Make these delicious baked chicken leg quarters in the oven; the tender-baked, crispy skin quarters are a budget-friendly and delicious family meal.
Roasted chicken leg quarters in the oven are one of our favorite budget-friendly dinners, a delicious way of feeding a large family.
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What are chicken quarters?
It is a whole leg including a part of the back of the chicken, which is attached to the thigh: Drumstick + Thigh + Portion of the back = Chicken leg quarter.
Recipe ingredients
The quarters:
- They can be either fresh or frozen and thawed. Always thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator; it will take at least 12 hours. Or you could learn How to Cook Frozen Chicken Thighs in the oven, it's really easy, and it saves you a lot of time.
Butter:
- Salted or unsalted. Olive oil or vegetable oil can be used instead.
Spices:
- You can use pretty much anything you like. A simple seasoning of fine sea salt or Kosher salt and black pepper is sufficient if that is all you have.
- Otherwise, you can never go wrong with paprika powder; I prefer sweet Hungarian paprika powder, but hot or smoked would be fine as well.
- You can add some garlic powder and/or onion powder, lemon pepper, red pepper flakes, and dried herbs like thyme and rosemary or Italian seasoning for a Mediterranean feel; you can add ground cumin and coriander for an Oriental touch.
- Curry or turmeric powder would be reminiscent of India, and Cajun spices will give the baked quarters a Southern flair.
- You can also use a bought poultry spice mixture.
Expert Tip
Always wash your hands, tools, and kitchen surfaces immediately after handling raw chicken! Don't wash the chicken parts; you will only contaminate your sink without getting rid of the germs; they will only be destroyed during the cooking process.
How to bake chicken quarters in the oven?
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel to remove the excess moisture. Turn the legs around and remove the excess skin and fat on the underside.
- Melt the butter in a small pan. Add the salt, pepper, and spices, in my case, sweet Hungarian paprika powder with a touch of hot paprika powder (the Amazon affiliate links opens in a new tab). Mix well.
- Place the legs on a baking sheet in a single layer and rub them well on both sides with about ยพ of the spiced melted butter. Keep a small amount to brush them during the roasting time.
- Bake in the hot oven, skin side up, for 15 minutes. Turn them on the other side, brush them with some of the marinade and some of the cooking juices, and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Turn again, brush with the remaining marinade and with some of the cooking juices and sprinkle with a little more salt and paprika powder on the skin side.
- Finish baking the chicken leg quarters in the oven for another 15 minutes.
How long to bake chicken leg quarters?
- I used rather large pieces, each weighing between 350 g โ 400 g/ 12.3 -14 oz.
- Quarters of this size need a total roasting time of 45 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If using smaller or larger legs, you will have to adjust the roasting time accordingly until you reach the required internal temperature.
- According to USDA, the safe internal temperature of the meat, either dark or white meat, is 74 degrees Celsius/ 165 degrees Fahrenheit, measured with a meat thermometer (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
- If not using a meat digital thermometer, pierce into the thickest part of the thigh; the juices should run clear. If they are still pink, give them 5 more minutes in the oven, then check again.
Recipe FAQs
Keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Serve cold or reheat in the oven at 160 degrees/ 325 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through.
Use the leftover meat in salads, soups, sandwiches, casseroles, and pasta dishes, and use the leftover bones for making stock.
Yes, they can be frozen for up to 3 months. You can place the whole legs in a freezer bag or strip the meat from the bones and only freeze the meat.
How to serve?
The oven-baked chicken leg quarters are delicious when served with almost anything; it would be actually quicker to write what not to serve these with... probably pasta...
I love to serve them with roast potato wedges with chili dip, fingerling smashed potatoes, either Jollof rice or a similar Romanian vegetable rice, German potato salad, curried couscous, pan-fried sweet potatoes, and so on.
When it comes to vegetable side dishes, any kind of salad would be great. Otherwise, how about some green beans almondine, red cabbage slaw, sauteed zucchini with onions, or buttered green peas?
More chicken quarters recipes
- Oven Roasted Legs with Vegetables
- Baked Quarters in Honey Mustard Sauce
- Turmeric Chicken
- Sticky Baked Mango Chicken
- Easy Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs
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Chicken Leg Quarters in the Oven
Ingredients
- 4 chicken leg quarters between 350 g โ 400 g/ 12.3 -14 oz per piece
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Note 1
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ยผ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika powder Note 2
- ยผ teaspoon hot paprika powder to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pat the legs dry with kitchen towels.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the salt, pepper, and spices. Mix well.
- Brush: Place the quarters on a baking tray and rub them well on both sides with about ยพ of the spiced melted butter. Keep a small amount to brush them again during the roasting time.
- Bake, skin side up, for 15 minutes. Flip, brush with some of the marinade and some cooking juices and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Flip again, brush with the remaining marinade and some cooking juices, and sprinkle with a little more salt and paprika powder on the skin side. Finish baking for another 15 minutes, a total time of 45 minutes.If the quarters are smaller than indicated, reduce the roasting time accordingly.
- Check if the chicken is cooked through. If using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken should be 74 โ 76 degrees Celsius/ 165 - 170 degrees Fahrenheit.If you don't have a meat thermometer, pierce the chicken in the thickest part of the thigh, the juices should run clear. If they are still pink, give the chicken 5 more minutes in the oven, then check again.
Notes
- If using salted butter, adjust the salt amount required in the recipe accordingly.
- See blog post for more seasoning suggestions.
Lolly says
I didnโt use the recipe so much as I needed to know how long to cook quarters. I basted my pre-seasoned quarters with olive oil and flipped them every fifteen minutes and they were perfect! Thanks!
Adina says
Welcome, the recipe is only basic, all the rest is up to you. ๐
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
These are a great easy weeknight meal. Chicken leg quarters often go on sale and you can get them for a great price making them an even better bargain! Thanks for all the great tips!
Holly says
Such a classic meal! I like roasted chicken legs. You don't need much to the chicken when roasting. I like the hint of paprika.
angiesrecipes says
They are a favourite too. My cats are pretty crazy about them too.