These are the best oven baked chicken leg quarters -- tender, crispy, and juicy on the inside, you simply brush with butter and simple seasonings before cooking them in the oven at a low temperature for an hour, with a final spike in the temp to crisp the skin up real nice at the end.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
I love a budget-friendly and patience-friendly meal, and these oven baked chicken quarters cover all those bases and more. Chicken legs are fairly simple and inexpensive, but when you butter them up, season them well, and bake them low and slow in the oven, they become tender and juicy and perfect dinnertime contenders. I turn up the oven’s heat at the very end to get the skin nice and crispy, and it’s seriously delicious.
Plus, it takes about zero time for you to prep it all. Getting the chicken ready might cost you 5 minutes, and then you put them in the oven for an hour, freeing you up to get sides ready (or just chill for a bit!) while they bake. Chicken legs are no fuss as long as you know how to do them, and if you ask me, this recipe is the perfect place to start.
Ingredients
- Chicken leg quarters: I love this cut of chicken. It's inexpensive and so full of flavor.
- Butter: this adds some fat, flavor, and something for the seasoning to stick too. Plus it helps the chicken crisp up.
- Seasonings of your choice: I like to use a custom season salt made by combining ¼ cup kosher salt, 4 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons onion powder, and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
How to Make Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
- Pat your chicken dry.
- Brush it with butter and then sprinkle with your seasoning.
- Cover with foil and bake a low temperature.
- After a longer cooking time remove the foil and crank up the heat to finish the cooking process.
- Serve right away.
Baking Tips for Chicken Leg Quarters
Slow and low is why I love this recipe. By starting out at a low temperature, you give the meat time to cook and become tender. Finishing it off at a higher temperature makes the skin delicious and crispy. It might take a little while in the oven but you only have 5 minutes of hands-on time.
Seasoning Tips
When it comes to seasoning, you can go as simple as salt and pepper, you can use your favorite seasoning blend (like Everything but the Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe's, Montreal Chicken Seasoning, Lemon Garlic, or anything else), or you can make your own magic season salt by combining ¼ cup kosher salt, 4 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons onion powder, and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional. I just toss everything in a little mason jar, add the lid, and shake to combine. This is a great basic season salt recipe. It's great on french fries and all kinds of meat.
Should I remove chicken skin before cooking?
No! Please don’t. Chicken skin adds so much flavor (as do the bones) and gives the outside such an incredible crispy texture. It’s higher in fat, so this wouldn’t be a meal you eat every day, but it certainly won’t do any harm every once in a while! You’ve got to live a little, right?
What to do with the juice at the bottom of the pan when baking chicken legs:
The juice that is at the bottom of the pan is super good, just FYI. If you are serving some kind of vegetable with this dish, I'd spoon some of the chicken drippings over the top or even make gravy for potatoes with them.
Round out this meal with:
- My Favorite Cornbread Recipe
- Deli-Style Broccoli Salad
- Crispy Homemade Sweet Potato Fries
- Classic Scalloped Potatoes
- Sauteed Asparagus
- Red Velvet Cake
Other baked chicken recipes you’ll love:
- The Best Baked Chicken Legs (5 ingredients and so good)
- Baked Chicken Thighs
- Crispy Sheet Pan Baked Chicken Taco Meat
If you’ve tried this chicken leg quarters recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories.
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The Best Oven Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6-8 1x
Description
The Best Baked Chicken Leg Quarters made by simply roasting chicken leg quarters brushed with butter and seasoned at a low temperature for an hour and then raising the temperature at the end to crisp the skin.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken leg quarters (about 3 pounds)
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- Seasoning to taste, see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Place the chicken leg quarters in the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet or a baking dish.
- Melt the butter and brush it over each chicken leg quarter.
- Sprinkle generously with seasoning of choice.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for one hour.
- Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees, remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes until the skin is crisped to your liking and the chicken registers 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- When it comes to seasoning, you can go as simple as salt and pepper, you can use your favorite seasoning blend (like Everything But the Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe's, Montreal Chicken Seasoning, Lemon Garlic, or anything else), or you can make your own magic season salt by combining ¼ cup kosher salt, 4 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons onion powder, and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional. I just toss everything in a little mason jar, add the lid, and shake to combine. This is a great basic season salt recipe. It's great on french fries and all kinds of meat.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chicken legs, chicken leg quarters recipe, how to bake chicken legs, chicken drumsticks recipe, easy chicken dinner
Are chicken legs healthy?
Chicken, no matter the cut, is a great source of lean protein (yes, even the dark meat!). I know chicken breast is all the rage because it’s a bit lower in fat and calories, but I’m on a mission to spread the gospel of chicken legs and all their flavor-filled, easy-to-make glory.
How long will baked chicken legs keep for?
You can store these in your fridge in a sealable bag or airtight container (whichever you choose, line the bottom with a paper towel to catch excess liquid and keep the legs from getting soggy) for up to 3 or 4 days. I recommend reheating them in the oven so the skin has a chance to re-crisp.
You must try making these fabulous chicken leg quarters recipe sometime soon because they’re crispy, juicy, and perfectly seasoned!
You'll love how great this simple baked chicken leg quarters recipe is! It's easy to make, you'll love how flavorful the chicken is, and it's one you'll make over and over again!
Patsy
First time baking chicken leg quarters at 61 years old (times are tough these days financially and this is very budget friendly). I have them baking in the oven now and am excited to try - the reviews are awesome. I used your seasoned salt mixture! I plan on sharing with my daughter and her family (I have 6 quarters).
I'm new to your site Melissa, browsing through your recopies and will definitely be following!
Thank you and Bless your family!.
