Kimchi-brined chicken legs and sourdough
Prep time: 25 mins Total time: 
Kimchi-brined chicken legs and sourdough
Using kimchi (a spicy fermented cabbage) raw maintains more of its probiotic properties
Prep time: 25 mins Total time: 
Spencer Lengsfield
Spencer Lengsfield
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 400g kimchi (we used Vadasz Hot & Chunky)
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and gently crushed
- 2 chicken legs
- 2-3 slices sourdough
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the salad
- ¼ onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ x 30g pack coriander, leaves picked
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 head Little Gem lettuce, roughly chopped
- 50g radishes, halved
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Step by step
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Drain all the liquid from the kimchi into a medium bowl. Add the soy sauce, whisk together, then add the garlic and the chicken legs. Ensure everything is well coated, then leave to sit for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge. Once brined, remove from the liquid and pat dry.
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Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Place the sourdough slices on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and top with the brined chicken and garlic cloves. Season with pepper and, if you’ve done a shorter brine, some salt too. Transfer to the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes or until crisp and the thickest part of the chicken reaches 73°C on a meat thermometer.
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Meanwhile, prepare the salad. Soak the sliced onion and coriander in ice water while you prepare everything else. Add the sesame seeds to a dry pan over a medium heat and cook until golden brown and toasted, around 3 minutes. Set aside to cool. Add the lettuce, radishes, half of the drained kimchi (use the rest in a cheese toastie, an omelette or add to fried rice) and drained onion and coriander to a bowl. Toss together with the olive oil and some seasoning, along with half the toasted sesame seeds.
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Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the tray to rest and discard the garlic. Return the sourdough to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes to finish crisping up until it’s deep golden brown – flip the bread if needed for even toasting.
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Serve the chicken on top of the toasted sourdough with the salad, garnishing with the remaining toasted sesame seeds.
