This chicken leg quarters recipe is by far one of the tastiest chicken recipes. There is a lot of flavor coming from the rub alone, but pan-searing, followed by oven-roasting, adds a ton of extra flavor. That beautifully caramelized skin is just so tasty. With most of the fat rendered out, it turns thin and crispy in the oven. You can’t have enough of this chicken. This recipe is a sibling of my popular Crispy Oven Roasted Chicken Breast recipe with a modified seasoning mix. It’s hard not to love. Unlike the Crispy Oven Roasted Chicken Breast, chicken leg quarters don’t have to be brined, but you can if you want. Personally, I don’t feel the need to brine the chicken in this recipe as it already gets so much flavor and the dark meat stays moist and juicy very well on its own.
Some may disagree, but chicken leg quarters, which consist of chicken drumsticks and thighs, just taste better when they are cooked way past the safe temperature of 165F. To be exact, they need to be cooked to about 185F – 190F. That’s when they become fall-off-the-bone tender, while still being juicy and moist inside. Dark meat takes heat much better than white chicken meat.
You can vary the seasoning mix in this recipe and use what you like. I’ve tried using Creole and Cajun spice mixes with great results. Just be careful with herbs that consist of large pieces, they tend to burn in the oven. I try to stick to powders as they seem to work best. To give the chicken even more flavor, you may use butter instead of cooking oil for pan-searing. Not only will it give the chicken more flavor but it will also result in a richer, deeper color.
Looking for more great chicken leg quarters recipes? Check this out:
Kickin’ Grilled Chicken Legs Smoked Chicken Leg Quarters
Looking for more crispy chicken recipes? Check these out:
Extra Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken Thighs Extra Crispy Baked Chicken Wings Buffalo-Style Baked Chicken Drumsticks Oven Roasted Chicken Breast (Very Crispy)