★★★★★
Mary Lou
Searching for a recipe for chicken hindquarters and your recipe sounded interesting. I tried it this week and it was good. I can't have a lot of spices, so it was just salt and white pepper. I thought the recipe was tender and delicious but just ok. Last night I reheated it in the microwave and usually chicken dries out when reheating. This was where the MAGIC happened with this recipe: It was just as tender and juicy from the microwave as it was when I baked it. (I covered it when I reheated to keep the grease mess down.) I almost think I liked it better the second time. I will definitely make this again and make extras to reheat and eat later. Low and slow was such a good idea. Thanks.
★★★★★
Jessica
So easy and my family loved them. Ive made them twice. The second time I used bbq season so when I turned up heat and remove foil, I brushed them with bbq sauce. Perfect easy meal
★★★★★
Ivan
Would have been nice for you to mention how high or low in the oven to set the rack
Melissa
When in doubt, use the middle rack.
Jessica
So easy and my family loved them. Ive made them twice. The second time I used bbq season so when I turned up heat and remove foil, I brushed them with bbq sauce. Perfect easy meal
★★★★★
Jackie
Can you use this recipe to air fry the leg quarters ?
Melissa
My air fryer has a rack so the chicken wouldn't sit in the sauce... is yours like that?
Andy Wells
Great meal idea, so I made it. Kicked up a few notches with the spices, since I would generally do a Latino flavor or southern BBQ variety chicken dinner instead. This time I went with Melissa's concept for the first time and it turned out absolutely great. I made Spanish rice with a house salad with fresh made corn bread muffins. Sometimes, simple is just better. And I could not agree more..... Dark meat has much more flavor then white and leg quarters are the perfect fit for this receipt. You know what they say.... Once you go dark you'll never go.............. Bon Appetit
★★★★★
Eve
Why are there so many sassy comments about ads? Sheesh. Anyway, this recipe was great, it's the only one I use for chicken quarters now. Thank you for sharing and I hope you're staying safe and healthy!
★★★★★
Vickie B
I love, love, love this recipe. I have it in the oven as I speak (making thighs). My family loves it, too. I've premixed my spices into a container to save time and I can whip this up a lot faster.
★★★★★
JM
Sole income for seven? Apparently I’m in the wrong business lol
While the comment was kind of rude definitely Could’ve left that part out since it sounds more like a guilt trip than reality. The ads are ridiculous on all these sites
Melissa
I'm just saying it because it's true. It's ok for me to run ads on free content and the sole income for a family of seven is totally true. It's a great business I've build and I'm so grateful for everyone who shows up and deals with some ads so that I can keep doing it. I wouldn't be here without the ads and I wouldn't be here without YOU coming to the site. So thank you to everyone who comes, I really appreciate your business and I want your experience here to be a good one. I think a little information on why things are set up like they are can help people to better understand the choices made. Knowledge and information can be powerful and I'm happy to help educate on why I'm running ads.
John Henry
Thought this was a recipe website. You killed me with all the ads. I felt like I was in some kind of experiment. Most ads are lies and you just bombarded me with lies. You got the mess part right. What is wrong with you people?
★
Melissa
The ads are the sole income for my family of seven and go with the free content I have spent years creating... feel free to use ad-less websites in the future.
Hmh
How long do you think it would take to do this recipe from frozen? I pre-seasoned the quarters before freezing. Thanks!
Melissa
I'd add another 30-45 minutes of that lower temperature at the beginning to get them thawed...
Judi
This is absolutely my favorite way to cook leg quarters! Used your seasoned salt recipe. They are indeed flavorful, juicy, and crispy good!
★★★★★
Michele
I made this last night and it was so good! The method worked so well for us. I have a new "double" oven (two smaller ovens in the size of one regular standing oven) and it's taking a while to get used to the significant change in heat. I've burned a few things and ruined a couple. This low temp cooking with a burst of heat at the end resulted in evenly cooked, juicy meat with that great crispy skin. During the high heat time, I added a tray of corn on the cob wrapped in foil to same oven. I used delicious fat drippings from the chicken to coat a bunch of kale leaves and baked those in the upper oven at 300. I'm not lying when I say my picky eaters ate everything. My 11yo said it was the best dinner I've ever made and my 7yo said you can make kale like this anytime. What?! That's a win! Adding this recipe to my bookmarks and definitely making again. Thanks!
★★★★★
Chyrll L Meldgaard
Made this and it was great.
★★★★★
Anna
Hello,
I made your seasoning salt and used on the chicken quarters. I cooked as you indicated and the chicken was wonderful. My husband and son enjoyed.
★★★★★
Jen
What if it’s a doubled amount? As far as temp and time.
Melissa
It'll be the same, just use two pans and rotate them occasionally while cooking.
Jackie
Easiest and tastiest I’ve ever made. Did olive oil vs butter with garlic powder, salt, pepper and paprika. Moist chicken with crispy skin cooked to perfection!
★★★★★
Tammy
Hi!! Love love LOVE this recipe. Would you know how much time it would take to cook thighs or drumsticks as opposed to quarters?
Melissa
They're right at 50 to 60 minutes!
Christie Perez
Would this work for chicken breasts too?
Melissa
It works fine with them, you'll need to adjust the cook time though because the breast will cook a lot faster.
homemaker2783
I made exactly as directed except I dipped my chicken in melted butter and used the seasoning recipe in the notes and seasoned both sides. It was so good!!!! Hubby wanted bbq so after I browned the chicken (I used the broiler to get the desired browness I wanted. When it said to take the foil off turn to 425 I did it for 30 minutes and still wasn’t brown enough for me) I put bbq only on his pieces. I loved it!!!
★★★★★