Namibian grilled chicken

Name: Namibian grilled chicken
Prep time: 150 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 205 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Namibie
Ingredients: 4 whole chicken legs with bone and skin, weighing 1200 g in total; 30 ml olive oil; 30 ml lemon juice; 12 g peeled, finely grated garlic; 6 g sweet paprika; 3 g ground cumin; 3 g ground coriander; 1 g ground black pepper; 6 g fine salt

Chicken legs marinated with lemon and spices, gently barbecued and then browned.

Ingredients

4 whole chicken legs with bone and skin, weighing 1200 g in total
30 ml olive oil
30 ml lemon juice
12 g peeled, finely grated garlic
6 g sweet paprika
3 g ground cumin
3 g ground coriander
1 g ground black pepper
6 g fine salt

Preparation

Prepare a nonreactive dish, tongs reserved for raw chicken, clean serving tongs and a food thermometer. Keep the meat refrigerated while getting organized. Do not wash the chicken: splashes spread microbes. Pat its surface dry with paper towels, then discard the towels immediately.

Mix the oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, cumin, coriander, pepper and salt. Massage this marinade over every side of the legs. Gently lift an edge of skin to spread a little mixture underneath, without tearing off the skin or separating the meat from the bone.

Cover and marinate for 120 min in the refrigerator, at no more than 4 °C. Turn the pieces halfway through using the utensil reserved for raw meat. The 30 min of active preparation and these 120 min of marinating make up the stated 150 min preparation time; do not replace this refrigerated waiting period with time on the worktop.

During marinating, prepare a barbecue with a lid and two zones: coals or lit burners on one side, no heat source directly beneath the other. Put a drip tray under the indirect zone. Stabilize the barbecue at around 200 °C and clean the grate. Never use a barbecue in an enclosed space.

Take out only the pieces ready to be cooked, let excess marinade drip off and place them skin-side up in the indirect zone. Space the legs apart to allow heat to circulate. Discard the liquid that has touched raw chicken and wash the dish; it must not receive cooked meat.

Close the lid and allow 45 min of indirect cooking. Turn the legs halfway through cooking, then return them skin-side up. If the side nearest the coals browns faster, swap the positions of the pieces rather than increasing the heat. Open the lid briefly to limit heat loss.

Start measuring the temperature after 35 min. Insert the probe into the thickest part of each leg, without touching bone, and also check the junction with the thigh. Clean the probe after any contact with insufficiently cooked meat. The color of the juices is not enough to confirm safety.

After the indirect phase, spend up to 5 min browning the skin over direct heat, watching constantly and turning as needed. Move the chicken immediately to the indirect zone if dripping fat causes flames. If the skin is already browned, continue these 5 min over indirect heat.

Before removing the pieces, check that each reaches at least 74 °C at its core. If necessary, extend the indirect cooking and measure again; the 50 min cooking time is an estimate, never a guarantee. Remove ready pieces separately with the clean tongs. Do not rely on resting to reach the safe temperature.

Rest for 5 min on a clean dish, without tightly enclosing the skin under aluminum foil. The planned schedule is 50 min cooking and 5 min resting, making 55 min, added to the 150 min preparation for a total of 205 min. Serve hot; any extension of cooking increases this total.