These oven baked chicken leg quarters have a beautifully roasted, crispy skin dipped in butter, generously covered in kosher salt, scattered with whole cloves of fragrant garlic and sprinkled with delicate twigs of rosemary to bring all the amazing flavors to your dinner plate. Crispy Baked Chicken Leg Quarters will quickly become a new go to dinner recipe.
Chicken is a great source of protein and a very popular dish. If you love chicken like we do, you may also enjoy our Crispy and Moist Air Fryer Chicken Leg or some fantastic white meat Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot. This roasted chicken quarter recipe is so delicious but if you can also make this Roasted Chicken Thighs recipe without the legs.
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Why You'll Love These Baked Chicken Quarters
- 3 for 1. You get the drumstick, the chicken thighs, and a piece of the back when you're making chicken leg quarters. Not just the chicken legs with this recipe.
- Juicy Dark Meat. You get nice tender meat from the thigh-drumstick pieces that can handle heat and produce flavorful juicy meat.
- Meal Prep. Make an extra batch or two of this roast chicken and use it for different meals throughout the week.
- Budget-friendly Dinner. This cut of meat is very economical and practical for those who need to keep to a grocery budget.
Simple Ingredients
- Chicken leg quarters.
- Kosher salt.
- Butter and canola oil. You can use another neutral cooking oil, such as grapeseed or vegetable. I do not recommend olive oil or avocado unless you want those flavors on your chicken.
- Garlic cloves. Use whole peeled cloves. They will add so much flavor to your baked chicken leg quarters without overpowering them.
- Fresh rosemary. Use fresh sprigs and strip the leaves off of the stem.
The recipe card below contains the exact amount of these ingredients.
How To Make Crispy Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Add melted butter and olive oil to your 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish.
- Using paper towels, pat the chicken dry. Place the chicken quarters skin side down in the dish and then turn them in the butter mixture until well coated. When finished, place the chicken leg quarters skin side up in the baking dish without overlapping and in a single layer.
- Generously season the chicken with kosher salt. Scatter the whole garlic gloves around the chicken and sprinkle the rosemary sprigs over the chicken.
- Put the dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 400°F and bake, for 10 to 15 minutes more or until an instant read thermometer inserted horizontally into the thickest part of the leg quarter registers 165°F.
- When finished cooking, transfer chicken to serving plates and serve immediately. Serve your baked chicken leg quarters with potatoes and carrots such as in this Sweet and Crispy Roasted Carrots and Potatoes recipe using red potatoes which can be prepared in the oven right alongside the chicken leg quarters. We also love baked chicken leg quarters with these Easy Sautéed Green Beans with Brown Butter and Almonds.
Storage Instructions
Store your extra or leftover baked chicken leg quarters in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. You can freeze cooked chicken in a freezer bag or container once it's cooled down for 2 to 3 months.
Food Safety
The safe internal temperature for cooked chicken is 165°F. I highly recommend using an instant read meat thermometer for testing the internal temperature of the meat, poultry, and fish you are making. You may want to remove the chicken from the oven when it's 5 degrees cooler as the chicken's internal temperature will continue to rise once it is removed from the oven. This helps make sure your chicken stays moist.
Top Tips
- For best results, don't skip patting the chicken quarters dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. This helps the oils and seasonings adhere better and will result in a crispier skin.
- Instead of melting the butter separately, I put the butter and the oil in the glass baking dish and place it in the oven while the oven is preheating. You need to keep an eye on it so the butter doesn't brown. You want the butter melted and slightly bubbly. Remove the dish from the oven and gently swirl the dish to spread the oils evenly. Then, continue with the rest of the steps.
- Don't forget to cut any excess fat and remove pin feathers from the chicken leg quarters.
- Using a high temperature in the beginning and then decreasing the temperature helps you get crispy chicken skin.
Variations
These baked chicken leg quarters are delicious roasted according to this recipe, but here's another delicious way to prepare this chicken leg quarters recipe.
You can swap out the rosemary for other fresh herbs and spices such as thyme. Italian seasoning, oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and lemon pepper would all be great choices. Add a splash of chicken broth to blend with the butter, oils and spice mixture in the bottom of the dish. Serve the juices with the chicken or make a gravy.
This Crispy Baked Chicken Leg Quarters recipe is a recipe that the whole family will get excited about and goes with so many side dishes. Besides the roasted potatoes and green beans suggested above, you could steam broccoli florets or make corn on the cob. Both of these go great with baked chicken leg quarters.
Enjoy this delicious baked chicken leg quarters recipe around the dinner table for the next time you want a delicious, easy weeknight dinner. This chicken recipe is destined to become a new favorite.
📋 Recipe
Crispy Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
Ingredients
- 4 chicken leg quarters
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, or other neutral cooking oil
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish add the melted butter and the olive oil.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Add the chicken quarters skin side down and then turn them in the butter mixture until well coated. Arrange the chicken leg quarters skin side up in the baking dish without overlapping.
- Generously season the chicken quarters with kosher salt. Scatter the whole garlic gloves around the chicken. Sprinkle the rosemary leaves over the chicken.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 400°F and bake, for 10 to 15 minutes more or until an instant read thermometer inserted horizontally into the thickest part of the leg quarter registers 160°F.
- Transfer chicken to serving plates and serve immediately.
Cooks Tips
- Cut any excess fat or pin feathers from the chicken leg quarters.
- Patting the chicken dry with a paper towel will help the oils and seasonings adhere better and will result in crispier skin.
- Instead of melting the butter separately, I put the butter and the oil in the glass baking dish and place it in the oven while the oven is preheating. You need to keep an eye on it so the butter doesn't brown. You want the butter melted and slightly bubbly. Remove the dish from the oven and gently swirl the dish to spread the oils evenly. Then, continue with the rest of the steps.
- The safe internal temperature for chicken is 165°F. I recommend removing the chicken 5 degrees sooner as the chickens internal temperature will continue to rise once it is removed from the oven.
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