Honey and rosemary chicken legs

I seem to cook chicken legs in the oven quite frequently, but I do love roasting chicken legs. The meat stays juicy and tender and the skin goes crispy in the oven. I have two favourite methods, one 'Western' and one Chinese. I'll save the Chinese roast chicken recipe for the next post and share my recipe for honey and rosemary chicken legs in this one.

As Jamie Oliver would say, chicken and rosemary are pretty good buddies. The honey and lemon juice balances each other nicely and the garlic gives it a lovely intensity that is preserved in the gravy. This was what we had for dinner the other day - honey and rosemary chicken legs with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables drizzled with garlic and herb gravy


Ingredients (serves 2):

2 chicken legs (or drumsticks or thighs, skin on)
1 tbsp honey
1 or 2 springs of rosemary, leaves picked and chopped (or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 clove of garlic, minced

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients with the chicken legs and marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 180C/gas 5. Place the chicken legs on a roasting tray, pouring over the excess marinade, and cook in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes.
3. Turn the pieces over and then roast for another 15 minutes. Spoon the hot honey glaze over chicken pieces and place under the grill for about 2 minutes to brown and crisp up the skin.

Serve with new or mashed potatoes and vegetables. Don't waste the juices at the bottom of the tray. Discard excess oil/fat and spoon the juices over the chicken legs when serving. If you want thicker gravy consistency, mix a tbsp of plain or corn flour (dissolved in 2 tbsp water) into the pan and simmer on the stove until it thickens.