Baked Chicken Legs with Indian Spices

Chicken can get- let's face it- rather boring.  It's also economical, healthy, and versatile, so it makes sense to make it a weeknight staple.  Which results in lots of people very tired of eating plain old boring chicken.

That's where this recipe comes in.  When I saw the chicken legs in the store's natural section, I couldn't resist buying them.  So much more exciting than the tenderloin pieces I had in mind!  Something about chicken legs just seems festive to me... maybe because they are reminiscent of hit wings or the legs off of the turkey at holidays... I don't know.  They do have more fat than a lot of other pieces of chicken, but if you take off the skin, it's not too bad.  I do keep the skin on for baking, as it makes it bake more tastily and is there for the people who want it.

And this recipe is VERY easy and relatively quick.  You can change up the spice mixture to anything that complements the rest of your dinner.  I went with this because I was serving it alongside an eggplant curry.  You can also cut the recipe in half- I always make extra so I don't have to cook dinner the next night, and also have leftovers for lunch.

What you need:

3.5 pounds chicken legs (two 1.75 pound packets)
1.5-2 teaspoons salt
2-3 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ginger
0.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1.5 teaspoons onion powder
1.5 teaspoons cumin
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (I used the Truvia Brown Sugar Blend to cut down on sugar)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Mix together all of the spices.  Rub spice mixture on each chicken leg, making sure to go under the skin as well (especially if you aren't going to eat the skin!).  Place on a baking sheet, making sure that the legs are not touching each other.  Bake for about 35-40 minutes, turning halfway through.  They should be a nice dark brown and juices should run clear.

Enjoy!