a couple pinches cumin in the slits and over the legs.
Heat the stovetop grill. Our front and back burners (electric) are different sizes. So I set the front at 5 and the rear at 6. That seems to give me fairly even heat.
Spray the grill with cooking spray. Cook the chicken, turning often, for 30 minutes (if you’re starting at room temperature – highly recommended), or until juices next to the bone are no longer red or pink. After the legs are browned all over, cover them loosely with foil. Apply garam masala when 5 minutes cooking time remains. Let the legs rest for 5 minutes before serving (tented with foil).
This looks delicious Stephen. I love the use of garahm masala as a finishing spice. I'll give this a try next time I'm making Indian food!
ReplyDeleteGreat chicken legs, and the flavors you have here really awesome. Thank you for posting this recipe, I'm just glad that I have the ingredients on hand, now I know what to cook for tomorrow's dinner.
ReplyDeleteOooh! This looked stress-free and delicious!
ReplyDeleteSimple and tasty, just what I like!
ReplyDelete