Kefir-Marinated Chicken & Potatoes

📝 Ingredients

• 4 whole chicken legs (about 250 g each)
• 250 ml plain whole-milk kefir
• 4 garlic cloves (3 for the marinade, 1 for the potatoes)
• 1 lemon (zest and juice)
• 3 tsp sweet paprika (2 for the marinade, 1 for the potatoes)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 kg waxy potatoes
• 1 brown onion (about 150 g)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large mixing bowl
• Pointed knife
• Fine grater
• Large baking tray
• Spatula

📖 Steps

1. The day before, make the marinade in a large mixing bowl: mix the kefir, 3 grated garlic cloves, the lemon zest and juice, 2 tsp paprika, the thyme, 1 level tsp salt and some pepper.
2. Using a sharp knife, make 3 deep cuts down to the bone on the flesh side of each leg so the marinade can penetrate. Put the legs in the bowl, coat them well, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, but no more than 24 hours: the meat would turn mushy.
3. On the day, take the chicken out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking and preheat the oven to 200 °C. Wash the potatoes without peeling them and cut them into wedges of about 3 cm. Peel the onion and cut it into 8 wedges.
4. On the baking tray, toss the potatoes, onion, olive oil, 1 tsp paprika, the last garlic clove (crushed), salt and pepper with your hands until every piece is glossy. Spread out in a single layer.
5. Lift the legs out of the marinade, letting the excess drip off: a thin coating is enough, as too much kefir would burn and stop the skin browning. Place them skin side up among the potatoes and discard the rest of the marinade.
6. Roast for 25 minutes, then turn the potatoes with a spatula, without touching the chicken. Continue cooking for 20 to 25 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the potatoes are crispy at the edges.
7. Check it's cooked by piercing the thickest part of a leg near the bone: the juices should run clear, with no trace of pink. If not, cook for another 5 minutes. Leave to rest for 5 minutes out of the oven before serving with the potatoes and onion.