Bandit Chicken Recipe

An easy recipe for making Bandit Chicken, a classic Chinese chicken dish featuring the use of cumin as the main spice and packed with flavours.

Bandit Chicken, in a nutshell, is Cumin-spiced Chicken. The story behind the name Bandit Chicken is because apparently spices are a rare commodity back in the days and there is a tendency for bandits robbing them! One of the most popular spices being robbed was cumin, hence the name Bandit Chicken.

Back home, the recipe this typically made using chicken wings and served as a party dish. It’s completely up to you what parts of the chicken you want to use but here I used Chicken Legs. Do adjust the cooking time accordingly to what parts of the chicken you used. For instance, the wings would definitely cook quicker than the legs. The chicken legs took me 40-45 minutes to cook through whereas wings would probably be done at around 20-30 minutes depending on size.

Ingredients:

• Chicken Legs or Wings
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 tsp Cumin Powder
• 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
• 1/2 tsp Japanese Chilli Pepper
• 1 tsp Sugar
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 tsp Sesame Oil
• 2 tsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds (optional, for garnish)

How to make:

The recipe couldn’t be any easier! Combine all the ingredients (except for Sesame Seeds if using), and allow the chicken to marinate for a couple of hours, or ideally overnight.

When you’re ready to make it. Preheat oven to 200C. Lay the chicken over an oven tray and pour the marinade over. Put the chicken into the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until the chicken’s cooked through. If using chicken wings, it would take 20-30 minutes depending on size.

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