Baked Chicken Legs Are Frugal And Easy
This is definitely a recipe to try if you are trying to keep your grocery budget low and save time. You can also use other cuts of chicken such as chicken thighs or oven baked chicken breasts.
We love to use what we have in the freezer or can get on sale at the grocery store. Just keep in mind the cooking time will vary based on what type of meat you use.
Plus, I have found that by using what is on sale at the grocery store or already in the freezer helps the grocery budget greatly!
We are big fans of using what we have or can grab on sale at the grocery store. By cooking like this, it really helps me to save money on groceries.
It is a huge help to our budget. I cut our grocery bill by 50% off by following these 8 Tips for for Saving Money on Groceries by Menu Planning!
How To Make Baked Chicken Thighs
Heres a quick overview of how to make this easy chicken thigh recipe. Find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions below.
More Ways To Season Chicken Thighs
Below youll find my go-to Italian baked chicken thighs recipe variation, but this recipe is versatile. Feel free to vary the seasonings according to your craving.
- BBQ Baked Chicken Thighs. Season the thighs with your favorite BBQ spice blend. Bake per the time and temperature suggested in the recipe . Serve with Barbecue Sauce.
- Old Fashioned Chicken Thighs. Keep it simple with salt, pepper, and paprika. Serve with Easy Drop Biscuits and your favorite gravy.
- Southern Baked Chicken Thighs. Season the chicken with a blend of garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, seasoned salt, a little cayenne, and dried rosemary.
- Curry Baked Chicken Thighs. Season the thighs with curry powder, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and salt.
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Can I Make This With Chicken Breasts
You can easily swap out the chicken legs and thighs for chicken breasts. If you are using chicken breast, you will want to make sure to keep the skin on. That is going to give you the same texture and the closest flavor to these chicken legs.
You will need to adjust your cooking time as well. When cooking chicken breast and cooking chicken legs and thighs the cooking time is different. You want to be careful not to dry the chicken breast out since it does not have the same fat content as the darker meat.
Is It Better To Bake Chicken Thighs At 350 Or 400
It depends on how quickly you want the chicken thighs to cook. At 400F, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs will need 40 minutes. At 350F, they will need around 50 minutes. While the lower temperature takes longer, it decreases the risk of them drying out. More on the best temperatures for baking chicken thighs here.
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How To Make Roasted Chicken Pieces
Baking this chicken is as easy as pie! Or, um, chicken! Its easy, just trust me. Were simply going to season it up and then follow a basic roasting method starting out with high heat, and then finishing with a lower heat. Lets do this!
Baked Chicken Thighs Recipes
This high-protein, whole grain dish proves that healthy and delicious are not mutually exclusive concepts. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs bake in a covered skillet on a bed of brown rice punched up with orange juice and zest until theyre tender and moist.
This recipe is exactly the kind of elegant comfort food that chicken thighs are capable of. Flavorful skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs roast together on a sheet pan with butternut squash until cooked, then theyre layered in a casserole dish atop creamy pasta and baked until the cheese gets melty and the chicken skin turns golden-crisp.
Turn bone-in, skinless chicken thighs into a juicy-crisp weeknight main the whole family will look forward to. Once the thighs are coated in a mayo-mustard mixture and seasoned dredge mix, theyre arranged on a rack atop a foil-lined baking sheet and baked until golden-crisp.
To keep boneless chicken thighs moist as they cook, Ellie Krieger first marinates them in a soy-garlic-ginger mixture, then cooks them under a hot broiler. She starts the thighs skin-side down, then flips em over and cooks them till crispy and cooked through.
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Read Also: Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs Baking
More Comfort Food Dinners You’ll Love
- Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs features a quick and easy marinara sauce and perfect baked meatballs!
- Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole with Chicken is a classic American comfort food casserole well deserving of a comeback! Featuring melty Colby Jack cheese and a crunchy Cornflake topping. The perfect comfort food casserole!
- Oven-Baked Crusted Pork Chops features pork chops with a crispy panko breading. Always tender, never dry this easy pork recipe will be your familys new dinnertime favorite!
