Recipe: Chermoula Chicken Legs with Cumin Roasted Beets and Tomatoes
Chermoula is a North African flavour blend traditionally used for fish, but it’s zingy and fragrant flavours mean it is also the perfect accompaniment for roast chicken. My chicken recipes are always popular, so I thought I'd create a chicken version. Both the chicken and the vegetables rely on the cumin, which makes this dish wonderfully earthy and aromatic. The chicken is best if marinated overnight, but it’s not essential.
Recipe: Chermoula Chicken Legs with Cumin Roasted Beets and Tomatoes
Author: Suz Crawt
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken legs
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ small white onion
- 1 large handful coriander
- 1 large handful parsley
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 4 medium beets, chopped into quarters
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Juice half lemon
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds
- Salt and pepper
- 10 – 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- Lightly toast the cumin seeds until fragrant. Grind them in a food processor, before adding the garlic, onion, coriander, parsley, lemon, pepper and paprika. Spoon the marinade (chermoula) over the chicken and massage it in. Leave to marinade for as long as you can – preferably overnight, but a couple of hours will do.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat the oven to 180C / 375F. Transfer the marinated chicken to a foil lined roasting dish, and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, basting once or twice.
- Meanwhile, combine the beets and onion in a roasting dish. Toss in the olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle over the cumin seeds, salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes, before adding the tomatoes for the final 10. Serve alongside the chicken.
Have you tried many North African recipes, like this Chermoula? I'd love to hear how you got on, and which are your favourite flavours!