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My oven baked chicken leg quarters recipe has gorgeous crispy brown skin and juicy meat. It’s easy to make and packed with flavor.
If you love baking chicken like we do, try my crispy baked chicken thighs, baked chicken breast, baked chicken legs, and baked chicken wings next.
Table of Contents
I often reach for these baked chicken leg quarters for a simple chicken dinner. Chicken leg quarters are basically the whole leg of the chicken, including the thigh, drumstick, and a bit of the back. It’s budget-friendly, and my whole family adores it!
Why I love this recipe
- Simple but satisfying. Baking chicken might seem a little boring, but the combination of light and dark meat means naturally juicy meat every single time.
- Bursting with flavor! I coated the chicken in a delicious blend of oil, herbs, and spices, yielding epic crispy skins and mouthwatering flavors.
- A versatile dish. Feel free to change up the seasonings to customize the flavor here. As for sides, it’s up to you!
Key Ingredients
- Chicken leg quarters. This hearty cut of bone-in dark meat is made up of the chicken drumstick and thigh. It’s a pretty substantial cut of meat but very affordable, so it’s great as a dinnertime protein. I find most grocery stores stock this (usually in the deli/meat counter), and almost all butchers do, too.
- Olive oil. Good ‘ol olive oil is my trusty companion when I want a gorgeous and golden-baked exterior. You can use unsalted butter or another mild flavored oil.
- Seasonings. I seasoned the chicken with a blend of brown sugar, paprika, salt, black pepper, thyme, garlic powder, and onion powder.
How to cook chicken leg quarters
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1 – Season the chicken. Pat your chicken quarters dry with paper towels. Mix the seasonings with olive oil in a small bowl, then brush the spice mixture over the outside of each chicken leg quarter.
Step 2 – Bake. Place the seasoned chicken quarters on a lined sheet pan and bake until they’re crispy on the outside and cooked through on the inside.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Always dry your chicken. Use paper towels to soak up the excess moisture on the outside of the chicken quarters before seasoning and baking. It’s the key to crispy skin!
- For extra crispy chicken, bake it on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet. This gives the dry heat of the oven a chance to touch every piece of skin, yielding crisper results.
- You’ll know when the chicken is fully cooked and safe to eat once it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. To check for doneness, use an instant-read thermometer.
- Make it extra juicy. I found that covering the baking sheet with aluminum foil traps some of the moisture and prevents the chicken from drying out.
More easy chicken dinners
Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
Video
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken leg quarters or 6 smaller ones
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175C/330F.
- Pat dry the chicken with a paper towel.
- Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt, dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper in a bowl. Pour the olive oil over it, and mix well.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the chicken on it. Pour the spices over the chicken and spread it well from all sides.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F.
Notes
- Consider marinating. Soaking the chicken quarters in my 4-ingredient chicken marinade or chicken drumstick marinade for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours for maximum flavor) will add lots of delicious flavors.
- Use a different cut of chicken. This oil and poultry seasoning blend can be used to flavor just about any cut of chicken, from breasts to tenders to thighs! Just be aware that different cuts of chicken will cook at different rates.
- Experiment with other seasonings. Add some heat with red chili flakes or cayenne pepper, stick to a store-bought poultry seasoning, use an Italian seasoning blend, or borrow from other cuisines and season with ingredients like cumin, garam masala, or gochugaru.
Nutrition
Originally published January 2024, updated and republished February 2025
I know turkey leg is much bigger right? I like it more!
This is SO good!
Do you cover the chicken legs while cooking?
There is no need to 🙂