- Fork-Tender Pot Roast is slow-cooked, savory and smothered in a rich brown gravy. This just might be the most wanted comfort food dish of all! And, this one, in particular, shines far above the rest thanks to a few simple steps other recipes are leaving behind.
- Slow-Cooker Spare Ribs are as close to ribs hot off the pit as youll get, and although cooked indoors and in a crock pot, they yield the perfect bite with a burst of big BBQ flavor. Best of all? Theyre seriously easy to make.
How To Make Baked Chicken Legs In The Oven:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
Place the chicken drumsticks on the baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the drumsticks. I used a basting brush to cover the chicken drumsticks evenly.
Combine all the seasonings together in a small bowl. Rub the seasoning mixture over the drumsticks.
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Baked Bbq Chicken Legs And Thighs
Baked BBQ Chicken is a classic American family dinner. Kids love it, husbands love it, and us moms can make it lickety-split for a crowd-pleasing dinner — therefore, we love it too. With crisp skin and BBQ sauce that actually stays put, this easy recipe for perfect Baked BBQ Chicken Legs and Thighs is guaranteed to be the best Baked BBQ Chicken you have ever had!
While baked BBQ chicken seems like a simple enough dinner idea, it’s also a dish that often gets the short end of the stick. However, there will be none of that here.
Oven-baked Barbecue Chicken doesn’t have to be rubbery, and it certainly shouldn’t be lackluster in the flavor department. This simple recipe ensures that the dish remains a crowd-pleasing staple on any American dinner table, and one your family will eagerly look forward to again and again.
Sear The Chickenbut Why
Searing the chicken for Baked BBQ Chicken prior to baking not only helps to develop depth of flavor but also gives the chicken texture. However, before you sear the chicken, you should take a couple of steps to ensure it is optimized for browning.
Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel to remove excess water, drizzle it with oil, and then sprinkle it with either TAK House Seasoning or your favorite poultry seasoning.
To sear the chicken legs and thighs, add oil to a large pan and place it over medium-high heat. Place the chicken skin-side down in the hot oil and cook it for 4 minutes without jostling or moving the chicken around. This will allow it to develop a nice sear. Then, turn the chicken over and cook it an extra 3 minutes.
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Can You Freeze Raw Drumsticks
Absolutely! You can freeze raw chicken for up to 9-12 months for best results. Simply lay the drumsticks on a parchment lined sheet pan in a single layer and place in the freezer. Once solid, you can move them to a freezer bag for more compact storage.
TIP:If you like, you can brush with butter and season the chicken legs before freezing. That way there is virtually no prep before baking later.
How Do You Know When Theyre Done
The best way to tell is to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. Baked chicken should be cooked to a temperature of at least 165 degrees, but for legs I let them cook longer. Sometimes there are red spots in the meat near the bone and if you cook them a little longer those disappear. The meat will still be really juicy and tender!
You can also just cut into one and check that its cooked all the way through. The meat should be thoroughly cooked to the bone and the juices should run clear. But, seriously, I recommend a thermometer it just makes life so much easier.
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What Goes With Baked Chicken
With a recipe this simple, there are so many options to serve as a side to complete this dinner. You can go very simple and just serve a salad or something like this broccoli cheddar soup. Of course, you can even just your favorite vegetable or some basic garlic butter mashed potatoes instead.
If you want to make the dinner feel more complete and even more amazing you can serve it with homemade scalloped potatoes, creamy mac and cheese, and Hawaiian rolls.
More options that will go fantastic with this baked chicken legs and thighs are recipes like broccoli salad and potato salad. This will bring that homestyle feel to your dinner.
How Long To Bake Chicken Thighs
Baked bone in chicken thighs require about 35 minutes baking time at a high temperature. Bake them until the juices run clear, and there is no more pink at the bone. Keep in mind that boneless skinless chicken thighs will require about 10 minutes less time.
- Chicken Thighs at 350°F 50-55 minutes
- Chicken Thighs at 375°F 45-50 minutes
- Chicken Thighs at 400°F 40-45 minutes
- Chicken Thighs at 425°F 35-40 minutes
Chicken thighs may vary in size so its a good idea to use a meat thermometer any time you are cooking poultry. The safe cooking temperature for chicken is 165°F.
