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Masala Chicken Legs Recipe

Austin Hopley, head chef at Bombay Brew in Rochdale town centre, gives us his favourite
recipe for a very easy, super tasty North Indian-inspired chicken leg curry.

If you and your diners are not too keen on meat with bones, you can substitute legs for boneless
chicken thighs. I highly recommend dark chicken meat so you do not lose any of that lovely
moisture (plus it is usually a bit cheaper).

If you follow the recipe, you should end up with a medium curry but you can make it hotter by
using sriracha instead of chilli paste and bird’s eye chillies instead of green chillies.
Preparation:
You can use paneer or jackfruit instead of chicken for a veggie or vegan version of this dish.

Firstly, you are going to need at least two hours’ marinating time for the best results.
Marinade: Curry sauce base:
In a mixing bowl, add all of the marinade ingredients, except the chicken legs (or your chosen
• 4 skin-on bone-in chicken legs • 5 tablespoons of neutral oil (like alternative), into a bowl and mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. You may taste your
(slightly score with a knife to help the rapeseed or sunflower oil) marinade to check the seasoning before you add the raw chicken. If you desire, you can always add
marinade seep in a little more) • 4 green chillies - thinly sliced (bird’s eye a little more salt.
or 400g of paneer chilli - if you can handle the heat)
or 2 cans of jackfruit (drained) Reserve one sliced chilli to garnish
• 1 tablespoon of sea salt • 1 tablespoon of a good chilli paste Once you are happy with your marinade, you can then add your chicken legs (or your chosen
• The zest and juice of one lemon (can substitute for sriracha) alternative) and carefully massage the marinade in. Cover your mixing bowl with cling film and pop
• 1 tablespoon of a good chilli paste • 1 white onion - thinly sliced it into the fridge for at least two hours or overnight; the longer you leave it, the better. I prefer to
(can substitute for sriracha - Flying Goose • 4 garlic cloves - crushed leave my marinade overnight. That makes this dish perfect to prepare ahead of a busy day.
brand is my favourite) • 2 inches of ginger - sliced very thinly
• 2 garlic cloves - thinly sliced • 1 tablespoon of tomato puree Method:
• 1 tablespoon of minced coriander • 1-2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons of natural yoghurt • 4 fresh tomatoes - quartered Get all of your ingredients ready to throw into the pan. This not only speeds up your cooking
• 1 bunch of coriander - leaves and stalks process, but helps keep the kitchen a little tidier too.
Whole spices: separated and both finely minced
(reserve 1 tablespoon for the chicken
• 2 teaspoons of mustard seeds marinade, and some whole coriander To start your masala sauce, heat five tablespoons of oil to a medium heat. Once your oil is heated,
• 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds leaves to garnish) throw in your whole spices.
• 2 teaspoons of whole cumin seeds • 200ml of water
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt Once the mustard seeds are starting to pop around in the oil, add your prepared green
Ground spices: chillies, chilli paste, white onion, crushed garlic and ginger to the pan. You are looking to add a
little colour to your onions, but not too much. This should take four/five minutes cooking time.
• 2 tablespoons of garam masala
• 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri chilli powder Once your onions are golden brown, add your tomato puree. You need to cook your paste down
for two/three minutes. I find adding one or two tablespoons of granulated sugar helps take the
tartness away from the concentrated paste.

Now it’s time for the rest of your ingredients. Arrange your chicken legs (or your chosen
alternative) into the pan along with your fresh tomatoes, coriander stalks and ground spices. Give
the new ingredients a toss around in the pan and add 200ml of cold water and a teaspoon of sea
salt. Cover your pan with a lid, pop your feet up and check back on it in 20-25 minutes.

Your new favourite curry should now be ready. You can always add a little more salt if you desire,
and a splash of yoghurt to tone down the spice. I like to serve with brown rice and garnish with
some fresh coriander and a little extra chopped green chilli.
29 REAL ROCHDALE - SPRING 2020