Chicken Leg Quarters Recipe (quick, easy, 5 ingredients!)

This chicken leg quarters recipe only requires 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep. It’s ridiculously easy, and the result is way more flavorful and delicious than you would imagine. Because this recipe just calls for olive oil, salt, paprika, granulated garlic and pepper, these chicken quarters are also naturally keto, paleo, whole30, dairy-free and gluten-free. This recipe was originally published in 2020 and updated with new tips in 2025.

Ever since I first shared this recipe, it has become a weekly staple in my kitchen. With a generous helping of roasted potatoes, it’s my family’s absolute favorite dinner. In fact, it’s the only way my son will eat potatoes – and he inhales them. 🙃

Before I posted this recipe, I had made a ton of chicken leg quarter recipes, and this is, by far, my favorite and definitely the easiest. I do love these Smoked Chicken Quarters, but they’re far from quick.

It’s my go-to recipe whenever I realize that we don’t have any leftovers and I don’t have enough time to stand around in the kitchen to prepare something.

Even if I do have the time, I still make these about once a week. I actually made a whole chicken yesterday and my husband was disappointed that I hadn’t made these roasted chicken leg quarters instead.

Whenever it’s his turn to make dinner, he always makes these. I make up a huge batch of the spice mix, so all he has to do is put some olive oil and the spice mix on the chicken and cut up some potatoes.

Ingredients

• Chicken leg quarters – the best part of a chicken! They give you juicy, flavorful meat with crispy skin. If you don’t want to use quarters but still want to use the spice mix, you’ll need to look up the correct temperature and cooking time for your chosen cut of chicken.
• Salt – helps draw out moisture for crispier skin. I sometimes use smoked sea salt, which is also delicious.
• Paprika – you can use regular (sweet) paprika, hot, or smoked. If using smoked paprika, which comes in varying levels of heat, it adds depth, smokiness, and depending on the type, a kick of heat. If you’re cooking for kids who aren’t used to spicy food, use regular paprika.
• Granulated garlic – if using fresh garlic, don’t add it at the beginning, as it’ll burn. Brush on a tablespoon of minced garlic mixed with fat from the pan during the last 10 minutes of baking. 
• Ground black pepper – provides a mild heat and balances the other spices. I’ve been omitting this lately due to allergies and still love the flavor. So you can definitely omit it!
• Olive oil – helps the seasoning stick and promotes crispy skin. Avocado oil is actually the best choice for high-heat cooking. I personally don’t like the flavor, so I always go with extra-virgin olive oil despite the much lower smoke point. Refined peanut oil, sunflower oil and canola oil also work.

What are chicken leg quarters?

Chicken thigh + drumstick (which is the lower part of the leg) + part of the back = chicken quarters. If you need a chicken thigh recipe, try these baked chicken thighs.

What makes them so great?

If your family fights over the dark meat, chicken quarters are where it’s at.

They’re inexpensive, moist, meaty, and so easy to prepare. Compared to white meat, they have a juicier flavor, are richer and harder to dry out.

I love whole roasted chickens, but I have a knack for overcooking them. I also don’t like preparing them. These leg quarters are just so much easier.

There’s nothing not to love about them unless you dislike dark meat.

Are they healthy?

I’m sure you’ve heard that white meat is a healthier choice than dark meat. It’s true that dark meat has about double the amount of saturated fat as white meat, but it’s still a small amount. It also has double the amount of healthy unsaturated fat.

Some studies even indicate that dark meat is healthier than white meat. It has more nutrients and contains more zinc and iron. That’s great news, right? 😄

One thing everyone agrees on is that the skin is unhealthy. But bake the chicken with the skin on.

It keeps the chicken moist! And it’s much easier to remove after cooking.

Tips

Before we get started on how to make these quarters, let’s look at some key tips.

How to bake chicken leg quarters

Baking chicken leg quarters is super easy. 

Mix together the spice rub. If you’ve made this before and love it, you might as well mix together a 12x batch in a jar. For that, you need 6 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 cup paprika, 1/4 cup granulated garlic and 2 tablespoons ground black pepper.

Rub it all over the chicken, including the bottoms and under the skin.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 185-190 °F (85-88 °C). If you don’t have a thermometer, it’s totally okay.

Slice into the thickest part of the thigh (near the bone). The meat should be opaque (not pink), and the texture should be firm but still juicy. If it’s pink or translucent, cook it longer.

Unlike white meat, chicken leg quarters actually get better when cooked beyond the minimum safe temperature of 165 °F (74 °C). That’s because dark meat has more connective tissue and fat than white meat. Cooking it to 185-190 °F (85-88 °C) allows collagen to break down, making the meat tender and juicy rather than chewy.

Also, dark meat doesn’t dry out as easily as white meat because of the higher fat content. Instead, it stays moist even at higher temperatures.

Can I add potatoes?

I always make these with potatoes. They suck up the chicken juice and fat and become the most flavorful potatoes.

If you want the bottoms of the chicken quarters to be crisp, you need to place them on a rack in the pan, as you see in the photos.

I prepared them that way for the pictures because I know most people want those crisp bottoms. I don’t eat the skin, so I don’t care if the bottoms are soggy.

So what I actually do is put the chicken in the pan, without a rack, and then fill up the rest of the space with potato and sweet potato chunks as well as some carrot slices. They should be in a single layer – not piled on top of each other.

Add a bit of olive oil and a portion of the spice mix (using half the salt – so 3/4 teaspoon) per 2 pounds (907 grams) of potatoes.

I also have this Air Fryer Chicken Quarters recipe, but I prefer this baked version – 100% because of the potatoes. There’s not enough space to make a large amount of potatoes in an air fryer, and the fat just drips away.

I stir the potatoes after 20 minutes, then again 15 minutes later. If they don’t brown enough for your liking by the time the chicken is ready, just remove the it from the pan, turn up the heat a bit, and bake until golden and crisp.

But even if they’re not golden brown, those potatoes are crazy delicious. I often skip the browning step because I simply can not wait any longer to eat the potatoes.

How to store and reheat

Store – let the leftovers cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Freeze – for longer storage, place the chicken in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheat – to keep the skin crispy, reheat in a 375 °F (190 °C) oven for about 10-15 minutes. For a quicker option, use an air fryer at 375 °F (190 °C) for 5-7 minutes. Avoid microwaving, as it can make the skin soggy.

5 from 134 votes

Chicken Leg Quarters Recipe

Author Erin Dooner

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 chicken leg quarters (mine were 3 1/4 lbs or 1.5 kilos total)
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 °F (205 °C).
• Place an oven-safe cooling rack on a baking tray big enough to fit all the chicken.
• Stir together the spices in a little bowl.
• Place the chicken on the cooling rack (in the pan) and drizzle the olive oil over the top.
• Rub half the spice mix between the skin and the meat. Rub the other half on top and on the bottom of the chicken. On the bottom, there's just a little drumstick meat that you need to rub - no need to rub the bones.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the internal temperature is 185 °F (85 °C) and the skin is browned and crisp. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
• If you have any leftovers, let them cool and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Notes

For the paprika, you can use regular (sweet) paprika, smoked or hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 383kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 24gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 142mgSodium: 984mgPotassium: 320mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 360IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg

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