Skillet Baked Chicken Legs

Skillet Baked Chicken Legs

I love dinners where I can just throw all my ingredients in one pan and let them take over from there. I'm constantly on the lookout for week-night wonders that don't take up much of my time, and this recipe is just that. It does take a total of about an hour, but I usually marinate the meat the night before. So, I just throw everything in the oven on the day off, and Voila!

Chicken legs are best flavored with the skin on them, but if you prefer without skin, like I do, that alternative works out perfectly yummy too! I usually ask my butcher to cut the chicken legs in two - drumstick and thighs, and also add a couple of slits to them. I feel like this helps settle in the marinade flavor in better.

So respecting the minimalism of the recipe, I will keep this post to a minimal as well, here goes my new fall favorite! I hope you love it just as much as I do.

Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

For the Marinade: 

• 4 Chicken Legs - cut in two, add 2 slit to each piece
• 1.5 tsp Garlic powder
• 1 tsp Pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp ground thyme (if using fresh thyme, add in skillet instead of marination)
• 1 tsp dried parsley (can be substituted with fresh Parsley)
• 1 tsp Mrs Dash seasoning 
• Sea Salt (ground coarsely) 
• 1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

For the skillet:

• 1 medium size potato, chopped
• a few chopped leeks (can be substituted with sliced onions too)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 stem of rosemary leaves
• 1 tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Add chicken in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients for the marinade and toss well.
2. Cover the bowl and leave the marinated mix in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. I usually prefer leaving mine overnight.
3. Remove chicken from the refrigerator about 15 mins prior to cooking. 
4. Preheat oven to 375 F 
5. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add 1/2 tbsp butter, fresh cloves of garlic, can be sliced for further increasing the garlic flavor. Now add the chicken to the skillet. Add the potatoes, leeks and rosemary leaves in. Add in the remaining 1/2 tbsp butter from the sides of the skillet, so that it coats the chicken. 
6. Turn the chicken pieces after 3 mins if skinless, and 4 if with skin. Keep flipping a couple of times, waiting 3-4 minutes between each flip. 
7. Now add the chicken to the oven for 20 mins. Then flip the pieces and cook for another 20 mins. (A little longer on the time, if you are using whole legs)

I usually prefer to cook them in the skillet for a few minutes before I throw them in the oven. This helps add a crispy coating on the chicken. You can serve it with some chimichurri or some mint or coriander chutney. Simple, yet comforting!

A lovely low-carb meal that is so easy to prepare! Shout out in the comments below if you are going to give this weeknight wonder a go! Until then, Live, Love, Laugh and Eat.. Oh yes, Eat!

Chicken and Spinach Flautas

Chicken and Spinach Flautas

Over the Labor Day long weekend, some of our friends hosted an amazing Mexican fiesta potluck. I was in charge of bringing tortillas, and as always, I ended up buying too much. So at the end of the night, I had to carry my miscalculation back home with me.. and this gave my brain the new task of coming up with recipes that would help me finish up my tortillas. Luckily tortillas are so versatile. I ended up using them for wraps, made quesadillas, but another winner dinner that came out of it, was baked flautas.
I've also been good about prepping meals over the weekends and finishing them of on weekdays. And so I made the filling for the flautas before hand, and rolled and baked the evening of the dinner. This amazing recipe is also a under-30 min wonder that I can't wait to share with you all. Pair it with salsa & guac, and enjoy an amazing Mexican meal night. It is an amazing finger food idea, although, when made in abundance, it serves as a lovely quick week-night dinner dish as well.

Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless chicken
• 2 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 3 cups baby spinach
• Medium size tortillas (8 inches)
• 4 Cheese Mexican blend
• Butter
• Salsa (optional)
• Sour cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Boil chicken in 2 cups of water. Add bay leaf, cumin powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, paprika, thyme, and salt. Let it cook for about 15 mins. You can pork a fork in the chicken and check if it needs longer. If it does, add about 1/4 cup and let it cook for another 5 mins. 
2. Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred it. (Liquid remaining should be about 1/2 cup)
3. Add chopped jalapeños and spinach to the same broth and cook on low heat for about 2-3 mins or until spinach is wilted. Now add the shredded chicken to the mixture. 
4. Cut the tortillas in half. Apply butter on the outer side of the tortilla. 
5. Spoon the non-buttered side with about 1 tbsp of chicken mixture along the edge of the tortilla. Repeat with cheese. 
6. Roll the tortilla up, starting with the straight edge. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 with remaining tortillas. 
8. Bake for 10 mins, then turn over and bake for another 10 mins or until crispy. Serve with salsa, guacamole or sour cream

As always, I hope you enjoy this quick wonder in your kitchen! Feel free to leave suggestions, comments or questions. Until then, Live, Love, Laugh and Eat! Oh yes, EAT!