Winner, winner, chicken dinner – this Oven Roasted Chicken Quarters is the perfect balance of sweet, savoury, and spicy. Make this baked chicken quarters for dinner tonight, or prep it as a freezer meal for later!
Oven Roasted Chicken Quarters
Every time I manage to snag some chicken quarters on sale, I’m always super excited since it can cost me less than $4 for 4 servings of chicken. According to this article from The Kitchn, chicken leg quarters are the least expensive cut of chicken, making leg quarters the most budget-friendly chicken part!
So what are chicken leg quarters? The leg quarters consist of both the thigh and drumstick, so you get a pretty substantial amount of meat. Here’s how to roast chicken leg quarters in the oven!
Why You’ll Love This Baked Chicken Quarters Recipe
- It’s hands off. Once you’ve marinaded the chicken and popped it off into the oven, the oven will do all the work for you!
- This recipe yields you golden, crispy skin with moist, tender meat.
- I love that it’s made with just a handful of pantry staple ingredients, so I can easily make it without having to run out to the store.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- rice vinegar — make sure you buy unseasoned rice vinegar and not seasoned rice vinegar.
- olive oil — or another neutral oil of your choice.
- sriracha — or a hot sauce of your choice.
- soy sauce — I recommend using low sodium soy sauce so it’s less salty.
- honey — for added sweetness.
- seasoning — I use onion powder and garlic powder to season these baked chicken quarters.
- chicken leg quarters — I would never suggest you remove the skin. It’s the best part ;) Keep the chicken leg quarters as is.
- water or chicken stock — chicken stock adds more flavour than water.
You’ll also need a large baking dish that will fit the chicken legs. Mine’s a 10″ x 14″ dish from Crate and Barrel’s Farmhouse line.
How to Roast Chicken Leg Quarters in Oven
- In a large bowl or ziploc bag, mix together the marinade and add the chicken quarters to it, making sure the legs are covered.
- Let the chicken marinade for 30-40 minutes or overnight if time allows.
- Heat oven to 400F.
- Grease a large baking dish (or spray with PAM) and place the chicken legs inside. Add 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock to the pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Half way through, I brushed some of the liquid inside the dish onto the chicken legs.
- Lower the oven to 345F and finish baking for 5 more minute or until the internal temperature reaches 180 F/82 C on your thermometer.
Tips and Notes for Making Baked Chicken Quarters
- You can make some extra marinade to brush onto the chicken at the halfway point if desired.
- I like to serve this roasted chicken leg with mashed potatoes and peas.
- Adding the splash of liquid to the baking dish will help keep the chicken moist as it bakes.
- Line the baking pan with aluminum foil for much easier cleaning after cooking.
- Don’t toss the chicken drippings! I like to hold onto it and spoon it over my sides, such as mashed potatoes. It’s so flavourful! You can even turn the drippings into a gravy! Check out this slow cooker whole chicken recipe to see how to turn drippings into gravy.
Make Ahead Tips
- Meal prep: once cooled, store the baked chicken quarters in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Make ahead: place the marinade and chicken quarters in a large freezer friendly ziploc bag, to prep this meal ahead of time. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready, thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
- Freezer: allow the roasted chicken quarters to cool before transferring them into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer. They can last for up to 3 months.
I roast mine for 45 minutes but due to varying sizes, please keep in mind that larger legs or smaller legs may need +/- 5 minutes. Make sure that the internal temperature reaches 180 F/82 C on your thermometer.
I recommend using a sheet pan with high rims so the liquid doesn’t overflow.
Baked Chicken Quarters
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp sriracha, or a hot sauce of your choice
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
Everything else
- 4 chicken leg quarters
- 1/2 cup water or chicken stock
Instructions
- In a large bowl or ziploc bag, mix together the marinade and add the chicken quarters to it, making sure the legs are covered.
- Let the chicken marinade for 30-40 minutes or overnight if time allows.
- Heat oven to 400F.
- Grease a large baking dish (or spray with PAM) and place the chicken legs inside. Add 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock to the pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Half way through, I brushed some of the liquid inside the dish onto the chicken legs.
- Lower the oven to 345F and finish baking for 5 more minute or until the internal temperature reaches 180 F/82 C on your thermometer.
More Chicken Recipes to Try
- Dutch Oven Chicken
- Cast Iron Skillet Roasted Chicken
- Firecracker Baked Chicken Thighs
- Crispy Chicken Drumsticks
- Korean Fried Chicken
- Cast Iron Roast Chicken
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Cathy says
This has very good flavor! I marinated for about 4 hours. I don’t like spicy so I didn’t add the hot sauce. I baked on a cookie sheet and didn’t add the stock and the soy sauce I used was low sodium (trying to keep it a low sodium meal) . It cooked beautifully. My husband loved it said its the best chicken recipe so it’s going into my rotation. Thank you!!!