Ingredients:

• 680g/5 leg piece – Chicken
• For marinade:
• 1 cup – low fat yogurt/curd
• 1 – Onion (small around 57 gms)
• 1/2 – Lime
• 1 pod – Garlic
• 1/2 inch – Ginger (size of garlic), peel the skin off
• 2 – Green chillies
• 1.5 tsp – Garam Masala
• 1 tsp – salt or as per taste
• Red food color + Orange food color (kesari powder), a few large drops
• For baking:
• Jelly roll pan or cookie tray
• aluminum foil
• Pastry brush (optional)

Method:

1. Wash the chicken legs. Let the water drain and place them on a large plate.
2. Do not remove the skin; it will actually protect the flesh when you bake.
3. Create 2 slits on each side of the leg.
4. The knife needs to touch the bone which means the slit is nice, deep and big.
5. This will help the marinade penetrate into the chicken.
6. Squeeze 1/2 lime into a bowl. To the lime juice, add 1/2 tsp – salt.
7. Mix it well so that the salt dissolves.
8. Now take 1 leg piece at a time, take some lime juice and rub well on both sides of the chicken.
9. Using a spoon or your hand add few drops of lime juice into the slits and massage it.
10. Repeat with other chicken piece.
11. Place them back on a plate and refrigerate it for 20-30 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, in a blender/mixie, add yogurt/curd, garam masala, ginger, garlic, 1/2 tsp – salt, green chilli, sliced onion and grind it to a smooth paste.
13. Now take the chicken from the refrigerator.
14. In a bowl, add a few drops of food colour and a few drops of water.
15. Using your hand or brush, rub the food colour on the chicken piece.
16. Remember to rub in between the slits as well.
17. Pour the marinade in a large bowl or a freezer bag.
18. Add one chicken piece at a time and rub the paste into the slits and on both sides and leave it in the bowl/bag. Repeat.
19. Now close the bowl or zip the freezer bag.
20. Give a nice shake and keep them back in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or one whole day.
21. The next day, preheat oven to 550 F.
22. Take your cookie/jelly pan.
23. Line it with aluminium foil generously.
24. Shake marinade off chicken, place on the cookie sheet/pan (ensure that the skin part covers the chicken).
25. Cook for 15 mins. Then baste it with marinade using a brush or a spoon and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes.
26. Serving suggestion:
27. Wrap the bone part with a small piece of aluminium foil to give a gourmet look. Serve it with sliced onion, green chilli, lime/lemon wedges and a spicy green chutney.
28. Recipe courtesy: Food for 7 Stages of Life