Baked Chicken Legs

You don’t see many easy chicken dinner recipes that call for bone-in cuts of chicken, but these baked chicken legs are an exception. Although the chicken legs bake for 45 minutes, they take only 10 minutes to prepare. Just toss the chicken with oil and a mixture of pantry spices, and they’re ready to go in the oven. This no-fuss recipe is perfect anytime you need a low-effort dinner, and it delivers juicy, flavorful chicken with crispy, golden skin every time.

Ingredients for Baked Chicken Legs

• Seasoning: You need only a few pantry spices to make a savory spice blend. Our oven-baked chicken legs are seasoned with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, and salt and pepper. See below for ideas on customizing this blend for smoky and spicy chicken legs.
• Chicken legs: This recipe calls for chicken leg quarters, which include the chicken leg, thigh and part of the back. It’s a more significant chicken cut than drumsticks and takes a bit longer to cook, but you’re rewarded with a meatier portion. You can substitute drumsticks—just be aware the cooking time may need to be adjusted.
• Olive oil: A coating of oil helps the seasoning blend stick to the drumsticks, crisps up the skin and locks in moisture so the meat stays juicy. No olive oil on hand? Swap in canola or avocado oil, or use melted butter.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the seasoning blend

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Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, combine the salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and thyme.

Step 2: Season the chicken legs

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Brush the chicken legs with olive oil.

Editor’s Tip: Pat the chicken legs dry with a paper towel first—this will help the oil and seasonings stick.

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Then add them to the bowl and toss them with the spice mixture until evenly coated.

Step 3: Bake

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Place the chicken legs on foil-lined baking sheets. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Check for doneness with an instant-read kitchen thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the drumsticks. The chicken is cooked through when it reaches 165°.

Editor’s Tip: The minimum safe cooking temperature for chicken is 165°, but the dark meat in the legs and thighs reaches optimal tenderness when cooked for a bit longer. You can leave the baked chicken legs in the oven for a few more minutes until they reach 170°, or cover the chicken with foil and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving—the residual heat will continue to cook the chicken a few more degrees.

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Recipe Variations

• Smoky, spicy chicken legs: Swap in smoked paprika or chili powder for regular paprika, or add cayenne to the spice mixture for a kick of heat.
• Herby chicken legs: Use dried parsley, oregano or Italian seasoning in the spice blend for extra herby flavor.
• Lemon-pepper chicken legs: Toss the chicken legs with lemon-pepper seasoning instead of the spice blend used in this recipe for a citrusy, zesty main dish.
• Try a seasoning packet: Instead of pantry spices, roll the chicken legs in a packet of ranch or taco seasoning.
• Use butter instead of oil: Coating the chicken with melted butter will impart a rich flavor and better browning. Butter can burn at high oven temperatures, but you can prevent it by mixing in a little oil. Try a combination of 1 tablespoon each olive oil and melted butter for the best of both worlds.
• Barbecue chicken legs: Arrange the chicken in a baking dish with store-bought or homemade barbecue sauce, similar to our baked barbecue chicken drumstick recipe. Cook the chicken at a lower temperature of 350° or 375° for 55 to 60 minutes to prevent the sugars in the sauce from burning.
• Finish with herbs: Sprinkle fresh minced parsley over the baked chicken legs for a pop of color.

How to Store Baked Chicken Legs

Oven-baked chicken legs taste best hot and crispy right out of the oven, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. You can reheat the chicken legs, pull the meat off the bones to make sandwiches or use the meat in recipes that call for leftover chicken.

How do you reheat baked chicken legs?

Reheat baked chicken legs recipes in the oven or an air fryer preheated to 350°. You can also microwave them, but the skin won’t crisp. The oven or an air fryer are your best bets to get the skin crispy again.

Baked Chicken Leg Tips

Is it better to bake drumsticks at 350° or 400°?

You’ll find baked chicken legs recipes using both temperatures, but they cook faster at 400° or higher. In this recipe, we bake the chicken at 425° to promote crispy skin and get dinner on the table faster.

Can you make chicken legs in an air fryer?

You sure can! Preheat your air fryer to 375° and cook the chicken for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway. Air-fried chicken legs cook faster than oven-baked, but there’s one caveat—you may have to cook them in batches. The chicken legs need to be arranged in a single layer so heat can circulate for even cooking and crispy skin, and most air-fryer inserts have much less surface area than a baking sheet.

How do you get crispy chicken legs?

To ensure your chicken legs turn out crispy, pat the chicken dry with a paper towel before brushing it with oil. You can help the skin crisp all over by placing an oven-safe rack on top of a baking sheet to allow air to circulate around the chicken and keep it from sitting in oil. Flipping the chicken legs halfway through cooking and popping them under the broiler for the last few minutes will also produce crispy results.

What can you serve with 0ven-baked chicken legs?

While the baked chicken legs are in the oven, prep a pot of creamy mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, or buttered noodles on the stovetop. Round out your plate and balance the savory seasonings with a sweet veggie side, like candied carrots or maple-glazed green beans.