Easy Roast Chicken Legs with Indian Spice Rub

Roast chicken legs with fragrant Indian spices and a good whack of heat are a wonderfully quick and easy centrepiece for a mid-week dinner.

Cooking this dish could not be easier. Throw some spices in a bag along with the chicken to marinate, then slice some onions and throw them all in the oven. 35 minutes later, your chicken is done!

Indian Inspired Baked Chicken Legs

Roasting chicken in the middle of the week may sound like a bit of a chore. But these Indian spiced baked chicken legs demonstrate that with 5 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking, it is perfectly possible.

This sort of thing forms a part of regular dinners at "Casa Krumpli".

Whether it is my zaatar chicken legs, Chinese soy sauce braised chicken, char siu chicken legs, roast chicken legs with lemon, garlic and thyme, chicken musakhan or my kimchi chicken leg bake, we eat them all of the time.

Chicken legs are cheap to buy and full of flavour. This means that you can really go to town with spice and still taste the chicken!

In many ways, I guess you could call this a cheat's tandoori chicken.

It lacks the complexity of flavour of a true Tandoori chicken, but it is a wonderful, quick-fix Indian-inspired dinner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I scale up this recipe?

Yes, absolutely, throw as many chicken legs in as you like; it does not have an impact on the cooking time unless you overcrowd the pan.

Can I add the marinade to a whole chicken?

Absolutely, I would triple the amounts, then rub the marinade all over the chicken, including in the cavity and then let it marinade for as long as possible.

Then roast the chicken in the oven for 40 minutes per kilo plus 20 minutes (at 180°C or 350°F), which works out to be around 18 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes.

I usually test multiple parts of the chicken with a quick-read meat thermometer and remove the chicken at 63°C or 145°F. Then cover with foil and rest for 20 minutes.

It will continue cooking and reach a safe temperature of 73°C or 165°F during this time.

Can I cook this in an air fryer?

Yes, but spray the basket with release spray before adding the chicken.

Cook at 180°C or 350°F for 23-27 minutes, testing the temperature with a quick-read meat thermometer.

Can I cook this in advance?

Yes, this chicken will store well in the fridge for a couple of days and can be eaten as a cold cut or in a sandwich.

If you are reheating, ensure that it is piping hot all of the way through before serving!

Serving Suggestions

My Indian spiced roast chicken legs are pictured here, served with my roast Bombay potatoes recipe.

It makes for a great Indian traybake meal and takes very little time, just cook the potatoes for a further 5 minutes and bish bash bosh, a complete dinner.

They are also superb with masala chips as well as with my aloo methi recipe!

When it comes to a sauce, I like to serve it with my mint raita (sans cucumber), but a nice tart and spicy tamarind sauce works well too.

They also work really well with both my mung bean salad and chole chickpea curry recipe.

I have even been known to shred down the chicken and fork it through that salad and take it on picnics. Not to mention the fact that it is an incredible sandwich filling!

Equipment Used

I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Oven.
• A baking tray large enough to hold the chicken legs.
• A bag or Tupperware box to marinate the chicken.
• Kitchen knife.
• Chopping board.
• Measuring cups.
• Quick-read meat thermometer, optional, but I swear by mine.