Portuguese chicken with cucumber, fennel and avocado salad

This moderately spiced Portuguese-style chicken dish should be marinated for a few hours and cooked in a hot oven.

TWAM 23 Jan 2016

This moderately spiced Portuguese-style chicken dish should be marinated for a few hours and cooked in a hot oven. The lovely crisp cucumber and fennel salad is a perfect companion.

Portuguese chicken

4 chicken legs (with thighs)

Marinade

¹⁄³ cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Lime or lemon wedges, to serve

Score chicken legs with a knife a few times. Whisk lime, oil, garlic, chilli flakes, coriander, paprika, oregano and 2 teaspoons salt together in a bowl. Pour over chicken, cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Place chicken in a single layer in a roasting tin and roast in a preheated 200°C (fan) oven for 25-35 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Baste occasionally with marinade as it cooks. Serve with cucumber salad and lime or lemon wedges. Serves 4

Cucumber, fennel & avocado salad

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled,

seeded and thinly sliced

1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1-2 ripe avocados, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Toss onion with vinegar and set aside for a few minutes. Mix onion, cucumbers, fennel and avocado in a large bowl and toss with olive oil. Add mint and season with salt and pepper.

And to drink … A medium-bodied red made from a Portuguese grape variety, such as the 2014 Battle of Bosworth Touriga ($25) from McLaren Vale