Black Pepper Apple Cider Roast Chicken

Black Pepper Apple Cider Roast chicken 

An ordinary day means I usually reach out for the chicken leg for some grilling especially when I am lazy or tired because its easy, lets face it a bit of planning ahead , marination and voila you have a great meal. Now I buy the chicken from the market fresh and usually choose my cuts and I usually get some chicken leg and thigh together as one piece which makes for a great serving for one person. 

I was racking my brains for a new idea when my eyes rested on the jar of black peppercorn. In my kitchen black pepper is always freshly ground. So a bit of this a bit of that , 2 hours of marination 32 minutes of roasting later I was  tearing off soft succulent chicken pieces with two fingers. Yes, it was that soft that you can tear it away with two fingers alone. And for those who are worried that without the skin your chicken wouldn't be soft or tender just try it is what I would say. 

You see I had read about this a long time back. With any meat chicken included some acidic agent softens it greatly and you get soft succulent meat. So unless I am following a particularly traditional recipe which has no acidic agent I always add a little acidic agent, just enough to soften the chicken but not overpower the flavours. I usually also use skinless chicken since well its healthier and in our local market you have to wait for some time if you want the chicken with the skin. You see the chicken is freshly slaughtered and since most Indian recipes call for skinless chicken they usually keep a lot of skinless breasts and thighs which are quickly given to customers. 

So here goes the recipe for 1 serving 

1 Leg + Thigh of chicken. 

1.2 tsp black peppercorn 

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 tsp apple cider vinegar 

1 clove of garlic
1 tsp fresh thyme

Salt as per taste 

Simply blend everything into a smooth paste , you will have crushed pepper which isn't superfine and it is alright. marinate for over 2 hours . preheat oven to 200 C and then roast for 32 minutes turning the chicken mid-way and basting it. Enjoy the succulent juicy delicious roast with a side salad and a glass of white wine or red wine or some drink of your choice.