Spicy Chicken Drumsticks

This dish is a cult favourite in our household so I thought I’d share the secret to creating the perfect marinate for chicken drumsticks. The key is adding in some yoghurt – yes that’s right! You’re probably thinking “but this will make it taste more sour as opposed to spicy??”, but in actual fact the mass of the spices will drown out the taste of the yoghurt. 

The yoghurt is there to act as a glue and adds moisture to all of your dry spices, enabling them to marinate into the meat better and make it more juicy. It also helps coat the chicken drumsticks more evenly so you can really taste the flavour once they have cooked. 

This method is super easy and can be batch cooked for a gathering etc and is a perfect starter for a dinner party, or even as a main!

INGREDIENTS:

• 10 chicken legs (approx. 1kg)

• 3 tbsp greek style yoghurt OR natural set yoghurt

• 1 tbsp garlic finely chopped

• 1 tbsp ginger finely chopped

• 1 tbsp green and red chillies finely chopped

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp red chilli powder

• 1/3 tsp turmeric

• 1/3 tsp garam masala

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (180 degrees fan)

2. Place the chicken drumsticks in a bowl then add all of the above ingredients.

3. If you are able to, wear some disposable gloves for this next part: Using your hands rub in and evenly coat the drumsticks in all of the ingredients.

4. Using a knife, pierce some holes into the flesh of the drumsticks then rub the marinade in some more.

5. Once the drumsticks are evenly coated, lay out into a glass dish or casserole dish and cover with foil. Pierce the foil with a knife to create some ventilation holes then place in the oven for 1 hour, ensuring to turn the legs half way through.

6. After 1 hour, remove the foil and place in the oven for a further 15-20 minutes to allow the outside to crisp a little.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

TIP: You can cook however many you want and freeze the rest for another day!