If you´re looking for the best baked chicken leg quarters recipe, look no further! These chicken legs are finger-licking good! Thanks to this baking method, the meat falls off the bone easily, it´s well-spiced, tender, flavorful and the skin is super crispy! Additionally, from the same baking pan, you will get baked potatoes, carrots, and delicious gravy! This set-and-forget recipe is super easy to make for a crowd!
The secret to the BEST baked chicken leg quarters
The secret to the best chicken leg quarters is quite surprising – you need to OVERBAKE them! Yes, you read that right. For this recipe, you need to put your meat thermometer back in your cupboard. Yes, you could eat these chicken leg quarters when they reach their safe-to-eat internal temperature and they will surely be good. BUT, for that fall-off-the-bone meat, you need to bake them longer! Just try this recipe and see (or rather taste) for yourself.
Please note that this method works only for bone-in leg meat! Don´t try it on chicken beast or boneless meat.
Another recipe that uses this baking method is this harissa chicken leg quarters with lemon parsley couscous and rose water sauce.
How long to cook chicken leg quarters in the oven?
They take 1 1/2 hours at 350°F (175°C). Yes, trust me, bake them for that long!
Ingredients
Below you will find information about the ingredients and how to prepare the recipe. For the measurements and detailed instructions scroll down to the printable recipe card.
Here´s what you need to make this easy recipe:
- chicken leg quarters – must be bone-in and skin-on
- olive oil
- spices: paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, basil, thyme, cayenne pepper
- you could also use your favorite chicken spice mix or Fajita seasoning
- waxy potatoes (such as Yukon Gold) and carrots – optional – as a side to serve with your chicken
- vegetables and aromatics for the gravy (so if you don´t want to make gravy, you can omit those) – onion, garlic, rosemary or thyme, carrots, celery
Equipment
If you want to make chicken legs along with potatoes, carrots, and gravy, you will need a very large and deep roasting pan, preferably with a wire rack (the one in the photos is from IKEA).
If you have a roasting pan, but no wire rack, it´s fine, just put the chicken legs directly on the vegetables.
If you just want to make just chicken legs, without potatoes, carrots, and gravy, you can use a regular, low-rimmed baking sheet. You can put chicken legs on a wire rack (place some aluminum foil underneath for an easy clean up) or you can put chicken legs directly onto a lightly greased with olive oil baking sheet.
Step-by-step instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Prepare the vegetables (if using): peel the potatoes and cut into 1-2 inches (2.5-5cm) chunks. Peel carrots and cut into 1/4 inch (6mm) slices. Peel onion and cut into quarters. Cut the celery into a couple large chunks.
Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, garlic cloves (unpeeled), herbs, and water to a very large and deep baking dish.
Prepare the chicken legs: in a small bowl, combine olive oil with the spices.
Pat dry chicken legs with paper towels and remove excess fat.
TIP: Don´t omit this step – it makes the skin crispy!
Gently loosen the skin without completely removing it, creating enough space for seasoning under the skin. You can use a tablespoon to help with this. Thoroughly season the legs with salt and pepper, ensuring to distribute the seasoning both under the skin and over the skin. Thoroughly rub the seasoned olive oil all over the chicken, including the exterior and underneath the skin.
Now you can place the chicken legs on a wire rack on top of the vegetables or if you don´t have such a baking dish with a wire rack, just put the chicken legs directly on the vegetables.
Place the baking dish one shelf below the center of the oven.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours (No need for checking the chicken with a food thermometer, it will be definitely above the ´safe-to-eat temperature´. It will be “overcooked” (in terms of temperature) but this is what makes the best bone-in chicken legs with meat that falls off the bone – just trust me!
Please note this method works only for bone-in and skin-on chicken legs, do not use it for breasts or boneless chicken legs).
Remove from the oven, transfer the chicken legs to a plate. Take out the potatoes and carrots to a plate. Strain the liquid that will gather at the bottom of the baking dish. You can discard the onion, garlic, celery, and herbs.
TIP: If you don´t want to make the gravy, you can just spoon the drippings over your side dish (potatoes or vegetables) for a boost of flavor,
Make the gravy:
Slightly tip the bowl/pot with the strained drippings and using a tablespoon, try to collect the excess fat that will gather on the surface (it will be more translucent than the drippings), discard it (about 8 tablespoons).
In a medium pot, melt the butter. When hot and bubbling, whisk in the flour and corn starch and cook for a minute, stirring.
Add the reserved liquid and Worcestershire sauce, bring to a boil, then cook for a couple of minutes, whisking from time to time, until the sauce is thickened. Try the sauce to check if it needs more seasoning (it won´t probably need salt but it may need a touch of black pepper).
