Prep. time: 15 minutes
Marinade: 1 hour
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Thida takes you to the streets of Cambodia, where the legs are marinated in a fragrant sauce, then grilled and served with a side dishes such as pickled vegetables or a papaya salad. This recipe doesn’t require any exotic ingredients and shouldn’t take you long to prepare. And while at home Korean people usually barbecue their chicken legs, you can use this same recipe for either the grill or the oven.

(1) Chicken legs are underrated, explains Thida. They’ve got a bad rap for being too fatty, and health-conscious diners often shun them in favor of the leaner (ahem, drier) breasts. Even for dark meat-lovers, chicken thighs or drumsticks usually present the faster, cheaper alternative than a full leg quarter, so most chicken recipes comprise the individual parts of the chicken leg. And that’s a shame. A full chicken leg (when cooked right, with crispy skin) is a mouth-watering affair.

Shopping & Substitutes
(2) A pinch of galanga powder. Substitute: Ginger root

(3) Kampot pepper substitute: A relatively powerful pepper.

Hints & Tricks
Depending on your grill's heat output, you may or may not want to close the lid. Usually, we cook with a closed lid but if the grill is too hot, keeping the lid closed for too long on a grill that gives off lots of heat will cause your chicken legs to dry out and possibly get charred. Check the manufacturer's advice.

Marinade

1. Cut stems out from a cilantro bunch and chop into 1/4-inch pieces.
2. Cut the galangal into thin slices.
3. Place garlic cloves, black pepper, salt, MSG, palm sugar, galangal, and cilantro into the mortar and pound with the pestle until you turn the ingredients into a paste, then transfer the paste to a mixing bowl.
4. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and honey to the bowl and mix everything together. You've got your marinade!

Chicken (BBQ Method)

1. Wash the chicken legs and pat them dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
2. Place chicken legs into a dish where you will marinate them, cover with the marinade, and mix thoroughly to ensure that the sauce smothers the chicken legs completely.
3. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat on low, and brush the grill with cooking oil or olive oil.
5. Place the chicken legs onto the grill with the skin side up.
6. Baste the chicken legs with a single layer of the marinade sauce. Leave to cook. View Note to how to set your barbecue.
7. Turn the chicken legs onto the skin side after the first 10 minutes, then flip them back 2 minutes later (so the skin doesn't burn). Continue flipping the legs at the same interval and baste the legs a couple of times more between flips. For best results, adjust the number of flips based on the heat output of your grill.
8. Continue to cook until the meat has reached temperatures of 74°C / 165°F or higher before serving the chicken legs (ensure you have a meat thermometer handy when you grill). The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the legs and the grill's heat output.