Oven Roasted Craven Legs

$4.46 recipe / $2.23 serving

Chicken legs are often one of the least expensive cuts of chicken. Coincidentally, they are as well my favorite part on a rotisserie craven because that dark meat is just then juicy and tender! Since I loooove rotisserie craven, I decided to try to make Oven Roasted Craven Legs that were close in texture to the moist and tender rotisserie craven that I so dear. How would I accomplish that? Low and slow heat, my friends. Depression and slow.

Oven Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters

Oven Roasted Chicken Legs in a white casserole dish with baking juices surrounding.

How to Keep Roasted Chicken Moist

When meat is cooked slowly at a low temperatures it stays juicy and tender. The connective tissues soften and suspension down into a tasty gelatin. The whole procedure is meat magic. You'll likewise desire to embrace the meat tightly to forestall moisture from evaporating, and baste once or twice while the chicken legs baste. Piece of cake enough!

What Temperature Do you Roast Chicken Legs at?

The method I use requires two phases: a low 300ºF for 1 hour (that'due south the "low and irksome" role), and so finishing off the chicken without a cover at 425ºF for near 30 minutes to crisp up the skin. This two phase method gives you the all-time of both worlds–tender juicy insides and crispy dark-brown skin.

Can I Use Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts?

This low and dull roasting method is designed for bone-in, skin-on craven pieces only. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cook much faster and will dry out out using this method. For instructions on how to cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts, see my recipe for Garlic Herb Baked Chicken Chest.

How Do You Flavour Roasted Chicken Legs?

Every bit far as seasonings go, you lot can use merely nearly anything! I used my favorite blend du jour, lemon pepper seasoning, but you could also use any of these seasoning blends:

  • Poultry Seasoning
  • Chili powder
  • Steak seasoning
  • Back-scratch pulverization
  • Taco seasoning
  • Cajun seasoning
  • Chipotle pepper
  • Herbs de Provence
  • Za'atar

At that place are so many options. I smeared my chicken skin with a little butter first, which as well makes a huge difference. That little flake of creamy butter mixed with the chicken juices fabricated the most incredible sauce e'er.Certain, you tin use olive oil or coconut oil instead, but butter… yes, butter is just special.

What Do You Serve With Roast Chicken?

These Oven Roasted Chicken Legs go groovy with: Vinaigrette Slaw with Feta, Spinach and Feta Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli Cheddar Casserole, or Lemony Cucumber and Couscous Salad, Roasted Carrot and Feta Salad.

Bird's eye view of Oven Roasted Chicken Legs in a white casserole dish.


Oven Roasted Chicken Legs

Wearisome and low oestrus is the key to tender and juicy oven roasted chicken legs. This simple recipe makes an easy principal dish for any night of the week.

Prep Time: x mins

Cook Time: ane hr 30 mins

Total Time: i 60 minutes 40 mins

Servings: 2 to iv servings

  • ii bone-in, skin-on craven legs ($iv.20)
  • one Tbsp butter (room temperature) ($0.xi)
  • one/2 Tbsp lemon pepper seasoning* ($0.15)

  • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Lightly coat the inside of a casserole dish with non-stick spray.

  • Pat the chicken dry out with a paper towel, and so smear butter over the surface of the pare. Sprinkle the lemon pepper seasoning liberally over both sides of the chicken pieces. Place the seasoned chicken in the goulash dish.

  • Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for i hour at 300ºF. Baste the craven once half way through. Subsequently i hour, remove the foil, baste over again, and turn the oestrus up to 425ºF. Continue to bake the chicken at the college temperature for 20-30 minutes, or until the skin has accomplished the desired level of brownness. Serve with the juices spooned over top or with staff of life for dipping.

*Or utilise your favorite seasoning blend. If your seasoning does not contain salt, be sure to add a pinch or ii of table salt to the chicken.

Come across how we calculate recipe costs here.

Serving: 1 leg quarter ・ Calories: 787 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 12.6 yard ・ Protein: 59.35 chiliad ・ Fatty: 60.65 grand ・ Sodium: 799.65 mg ・ Cobweb: 0 g

Nutritional values are estimates simply. See our full diet disclaimer hither.

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Scroll down for the step past step photos!

Front view of Oven Roasted Chicken Legs in a white casserole dish

How to Make Oven Roasted Chicken Legs – Step by Step Photos

Chicken leg quarters wrapped in butcher paper with price sticker

Since I'm trying to buy  higher quality meat while staying in budget, I have to be actually careful nigh what cuts I purchase. These craven legs were $2.99/lb., which is expert for this particular store. I bought 4 whole legs (thigh and drumstick connected), and froze two for later on.

Chicken wrapped and packaged for freezing in a freezer bag

The two that I froze I just wrapped back up very tightly in the plastic and wax paper that they came in, then sealed it off in a quart sized freezer purse (labeled and dated, of course).

Chicken smeared with butter and coated in lemon pepper seasoning

Anyway, dorsum to the ii that I cooked for the Oven Roasted Chicken Legs… Preheat the oven to 300ºF and pat the craven dry out with a paper towel. Smear well-nigh one Tbsp of room temperature butter over both pieces (i Tbsp full, not per piece). Then season each side liberally with lemon pepper seasoning, or your favorite seasoning alloy. Identify the seasoned chicken in a casserole dish coated with not-stick spray.

Lemon pepper seasoning bottle

I love this stuff considering it's kind of a one-stop-shop. It has salt, pepper, and lemon, which is my FAVORITE. Anyway, regardless of what seasoning yous employ, make sure to be aware about whether or not it has salt. If the seasoning is salt-free, you'll want to add together a pinch or ii to the meat.

Chicken after roasting with a cover for one hour

Cover the dish tightly with foil, and then broil in the preheated 300ºF oven for one hr. Drip the chicken half way through (spoon the juices over pinnacle). Later on an hour, the meat should exist quite tender, but the skin will be soft and blonde, like the photo above. To achieve that prissy brown crispy pare, remove the foil and turn the oven temperature up to 425ºF.

Browned Chicken after roasting without cover at higher temperature

Bake the craven for an additional 20-30 minutes at the higher temperature (you lot tin can go out information technology in the oven every bit it heats up to the higher temp), or until it develops the level of brownness that yous like on the skin.

Roasted chicken legs in the casserole dish, garnished with parsley, an arrow pointing at the drippings

The liquid that ends upwards in the bottom of the casserole dish is PURE GOLD. Information technology's like, ane of the best things I've ever tasted, so don't let that get to waste. I like to spoon it over whatsoever I'one thousand serving the chicken with (if serving with rice or pasta), or serve some bread to sop it up. You can too pour it into a skillet, add a little white wine, and simmer information technology until it's reduced to brand a delicious pan sauce. Something about that butter, lemon, and pepper is just per-fect.

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Oven Roasted Chicken Legs - BudgetBytes.com