Shake a leg

Forget the breast, the best part of a chicken is the dark meat — the drumsticks and thighs, says Rachel Allen, who has three great recipes

“If there’s a bit of golden fat, succulent meat, that’s where you’ll find me”

Jack Sprat could eat no fat, His wife could eat no lean; And so betwixt them both, They lick’d the platter clean.

My husband and I are like Jack Sprat and his wife. Yes, he’s the one that eats the ‘eye’ of the meat, be it a rasher, steak or lamb chop, and then passes it over to me to finish up the streaky morsels of meat that are, in my opinion, so much juicier and full of flavour.

Of course, I don’t eat fatty meats like pork belly every day, and I also love lean cuts — but given the choice, if there’s a bit of golden, fat, succulent meat to be had, and, best of all, crackling, that’s where you’ll find me.

The chicken is also divided into two types of meat. There’s the leaner white meat of the breast, and the juicy dark meat of the legs. For me, it’s the brown meat, as the legs are called, I prefer, every single time.

Chicken legs divide up into thighs (the top portion of the leg above the knee joint that is connected to the body of the chicken) and drumsticks (the bottom portion of the leg below the knee joint). The great thing about them is that they can withstand long marinating in herby or spicy mixes, and they don’t tend to dry out as the breast is prone to doing if it is cooked for too long, or reheated. When you roast the legs of a bird, any excess fat renders perfectly, giving you a tender and flavoursome result every time.

These spiced chicken legs, right, which we have been making at the cookery school in Ballymaloe for many years, are a real favourite at home. Scarlett, our 10-year-old, regularly takes them to school in a food flask, accompanied with some buttered rice. The spice blend is so delicious, with just a hint of heat — so increase the cayenne pepper if you want a real kick.

Jollof rice — the main ingredients of which are rice and tomatoes — is one of the most common dishes in Western Africa, and there are many variations. This recipe, far right, is easy to make and has a bit of heat from the chilli, which is a traditional element of the dish.