Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
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Baked Chicken Leg Quarters is a dish that is economical to make, and it tastes like you spent hours preparing. This dish is perfect for when you are running out of a paycheck or even went you want something that will remind you of comfort food.
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Roasted Chicken Quarters
Few dishes are as delicious and versatile as those made with chicken. This bird can be prepared in a multitude of different ways and served with just about any side dish to make a perfect family meal.
Chicken leg quarters are inexpensive, filling, and a great way to stretch the budget when you are drawing down your paycheck. However, with this dish, you don’t sacrifice any flavor because chicken leg quarters are dark meat, meaning they are much more flavorful than breast meat.
In fact, baked chicken leg quarters is a comfort food dish that tastes like you spent hours preparing.
You could use chicken legs or thighs if you want or just buy what’s on special. You can often spend less on chicken leg quarters than buying separate thighs and drumsticks or even whole chickens! This makes this poultry cut a real money-saver for anyone with a large family.
What Are Chicken Leg Quarters
Chicken leg quarters are a great chicken cut worth learning how to cook well. One chicken quarter makes an ideal portion for a hungry adult as it contains the drumstick, the thigh, and part of the back of the chicken.
You can often spend less on chicken leg quarters than buying separate chicken thighs and drumsticks or even whole chickens! This makes this poultry cut a real money-saver for anyone with a large family.
As an additional bonus, chicken leg quarters are dark meat meaning they are much more flavorful and tender than breast meat. On the downside, they do contain a higher amount of fat.
Why This Is the Oven-Baked Chicken Quarters Recipe You Must Try
Baking leg quarters in the oven is easy and takes just minutes to prepare. This oven-roasted chicken quarters recipe uses inexpensive ingredients and only requires one pan for the entire meal, making clean-up a breeze.
This baked chicken recipe will please even the pickiest eaters in your family and definitely earn a place in your weekly menu rotation!
Baked Chicken Quarters Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Chicken leg quarters
- Red potatoes
- Carrots
- Radishes
- Garlic
- Onions or shallots
- Olive oil
- Lemons
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Butter
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh parsley
How to Make Chicken Leg Quarters in the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place cut potatoes, carrots, and radishes into a bowl.
- Place chopped garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice into the bowl.
- Place chopped fresh rosemary and parsley on the vegetables.
- Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and mix to coat the vegetables evenly.
- Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
- Transfer vegetables to a 9 X 13-inch pan or rimmed baking sheet and spread them into a single layer.
- Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake on the center rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
- Pat dry the chicken quarters with a paper towel.
- Spread softened butter under and over the chicken skin.
- Season buttered chicken with salt and pepper.
- Remove the vegetables from the oven, remove the foil, and place the chicken quarters skin side up on top of the vegetables.
- Roast the chicken for 30 minutes or until done.
Oven-Baked Chicken Quarters Recipe Variations
- Feel free to experiment with your choice of root vegetables. This oven-roasted chicken quarters recipe contains red potatoes, carrots, and radishes, but you don’t have to feel restricted.
- Oven-roasted chicken quarters work equally well with sweet potatoes, parsnips, and fennel. Choose the freshest root vegetables available and you won’t be disappointed.
- Add spices to the veggies. Some ideas are garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, poultry seasoning, smoked paprika, or your favorite spice mixture.
- If you are calorie conscious, you can reduce the fat content by removing the skin, although many people consider the crispy skin to be the best part.
How Long to Cook Baked Chicken Quarters
Cooking time can vary depending on the oven temperature and size of the chicken quarters. Here is a handy guide for baking chicken quarters uncovered:
- 350 degrees – 45 to 60 minutes
- 375 degrees – 45 to 55 minutes
- 400 degrees – 35 to 40 minutes
- 425 degrees – 25 to 35 minutes
- 450 degrees – 20 to 30 minutes
Undercooking chicken is dangerous, so it is best to ensure the chicken is fully cooked by using a meat thermometer.
How to Ensure your Chicken Leg Quarters Are Perfectly Done
Chicken is not the most forgiving protein to cook. Many home cooks have problems with undercooking or overcooking. Luckily, dark meat is less likely to dry out from an extra few minutes of cooking time.
After thirty minutes in the oven, start checking your chicken’s internal temperature. To be safe, you need to wait until the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F. Be sure not to let the probe touch the bone, or you will get a false reading.
Extra Cooking Tips For Oven Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
Increase the cooking time for even crisper chicken and more flavor. Unlike chicken breasts that can turn grainy when cooked for too long, baked chicken leg quarters taste better when slightly overcooked.
CopyKat Tip: Try cooking your chicken quarters until it reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
What to Serve With Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
This chicken leg quarters recipe already has a lot of vegetables in it, so it’s practically a meal all by itself. You could serve it with a fresh green salad and some dinner rolls or crazy bread.
How to Store Chicken Leftovers
After chicken is cooked, it should not sit out at room temperature for more than two hours before being placed in the fridge in an airtight container. It will be good for 3 to 4 days.
You can also freeze leftover chicken for up to 4 months. Use a plastic ziptop freezer bag for storage. Remember to press out as much air as possible before sealing.
How to Reheat Chicken Without It Becoming Dry
There are several ways for reheating chicken and keep it moist. You can use your oven, stovetop, microwave, or air fryer.
- Air Fryer – Preheat the air fryer to 375°F. Place the chicken in the air fryer basket and air fry for 4 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through air frying.
- Oven – Place the chicken in an oven-safe dish with a few tablespoons of chicken stock or water. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350°F until the internal temperature is 165°F.
- Microwave – Place the chicken on a microwave-safe plate and cover it with wax or parchment paper. Microwave for 2 minutes and check if it is warmed. If not, microwave in 30-second intervals until it is heated.
- Stove – Remove the chicken from the bone. Cover the bottom of a skillet with water and add the chicken meat. Simmer until the chicken is warmed through.
Looking for more chicken recipes? Try these!
- BBQ Chicken Quarters
- BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad
- Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Creamy Butter Chicken Recipe
- Japanese Chicken
- Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken Recipe
- Shoyu Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
Favorite Budget-Friendly Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Dry Black Beans Recipe
- How to Cook Cabbage on the Stove
- Spaghetti Casserole
Check out more of my easy chicken recipes and the best budget recipes here on CopyKat!
Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds chicken leg quarters
- 1 pound red potatoes
- 1 cup carrots cut into large pieces
- 1 cup radishes
- 4 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped onions or chopped shallots
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large lemon or two small lemons
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt divided use
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper divided use
- 1 small rosemary stem
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut potatoes into quarters and place them in a bowl.
- Peel and cut carrots into bite-sized pieces.
- Cut radishes in half.
- Place cut carrots and radishes into the bowl.
- Cut the lemon into thick slices and place them in the bowl.
- Place chopped garlic into the bowl.
- Place the lemon zest and lemon juice into the bowl.
- Coarsely chop the fresh rosemary and parsley and place them on the vegetables.
- Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and mix to coat the vegetables evenly.
- Season vegetables with salt and pepper.
- Pour vegetables into a 9 X 13-inch pan. Spread out vegetables into a single layer.
- Cover pan with foil and bake at 425 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.
- If desired, spread softened butter under the chicken skin.
- Spread a light layer of butter on the outside of the chicken skin.
- Season the buttered chicken with salt and pepper.
- Remove vegetables from oven, remove the foil, and place the chicken over the vegetables skin side up.
- Roast the chicken at 425 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until done. Chicken is done when it is pierced and the juices run clear and has an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.
Video
Nutrition
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