Chicken legs are often one of the least expensive cuts of chicken. Coincidentally, they are also my favorite part on a rotisserie chicken because that dark meat is just so juicy and tender! Since I loooove rotisserie chicken, I decided to try to make Oven Roasted Chicken Legs that were close in texture to the moist and tender rotisserie chicken that I so love. How would I accomplish that? Low and slow heat, my friends. Low and slow.
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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 break down into a tasty gelatin. The whole process is meat magic. You’ll also want to cover the meat tightly to prevent moisture from evaporating, and baste once or twice while the chicken legs baste. Easy enough!
What Temperature Do you Roast Chicken Legs at?
The method I use requires two phases: a low 300ºF for one hour (that’s the “low and slow” part), and then finishing off the chicken without a cover at 425ºF for about 30 minutes to crisp up the skin. This two phase method gives you the best of both worlds–tender juicy insides and crispy brown skin.
Can I Use Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts?
This low and slow roasting method is designed for bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces only. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cook much faster and will dry out using this method. For instructions on how to cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts, see my recipe for Garlic Herb Baked Chicken Breast.
How Do You Season Roasted Chicken Legs?
As far as seasonings go, you can use just about 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
- Curry powder
- Taco seasoning
- Cajun seasoning
- Chipotle pepper
- Herbs de Provence
- Za’atar
There are so many options. I smeared my chicken skin with a little butter first, which also makes a huge difference. That little bit of creamy butter mixed with the chicken juices made the most incredible sauce ever. Sure, you can use olive oil or coconut oil instead, but butter… yeah, butter is just special.
What Do You Serve With Roast Chicken?
These Oven Roasted Chicken Legs go great with: Vinaigrette Slaw with Feta, Spinach and Feta Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli Cheddar Casserole, or Lemony Cucumber and Couscous Salad, Roasted Carrot and Feta Salad.
Oven Roasted Chicken Legs
Servings 2 to 4 servingsIngredients
- 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken legs ($4.20)
- 1 Tbsp butter (room temperature) ($0.11)
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon pepper seasoning* ($0.15)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Lightly coat the inside of a casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, then smear butter over the surface of the skin. Sprinkle the lemon pepper seasoning liberally over both sides of the chicken pieces. Place the seasoned chicken in the casserole dish.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for one hour at 300ºF. Baste the chicken once half way through. After one hour, remove the foil, baste again, and turn the heat up to 425ºF. Continue to bake the chicken at the higher temperature for 20-30 minutes, or until the skin has achieved the desired level of brownness. Serve with the juices spooned over top or with bread for dipping.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Oven Roasted Chicken Legs – Step by Step Photos
Since I’m trying to buy higher-quality meat while staying in budget, I have to be really careful about what cuts I buy. These chicken legs were $2.99/lb., which is good for this particular store. I bought four whole legs (thigh and drumstick connected), and froze two for later.
The two that I froze I simply wrapped back up very tightly in the plastic and wax paper that they came in, then sealed it off in a quart sized freezer bag (labeled and dated, of course).
Anyway, back to the two that I cooked for the Oven Roasted Chicken Legs… Preheat the oven to 300ºF and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Smear about 1 Tbsp of room temperature butter over both pieces (1 Tbsp total, not per piece). Then season each side liberally with lemon pepper seasoning, or your favorite seasoning blend. Place the seasoned chicken in a casserole dish coated with non-stick spray.
I love this stuff because it’s kind of a one-stop-shop. It has salt, pepper, and lemon, which is my FAVORITE. Anyway, regardless of what seasoning you use, make sure to be aware about whether or not it has salt. If the seasoning is salt-free, you’ll want to add a pinch or two to the meat.
Cover the dish tightly with foil, then bake in the preheated 300ºF oven for one hour. Baste the chicken half way through (spoon the juices over top). After an hour, the meat should be quite tender, but the skin will be soft and blonde, like the photo above. To achieve that nice brown crispy skin, remove the foil and turn the oven temperature up to 425ºF.
Bake the chicken for an additional 20-30 minutes at the higher temperature (you can leave it in the oven as it heats up to the higher temp), or until it develops the level of brownness that you like on the skin.
The liquid that ends up in the bottom of the casserole dish is PURE GOLD. It’s like, one of the best things I’ve ever tasted, so don’t let that go to waste. I like to spoon it over whatever I’m serving the chicken with (if serving with rice or pasta), or serve some bread to sop it up. You can also pour it into a skillet, add a little white wine, and simmer it until it’s reduced to make a delicious pan sauce. Something about that butter, lemon, and pepper is just per-fect.
