One of my goals for 2016 is to fine tune and share more of my own recipes with you. I hope to do so weekly...but we all now how life goes. As my mom says, "Sometimes life just gets all lifey." My intentions are grand, though. Today I will be sharing my recipes for Curry Spiced Chicken Legs and a very easy and versatile Rice Pilaf. I hope you get a chance to try these recipes out and enjoy them, as well!
This dinner recipe combination of chicken, rice pilaf and corn came to $1.87 per serving for 6 people. Each serving consisted of 2 chicken legs, 1 cup of rice pilaf and 1/3 cup of corn. Very budget friendly. Full recipes to follow the photo instructions.
Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with foil. I use an oven-safe baking/cooling rack and place it on the covered baking sheet. This allows the chicken legs to cook evenly all the way around without the need to turn them over during cooking. I spray the baking rack with non-stick cooking spray and preheat oven to 400°.
I purchased a jumbo pack of chicken legs (12 count) for $4.46. Yay!
A little trick that I learned while watching the Food Network for perfectly plump, juicy, easy to eat chicken legs...Using a sharp knife, cut around the base of the chicken leg down to the bone all the way around. (See photo above) This has been a great technique in my home. The meat bites off much easier, especially for my children. Also, all of the little tendons and such stay out of the bites. I find that the kids eat much more of their chicken this way.
Mix all of the spices in a bowl thoroughly. This recipe will yield about a 1/2 cup of rub.
Working with 6 chicken legs at a time, place them in a gallon sized zip lock bag. Drizzle with half of the olive oil, seal and "squish" the oil all over the chicken. Next, add 1/4 cup of the rub, seal again and then shake, squish, and incorporate the spices evenly onto the chicken legs. Place the seasoned chicken onto the prepared baking sheet/rack. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
Bake the chicken in a 400° oven for 35-40 minutes or to an internal temperature of 185°.
Look how plump, juicy and delicious they are! Not that you can actually taste or smell them through the screen or anything. That would be a neat trick....
While the chicken is baking you could start the rice pilaf. The great thing about this rice pilaf is it's versatility. This recipe is very basic and compares to a "Rice-A-Roni" type of dish. I much prefer this home-made version for both taste and budget friendliness. I used chicken broth in mine but you can use any broth you choose: vegetable, beef, etc. You could omit the vegetables for picky eaters or add in alternates to your liking. If you really want to make this dish sing you could even add toasted almond slivers when you fluff the rice before serving for a little crunch or garnish with diced green onions. The possibilities are endless.
In a large skillet with a tight fitting lid, add the butter, onion, bell pepper, orzo and minced garlic. I like to season with cracked pepper at this point. Cook on medium-high heat until the orzo is lightly browned.
Never worked with orzo and wondering what it is? Orzo is a small rice-shaped pasta. Yummy.
Once the orzo is browned, add the rice and stir well, completely coating the rice with the flavors of the pan. My rice preference is always jasmine rice but any dry white rice will do. Except minute rice...don't use that. Ha!
Add the broth and parsley, stir well and heat on high until boiling. Once it boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover undisturbed for 18-20 minutes.
When done, fluff with a fork and it is ready to serve.
When prepared along with the chicken legs, these two dishes would be done right around the same time. During the last five minutes or so of the rice cooking time I microwaved the frozen corn with a little water, butter, salt and pepper. Voila! Dinner is served. Give these a try and let me know how it goes.
Curry Spiced Chicken Legs
Ingredients:
12 chicken legs
4 T olive oil
Rub:
2 T brown sugar
1 1/2 T salt
1 T curry powder
1 T paprika
1 T garlic powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with foil and place baking/cooling rack on top. Set aside.
2. Cut each drumstick around the base of the leg all the way down to the bone.
3. In a bowl combine all of the rub ingredients and mix thoroughly.
4. Working with 6 chicken legs at a time, place them into a gallon sized zip lock bag and drizzle with 2 T of the olive oil. Seal and rub the olive oil to coat the chicken.
5. Add 1/4 cup of the rub to the chicken legs in the bag, seal and shake well covering the drumsticks completely with seasoning.
6. Repeat with the next 6 chicken legs and place all of the chicken legs onto the prepared baking rack.
7. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 185°.
* Note: This would work well for chicken wings, too! You could even slow cook them in a crock pot all day and then broil them for 5-10 minutes to get them nice and crispy! Mmm!
Rice Pilaf Recipe
Ingredients:
1 C orzo pasta
1 C jasmine rice (or white rice of choice)
4 C chicken broth (or broth of choice)
3 T butter
1 medium onion
1/2 a bell pepper (color of choice)
1-2 T minced garlic
1 T parsley flakes
1. In a large skillet with a tight fitting lid add the butter, diced onion, diced bell pepper, orzo pasta and minced garlic. Cook on medium-high until orzo is lightly browned.
2. Add the rice and stir well, coating the rice in the flavors of the pan.
3. Add the broth and parsley, stir well and heat to boiling.
4. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 18-20 minutes undisturbed.
5. Fluff with a fork and it is ready to serve.
* Note: You can use any broth you choose. The veggies can be omitted or changed as well. Even a bag of frozen peas or corn would work in a pinch. Mix it up!
Thanks for stopping by and happy cooking!
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