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How To Make Perfect Oven
If the proper steps are not taken, you’ll end up with a pile of rubbery chicken skin and a sauce barely clinging on. So how do you cook barbecue chicken in the oven? Simple. All you need to know, straight ahead.
How To Make Baked Chicken Quarters For Recipes That Are Juicy And Delicious
Sure, chicken breasts get a lot of attention as people look for easy and delicious ways to eat healthier. Still, you can’t deny the deliciousness of a well-cooked chicken leg. The white meat parts of the chicken are considered healthier than dark meat . But the truth is, there isn’t a significant health difference between the two. Dark meats do contain a bit more fat than their light meat counterparts, but chicken is still one of the healthiest proteins you can consume. And chicken legs are also inexpensive, versatile, meaty, and moist. Many chicken lovers consider them the most flavorful part of the bird.
There are many different ways you can cook chicken legs and thighs, but one of our favorites for flavor and ease has to be oven baking. This technique results in a moist, juicy chicken with a crisp, flavorful outer crust that everyone in the family will love.
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What Are Chicken Leg And Thigh Quarters
Chicken leg and thigh quarters consist of the thigh and the drumstick of the chicken. It is called quarter because it usually makes the quarter of the whole bird. This cut is typically sold skin-on, bone-in. Chicken leg and thigh quarters contain a considerable amount of fat and flavor. It holds well in high temperature, and the meat is juicy and tender when cooked. It is also budget-friendly in comparison with other chicken bits, and perfect for a family meal rotation.
What To Serve With Chicken Legs
There isnt much that doesnt go with baked chicken drumsticks. If you want to turn it into a full meal, I recommend serving it with a vegetable side dish. Here are a few recipes to get you started:
- Southern Fried Cabbage Serve up your oven roasted chicken legs with this cabbage recipe as a nod to a classic Southern combo!
- Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad This salad has everything you want: crunch, sweet, salty, creamy! And everyones favorite ingredient.
- Mushroom Cauliflower Risotto This risotto can certainly stand alone as a meal, but pair it with baked chicken drumsticks for a balanced and well-rounded meal.
- Cheesy Cauliflower Tots Making this baked chicken drumsticks recipe for the family? Everyone will be happy about this side dish.
- Almond Flour Biscuits Remember that Southern cabbage side above? Add these for a REAL Southern meal. Just 4 ingredients!
- Oven Roasted Garlic Green Beans Even my kids couldnt stop eating these with their chicken.
- Easy Sauteed Broccoli A great option if you want to make your side dish while you have your chicken legs roasting in the oven.
This chicken drumstick recipe is flavorful enough on its own, but feel free to serve it with BBQ sauce or other sauces you like with chicken.
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How Long To Cook Chicken Legs In The Oven
Usually it takes about 40 to 45 minutes to cook average size bone-in chicken legs in a pre-heated 400º F oven although the time may vary depending on the size of the drumsticks and how hot your oven runs. I always recommend you take a quick peek after 35 minutes of baking to make sure the legs arent browning too fast.
The best and most accurate way to know when the chicken is ready is to test the internal temperature with a digital thermometer. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F when checked on the thickest and meatiest part of the drumstick, without touching the bone.
What Are Chicken Leg Quarters
A whole chicken leg is a thigh and a drumstick in one piece. Pictured above, an entire chicken leg is also known as a thigh-drumstick piece. When a thigh-drumstick part has a portion of the back attached, these cuts are chicken leg quarters.
Thigh-drumstick pieces and chicken leg quarters may be used interchangeably however, because chicken pieces vary in size, be sure to cook whichever cut you use long enough to reach a safe internal temperature of 175°F. Often, thigh-drumstick pieces are separated into two portions: the drumstick and the thigh. Sometimes, the separate drumstick portion is also referred to as a chicken leg.
Related: How to Bake Chicken Breasts So They’re Always Juicy, Never Dry
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How To Bake Chicken Leg Quarters In The Oven
This section shows how to cook chicken leg quarters in the oven, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
FYI: Drying the chicken helps the skin get crispy.
TIP: Line the pan with aluminum foil if you like.
Lining the pan is not required, but makes for easier cleanup.