Five-Spice Chicken Legs

Here's one of the dishes I made for our 13-course dinner. I got most of the recipe from the Steamy Kitchen cookbook by blogger Jaden (who was recently named hottest woman in the food industry!), and as everything else I've cooked from that book, it was very successful. 

For maximum flavor, choose a good quality chicken. It's worth paying a little extra in this case. 

Five-Spice Chicken Legs

1 kg chicken legs

1 tbsp oil for frying (I prefer peanut oil) 

1 red chili, finely chopped

1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp scallions, finely sliced

marinade: 

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp five spice

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tbsp chinese soy sauce

Mix all ingredients for the marinade and pour over the chicken legs. Place in the fridge over night. (I use a large ziploc bag.)

When you're ready to cook, place the chicken - without the marinade - in a roasting tin and bake at 200°C for about 15-20 minutes. Check to make sure the chicken is cooked through. If so, remove from the oven. 

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, until it's really hot. When it is, fry the chili, ginger, garlic and scallions for about 30 seconds - you just want them to start releasing their aromas, but they burn easily. 

Add the chicken legs to the pan and toss to coat the chicken legs in the aromatics. Serve right away - as they are, or on a bed of pan-fried spinach with garlic and chili, if you'd like.