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Home » Chicken Recipes » Chicken Leg Quarters

Chicken Leg Quarters

A photo of Vered DeLeeuw.
by Vered DeLeeuwUpdated Apr 28, 2025
40 Comments
5 from 51 votes

Jump to Recipe Review Recipe

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 and Variations

The ingredients needed to bake chicken leg quarters.

See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.

  • Olive oil spray: Instead of spraying the chicken with oil, you can brush it with melted butter (yum) or ghee. However, if the chicken is very cold, the butter will harden, so I usually opt for olive oil spray. It's also easier and faster.
  • 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. Sometimes, I add a generous pinch of onion powder.

Instructions

The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.

  • Arrange the chicken on a rimmed, parchment-lined baking sheet or a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Generously spray it with olive oil and sprinkle it with 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.

5 stars rating. 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 Tips

Protect the Chicken with Foil

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. 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

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

Crispy Skin Tip

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.

Four chicken leg quarters in a pan. The skin was spread on the pan to help it become crispy.

Storage Tips

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. Leftover chicken is delicious when eaten cold! I 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.

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:

  • Roasted fennel
  • Keto eggplant parmesan
  • Roasted broccolini
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts

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.

Recipe Card

Chicken leg quarters are served on a white plate, garnished with parsley.
5 from 51 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 minutes mins
Cook Time40 minutes mins
Rest time5 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 375kcal
Author: Vered DeLeeuw
Prevent your screen from going dark

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.
    Parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • 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.
    Four chicken leg quarters on a baking sheet, seasoned with salt and spices.
  • 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.
    The pan was covered in foil to protect the chicken from burning.
  • Allow the chicken to rest for five minutes before serving.
    A chicken quarter is served on a white plate with roasted Brussels sprouts.

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

Serving: 1 chicken quarter | Calories: 375 kcal | Protein: 30 g | Fat: 27 g | Saturated Fat: 7 g | Sodium: 412 mg

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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.

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Comments

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Alyssa Austin says

    April 19, 2025 at 6:23 pm

    5 stars
    Came out really good and not dry at all. I used double the seasonings though.

    Reply
    • Vered DeLeeuw says

      April 19, 2025 at 9:54 pm

      I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe, Alyssa! Thank you for the review and feedback.

  2. Laura R Suarez says

    March 10, 2025 at 2:48 pm

    5 stars
    Came out perfect! I usually BBQ my Leg Qtrs, but my BBQ is being refurbished.. So I looked up ways to Oven Bake. The chicken was delicious!

    Reply
    • Vered DeLeeuw says

      March 11, 2025 at 9:37 am

      Wonderful, Laura! I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for the review.

  3. Belinda says

    January 27, 2025 at 3:00 am

    5 stars
    Delicious

    Reply
  4. William Dietrich says

    January 12, 2025 at 3:52 pm

    5 stars
    Very good.

    Reply
  5. Pat Nugent says

    December 01, 2024 at 9:14 am

    5 stars
    I did brine the quarters about 7 hours in advance and that always makes a big difference. Done perfectly after 45 min, the last 15 min covered. I went with smoked sweet paprika.

    Reply
    • Vered DeLeeuw says

      December 01, 2024 at 9:17 am

      Sounds wonderful, Pat! I enjoy your comments and feedback on my recipes. Thank you.

    • Ricky T says

      December 11, 2024 at 4:40 pm

      Instead of the thyme,could I use Italian seasoning,I have the other ingredients,no chicken quarters I’m using just thighs

    • Vered DeLeeuw says

      December 11, 2024 at 7:04 pm

      Hi Ricky,
      Yes - that should work!

    • Loraine Pottier says

      January 27, 2025 at 1:05 pm

      Do you bake the chicken on the middle rack, and Brussel sprouts on the top rack? Just want to be sure.

    • Vered DeLeeuw says

      January 27, 2025 at 1:07 pm

      Hi Loraine,
      Yes! The top rack of most ovens is a bit hotter than the middle one, so I like to place the veggies there to promote browning.

  6. Dawn Gilbert says

    November 10, 2024 at 1:20 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious!! I had pretty large leg quarters, so my bake time was closer to 50 minutes. They came out crispy and tender. Will make again!

    Reply
    • Vered DeLeeuw says

      November 10, 2024 at 1:22 pm

      Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Dawn! Thank you for taking the time to write a comment.

  7. Maggie says

    November 09, 2024 at 3:29 pm

    5 stars
    You are the first person i have heard of liking cold leftover chicken. I love it next day cold. This recipe is awesome thank you.

    Reply
    • Vered DeLeeuw says

      November 09, 2024 at 4:09 pm

      Cold chicken is the best! It's the best picnic food, too. 🙂 Glad you liked this recipe, Maggie.

  8. Deborah Riker says

    October 31, 2024 at 6:23 pm

    5 stars
    This chicken was soooo delicious’ I have not had chicken like this In twenty years! It is s good!thank you for this simple recipe!

    Reply
    • Vered DeLeeuw says

      October 31, 2024 at 6:26 pm

      You're very welcome, Deborah! I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe.

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Healthy Recipes Blog was founded in 2011 by Vered DeLeeuw. It features real food recipes with a focus on low-carb and gluten-free ingredients. All recipes are nutritionally reviewed by a Registered Dietitian. Contact us at HealthyRecipesBlog@gmail.com.

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