This post may contain affiliate links.

Pinterest Hidden ImagePinterest Hidden Image

If you want maximum flavor with minimal effort, add these Baked Chicken Quarters to your dinner rotation! They’re tender and juicy every time, and my blend of seasonings makes this baked chicken recipe lick-your-fingers good.

Baked chicken quarters on plate with salad and bread

Why You’ll Love This Oven-Baked Chicken Quarters Recipe

  • Chicken Quarters: The Other Baked Chicken. Yes yes, we love Baked Chicken Breast, but it’s time to shine the spotlight on chicken leg quarters. Basically, they’re the thigh and drumstick together and because they’re dark meat, they pack flavor in spades and they’re sumptuously tender and juicy. (Bonus: You can pretend you’re at Medieval Times when you eat them.)
  • The Perfect Sunday Dinner. Not every weekend is an Air Fryer Whole Chicken weekend, so baked chicken quarters are the perfect compromise, yielding enough chicken for everyone without a lot of fuss or leftovers.
  • Just 10 Minutes of Prep. It does take some time to bake this thicker cut of chicken, but that’s all hands-off (just like Chicken Marbella). Your work is done after seasoning the chicken leg quarters, which is a breeze.
  • Budget Friendly. Like Baked Chicken Legs, chicken quarters are less expensive than chicken breasts, giving you more bang for your grocery buck.
Chicken leg quarters baked on sheet pan

How to Make Baked Chicken Quarters

The Ingredients

  • Chicken Leg Quarters. AKA whole chicken legs. You may also see them sold as chicken quarters or hindquarters.
  • Seasonings. Paprika, smoked paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and ground black pepper are whisked with olive oil and salt.
  • Bread. Optional, for mopping up the pan juices. If you’re ambitious enough to make your own, try Homemade Dinner Rolls with your baked chicken quarters.

The Directions

Raw unseasoned chicken leg quarter on baking sheet
  1. Prepare. Pat the chicken dry and place it on a pan.
Measuring cup with seasoning mixture for chicken quarters
  1. Mix the Seasoning. Whisk together the remaining ingredients.
Hand rubbing seasoning onto chicken quarter
  1. Rub. Coat both sides of the chicken with the seasoning mixture.
Seasoned chicken quarters on pan before baking
  1. Bake. Arrange the chicken skin-side-up and roast chicken quarters at 325 degrees F for 60 to 90 minutes, or until they reach 165 degrees F.
Baked chicken quarters on rimmed baking sheet
  1. Finish. Transfer to a carving board, then cover and rest for 10 minutes. Serve the baked chicken quarters with pan juices and ENJOY!

Leftover Ideas

Reinvent your baked chicken quarters by using the meat in Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, adding them to Curry Chicken Salad, or tossing them with Ricotta Pasta.

Oven-baked chicken leg quarters on sheet pan

What to Serve with Baked Chicken Quarters

Oven-baked chicken quarters on plate with salad

Recipe Tips and Tricks

  • Leave the Skin On. It locks in flavor and gets crispy in the oven. Save the boneless skinless chicken thighs for Grilled Chicken Thighs.
  • Meet the Minimum Temperature. With chicken breasts, there’s a lot of fretting and stressing because after you’ve reached a safe internal temp, if it continues to climb, you’re left with tough, dry chicken. Not so with baked chicken quarters! Even at 190 degrees F, it will be tender and delicious. So basically, you’re just using your thermometer to ensure that the chicken is safe to eat, not so much keeping it from over-cooking.
  • Don’t Skip the Rest. It’s not just for Grilled Flank Steak and Thanksgiving Turkey! Letting the chicken rest allows the juices to reincorporate, which keeps your chicken leg quarters tender and moist.
  • Make Them Your Own. You can use your favorite seasoning blend (or this Chicken Thigh Marinade) to put your own spin on this recipe.

Baked Chicken Quarters

5 From 3 reviews . Help us out! Review HERE.Help out & review HERE

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings: 4 servings
With 10 minutes of prep time, these baked chicken quarters are easy as can be! Juicy, tender and flavorful, perfectly roasted in the oven.

Ingredients
  


Instructions
 

  • Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 325°F. Pat the chicken very dry and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan (make sure your pan is large enough to cook the pieces without them overlapping; a little touching at the sides is OK).
  • In a bowl or liquid measuring cup with a spout, whisk together the oil, salt, paprika, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, and black pepper. Rub it all over the chicken, coating both sides. Arrange the chicken quarters skin-side up.
  • Roast the chicken quarters until an internal read thermometer inserted at the thickest part registers 165°F, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours (don’t worry if you go over; dark meat is very forgiving and will still taste super tender; I’ve left this in until about 190°F with great results). Transfer to a carving board. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then enjoy with the pan juices spooned over the top (or mop them up with bread, yum!).

Notes

  • TO STORE: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
  • TO REHEAT: Rewarm the chicken quarters in a 350ºF oven until they’re warmed through.
  • TO FREEZE: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating according to the instructions above.

Nutrition

Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 24gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 142mgPotassium: 390mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.3gVitamin A: 1529IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 2mg

Join today and start saving your favorite recipes

Create an account to easily save your favorite recipes and access FREE meal plans.

Sign Me Up

Related Recipes

If dark meat is your thing, try these chicken recipes next:

Did you try this recipe?

I want to see!

Follow @wellplated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!

You May Also Like

Free Email Series
Sign Up for FREE Weekly Meal Plans
Each includes a grocery list, budget, and 5 healthy dinners, helping you save time, save money, and live better!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

Learn more about Erin

Leave a Comment

Did you make this recipe?

Don't forget to leave a review!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




The maximum upload file size: 5 MB. You can upload: image, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

  1. Oh what a gorgeous chicken. Seasoning was perfect, I love the combination of flavors! I did have to increase the cooking time, because the leg quarters I had were very large. Easy and delicious affordable meal. We made this with roasted root vegetables.5 stars

  2. Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious!!!! The rub was so flavorful! The process was very easy. Cooking time took awhile but it was worth it. The flavor was incredible and the skin was crispy. It just blows my mind how a few ingredients could create such intense flavors.5 stars

  3. I’m in love with this recipe. My chicken came out moist and tender. Clear instructions and easy to understand recipe. Definitely a game changer. I served it with mashed potatoes and some steamed carrots and green beans. What a perfect meal. Thank you so much, Erin! Looking forward to more of your recipes.5 stars

No comments (yet). Help our readers and give a thumbs up to any comment you found helpful!