Chicken Leg Quarters, Oven-Baked with Crispy Skin

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Baked in a hot oven, these chicken leg quarters emerge with wonderfully browned skin and juicy meat. It's an easy, hands-off recipe that practically cooks itself.

Chicken leg quarters are served on a white plate, garnished with parsley.

These chicken leg quarters have become a family favorite. They have deeply browned, delicious skin and succulent meat. Who says chicken can't be a delicacy? When well-seasoned and baked until the skin achieves a gorgeous golden brown hue and delightful crispiness, chicken is delightful!

Ingredients

Here's an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.

Olive oil spray: I use extra-virgin olive oil.
Chicken leg quarters: These are bone-in and skin-on thigh and drumstick, attached. I get them at my local supermarket or at Whole Foods.
To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and dried thyme.

Variations

Instead of spraying the chicken with oil, you can brush it with melted butter or ghee. However, if the chicken is very cold, the butter will quickly harden.
Try different spice combinations. Good options include smoked paprika, oregano, and ground cumin. You can add half a teaspoon of each additional spice.
You can brown the chicken, especially the tops, in an ovenproof skillet in butter or oil, then transfer it to the oven. This method achieves extra-crispy skin. I rarely bother because oven-baking is easier and yields fabulous results.

Instructions

This is such an easy recipe! The oven does all the work. The detailed instructions for making it are included in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:

Arrange the chicken on a rimmed, parchment-lined baking sheet or a greased 9 X 13-inch baking dish. Generously spray it with olive oil and sprinkle it with spices.

Four chicken leg quarters on a baking sheet, seasoned with salt and spices.

Bake the chicken until fully cooked. This should take 40-45 minutes in a 425°F oven.

Serve immediately. Look at that gorgeous, crispy skin!

A closeup showing off how crispy the chicken turned out.

Recipe Tip

Check the chicken after the first 30 minutes. If the skin seems to be browning too much, loosely cover the top with foil and continue baking until cooked through, for 10-15 more minutes. You can see in the photo below that after 30 minutes, the chicken is quite browned on top:

Four chicken leg quarters in the baking sheet after 30 minutes in the oven.

However, at this point, it's still undercooked on the inside. So I loosely cover it with foil and place it back in the oven until it's cooked through:

The pan was covered in foil to protect the chicken from burning.

Featured Comment

This chicken was so delicious! I have not had chicken like this In twenty years. It is so good! Thank you for this simple recipe.
- Deborah Rike Read more comments

Recipe FAQs

Should I remove the skin?

Absolutely not! I use every inch of its fatty deliciousness. Many chicken recipes instruct you to trim any excess skin from the thigh. Me? On the contrary. When I make this recipe, I leave every bit of delicious skin on.

In fact, if I have space in the pan, I spread the excess skin out (as shown in the photo below), and then it comes out super crispy and so good - like chicken skin chips, similar to freshly baked homemade pork rinds, but even better. I do the same when making these crispy baked chicken thighs.

Can I use frozen leg quarters?

Please don't. They should be fully thawed before you use them in this recipe.

Should I bake the chicken covered or uncovered?

Start baking it uncovered. After the first 30 minutes, check on it. If the skin seems to be darkening too much, loosely cover it with foil and continue baking until cooked through.

Serving Suggestions

This versatile main course pairs well with any side dish. But since I bake the chicken in a 425°F oven, I like to serve it with sides that I can bake in the same oven, such as:

In the photo below, you can see that I baked the chicken and Brussels sprouts together:

Chicken quarters and Brussels sprouts are baked together in the oven.

Here they are served together for dinner:

A chicken quarter is served on a white plate with roasted Brussels sprouts.

Storing Leftovers

You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I don't like to reheat them, as it dries the chicken out. Leftover chicken is delicious when eaten cold! I like to make a lunch plate with cold leftover chicken, quick pickles, fresh-cut veggies, and homemade ranch or blue cheese dressing.

If you'd like to reheat the leftovers, cover and reheat them in the microwave at 50% power. Alternatively, reheat them uncovered in a 350°F oven. This will help re-crisp the skin, which tends to become soggy when refrigerated.

Two chicken leg quarters are served on a white plate.

5 from 50 votes

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Crispy-Skinned Chicken Leg Quarters

Cooked in a hot oven, these chicken leg quarters emerge with perfectly browned skin and juicy meat.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Rest time5

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 375kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

Video

Ingredients

▢ Olive oil spray - extra-virgin
▢ 4 chicken leg quarters - drumstick and thigh
▢ 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - see notes below
▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
▢ ½ teaspoon paprika
▢ ½ teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with high-heat-resistant parchment paper, or grease a 9 X 13-inch rimmed baking dish with olive oil.
Place the chicken pieces in the prepared baking dish. Generously spray their tops with olive oil and sprinkle them with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and dried thyme.
Bake the chicken, uncovered, for 30 minutes. If at this point the tops are very browned but the inside hasn't yet reached 165°F, as measured by an instant-read thermometer not touching the bone, loosely cover the pan with foil and return it to the oven for 10-15 more minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Allow the chicken to rest for five minutes before serving.

Notes

If using any salt other than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, including Morton kosher salt, use half the amount listed.
In the video, you can see me making half the recipe.
Many chicken recipes instruct you to trim any excess skin from the thigh part. Me? On the contrary. When I make this recipe, I leave every bit of delicious skin on. If I have space in the pan, I spread any excess skin out on the pan, and it comes out wonderfully crispy - like chicken skin chips.
You can brown the chicken, especially the tops, in an ovenproof skillet in butter or oil, then transfer it to the oven. This method achieves extra-crispy skin. I rarely bother because simply oven-baking yields fabulous results and is so much easier.
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for 3-4 days. I don't like to reheat them, as reheating dries the chicken out. Leftover chicken is delicious when eaten cold!
If you'd like to reheat the leftovers, cover and reheat them in the microwave at 50% power. Alternatively, reheat them uncovered in a 350°F oven. This will help re-crisp the skin, which tends to become soggy when refrigerated.

Nutrition per Serving

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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.

Chicken Leg Quarters

Ingredients

Variations

Instructions

Recipe Tip

Featured Comment

Recipe FAQs

Serving Suggestions

Storing Leftovers