I tried this with drumsticks and they were delicious. My stepson who is a “foodie” went back for seconds! Proud moment.
I made this for dinner tonight. I’ve NEVER made quarter cut, very intimidating lol I finally did and this recipe was AH-MAZING. I did set the oven to 425°, after baking for an hour. I checked on it, and it was burning the juice. I took it down to 375° for the last 10 mins and it came out PERFECT! The adjustment could just be my oven. The chicken was tender and literally fell off the bone. Well definitely make this again. Thanks!
What if I just use the legs and not the whole cut?
Smaller pieces will probably take less time to cook, but I’d need to experiment with it before suggesting cooking times.
HI Beth
would like to try this tonight. with drumsticks and thigh mix did you test the time for this yet? don’t wanna over or undercook tnx a bunch sue
i have about 10-12 in total by the way
No, I’m sorry, I haven’t tested it yet. :(
I made this recipe yesterday. It was great. The liberties that I took for the three leg quarters… I added 1 cup of chicken broth (I wanted more yum sauce), thinly sliced some onions to put on top of chicken, fresh sliced lemons on that, prior to that…, plenty of butter, garlic, thyme, lite on the rosemary, parsley and plenty of lemon pepper. In the roasting pan was carrots, mushrooms and onion. Everyone was very pleased.
I made this last night and it was so ridiculously good that I’ve been fantasizing about it all day today. I’m going to buy more chicken after work so I can make it again.
I used just the legs, 5 of them, and didn’t have sauce halfway though, but I did have plenty after an hour. The browning was perfect after taking the foil off for 20 minutes. I had sauteed some squash, zucchini, and onions in olive oil and used the sauce to dip the veggies in. It was incredible!
Oh, I also sprinkled Tony’s Seasoning along with the lemon pepper (because, ya know, Louisiana – that’s just what you do). It was perfect!
I used just legs. At the end with the 425 degrees, I checked it at 20 minutes and there was no browning of the skin. I checked 5 minutes later and my yummy sauce had burned up :( Chicken still tasted great!
Absolutely the best chicken I have ever made! This is the most tender yet perfectly crispy on theoutside. I could not stop eating it! I used drummetts and it turned out perfect just like the legs. I will definitely be using this again!!
Sauce was yummy, but chicken was on the dry side. (Will use Ina Garten’s recipe for roast chicken instead. This has never failed.) I liked the lemon pepper, though.
I’m relatively newbie with cooking and don’t understand a lot of logic behind recipes like this. How is it you’re able to slather chicken with butter and cook it at such a high temperature without it smoking crazily? Doesn’t butter have an extremely low smoke point?
I think it’s because by the time the temperature is raised to 425 (it’s only at 300 for most of the cooking time) the butter has mixed with other ingredients/molecules, like the chicken juices. Also, when baking, the temperature of the air may be 425, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the items *in* the air have gotten up to that temperature. It would be a different story if you added the butter directly to a skillet that is 425 degrees. :)
Thanks Beth! That makes sense, I hadn’t thought of it that way. This recipe was delicious. Definitely making it again. Your site is getting me through basics of cooking. :)
It was okay but it got the whole family sick! Will not make again.
Salmonella probably got the whole family sick, if anything……..not the author’s fault…..
Exactly Lucy.
This is a easy awesome flavorful dish. I used Montreal chicken seasoning. So juicy. Served with mashed potatoes honey glazed carrots
I made this twice tonight! Seriously! It was that good! But both times I didn’t have the yum sauce. I followed the recipe, any idea why?
Hmmmm that’s interesting. There should have been at least a little from the butter melting off. Maybe your oven is quite a bit dryer than mine for some reason. This is a mystery! (And a tragedy because that yum sauce is seriously YUM.)
This Chicken was so juicy and tender I couldn’t stop eating it. The sauce is as you said perfect and yummy. I put it over my pasta and it was the best ever. I love your recipe and will always use it.
I usually don’t like dark meat chicken, but Sprouts had quarters on sale, so gave this recipe a shot. Some of the best chicken I’ve ever had. Made exactly as instructed. Thank you!
Would I change the cooking time if I just had the legs ???(with no thigh attached)
Yes, since they are smaller pieces they will probably cook faster. Unfortunately I’d need to test it to see just how long to cook them. :(