Serve the chicken legs with the gravy, potatoes, and carrots.
Enjoy!
Storage
Baked chicken legs reheat very well. Reheat them in the oven at 325°F (160°C) until warmed through or in an air fryer. You can keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Serving suggestions
potato side dishes:
- Bratkartoffeln (German fried potatoes with bacon and onions)
- Austrian Potato Salad
- Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- The best roasted potato wedges (2 ways!)
- Sour cream mashed potatoes
vegetable side dishes:
- Honey Glazed Carrots (quick stovetop glazed carrots)
- Baked Parmesan Zucchini
- Green beans almondine
- Instant Pot Corn on the cob
- Parmesan Cauliflower Rice
salad:
Recipe FAQ´s
It takes 1 and 1/2 hours at 350°F (175°C).
It´s better to cook chicken legs at 350°F because we´re baking them for 1 1/2 hours so they would burn at 400°F.
The safe-to-eat temperature for chicken leg quarters is 165°F (74°C). In this recipe, the meat is a little bit overcooked to get that fall-of-the-bone delicious tender meat!
The skin is browned and crispy and the meat falls off the bone easily (using just a fork!).
No, you don´t need to flip the chicken! This is a set-and-forget recipe and you want the chicken skin to stay crispy.
No, you don´t need to cover the chicken. Although it´s baked for a long time, a lower baking temperature + positioning the roasting pan one shelf below the center of the oven result in a golden and crispy chicken that is not burned.
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
Ingredients
for the chicken:
- 6 chicken leg quarters about 2 1/2 pounds (1130g)
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 3/4 tablespoon basil
- 3/4 tablespoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
for the vegetables and gravy (optional):
- 3 pounds (1.35 kg) waxy potatoes eg Yukon Gold
- 1 onion
- 1 celery stalk
- 3 carrots
- a couple twigs fresh herbs I had rosemary, but thyme also works well
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Prepare the vegetables (if using): peel the potatoes and cut into 1-2 inches (2.5-5cm) chunks. Peel carrots and cut into 1/4 inch (6mm) slices. Peel onion and cut into quarters. Cut the celery into a couple large chunks.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, garlic cloves (unpeeled), herbs, and water to a very large and deep baking dish.
- Prepare the chicken legs: in a small bowl, combine olive oil with the spices.
- Pat dry chicken legs with paper towels and remove excess fat. Gently loosen the skin without completely removing it, creating enough space for seasoning under the skin. You can use a tablespoon to help with this. Thoroughly season the legs with salt and pepper, ensuring to distribute the seasoning both under the skin and over the skin. Thoroughly rub the seasoned olive oil all over the chicken, including the exterior and underneath the skin.
- Now you can place the chicken legs on a wire rack on top of the vegetables or if you don´t have such a baking dish with wire rack, just put the chicken legs directly on the vegetables.
- Place the baking dish one shelf below the center of the oven.
- Bake for 1 1/2 hours (No need for checking the chicken with a food thermometer, it will be definitely above the ´safe-to-eat temperature´. It will be "overcooked" (in terms of temperature) but this is what makes the best bone-in chicken legs with meat that falls off the bone – just trust me! Please note this method works only for bone-in and skin-on chicken legs, do not use it for breasts or boneless chicken legs).
- Remove from the oven, transfer the chicken legs to a plate. Take out the potatoes and carrots to a plate. Strain the liquid that will gather at the bottom of the baking dish. You can discard the onion, garlic, celery, and herbs.
- Make the gravy:
- Slightly tip the bowl/pot with the strained drippings and using a tablespoon, try to collect the excess fat that will gather on the surface (it will be more translucent than the drippings), discard it (about 8 tablespoons).
- In a medium pot, melt the butter. When hot and bubbling, whisk in the flour and corn starch and cook for a minute, stirring.
- Add the reserved liquid and Worcestershire sauce, bring to a boil, then cook for a couple of minutes, whisking from time to time, until the sauce is thickened. Try the sauce to check if it needs more seasoning (it won´t probably need salt but it may need a touch of black pepper).
- Serve the chicken legs with the gravy, potatoes, and carrots.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Potatoes and carrots are used in this recipe as a side dish, you can omit them. Onion, garlic, celery, fresh herbs, butter, flour, corn starch, and Worcestershire sauce are used to make gravy. If you don´t want to make gravy, omit them.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/6 of the recipe) – 1 chicken leg with potatoes, carrots, and gravy. This is only an estimate!
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