Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters

Roasted chicken leg quarters in the oven. Tender and crispy baked quarters, a budget-friendly and delicious family meal.

Chicken legs are our favorite cut of chicken. And roasted chicken leg quarters are our favorite way to eat them.

We love the breast too and I try to buy and use a whole bird whenever possible, but truth is, when it comes to cutting a whole roasted chicken, everyone seems to want to have the thighs or the drumsticks… So, very often I buy only the quarters, just to make sure that everyone is happy.

They are also the most affordable cut. They are less sensitive than the breast, so they are less prone to become dry when cooked and they have more meat on them than wings, so you will not have to buy so many to get your family satisfied.

What are chicken quarters?

It is a whole chicken leg including a portion of the back, which is attached to the chicken thigh: Drumstick + Thigh + Portion of the chicken back = Chicken leg quarter.

A drumstick is also sometimes called a leg, but actually, when a recipe calls for chicken legs, I never think about the drumsticks only, I always assume that the recipe calls for a whole leg.

Do you have to wash chicken parts?

Always wash your hands, tools and kitchen surfaces immediately after handling raw chicken! And don’t bother washing 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?

The recipe is super easy, a basic recipe. It also uses only one main ingredient – the chicken leg quarters, a little butter and some spices.

Seasoning:

• You can use pretty much anything you like. Salt and pepper are 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 or rather a mixture would be fine as well.
• You can add some garlic powder and dried herbs like thyme and rosemary for a Mediterranean feeling, 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.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• 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. (Amazon affiliate links)
• Mix well.
• Place the legs on a baking tray and rub them well on both sides with about ¾ of the spiced melted butter. Keep a small amount to brush them during the roasting time.
• Bake, skin side up, for 15 minutes. Turn them on the other side, brush 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 for another 15 minutes.

How long to bake chicken quarters?

• I used rather large pieces, each weighing between 350 g – 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 roasted chicken, either white or dark meat is 74  degrees Celsius/ 165 degrees Fahrenheit, measured with a meat thermometer. (Amazon affiliate link)
• If not using a meat 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.

How to serve?

The roasted chicken leg quarters are delicious served with most 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, smashed potatoes, either Jollof rice or a similar rice dish, potato salad, 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 or buttered green peas?

More chicken quarters recipes:

Oven Roasted Legs with Vegetables

Baked Quarters in Honey Mustard Sauce

Turmeric Chicken

Sticky Roasted Legs with Green Onions