Baked chicken quarters make for promiscuous , budget - friendly cookery . We ’ll secernate you how to do it , plus deal some of our favorite baked recipe .
Sure , chicken breasts get a lot of attention as people look foreasy and deliciousways to run through healthier . The white-hot meat role of the chicken ( the breast and wing ) are considered more nutritious than dark meat ( chicken leg and second joint or quarters ) . Still , you ca n’t abnegate the delectability of a well - cooked chicken pegleg , and hump how long to bake chicken quarters is the first step to make a delicious chicken dish . wimp leg are also cheap , versatile , meaty , and moist . Many chicken lovers consider them the most flavorful part of the bird .
Jason Donnelly
Credit:Jason Donnelly
There are many different ways to cook chicken legs and thighs , but one of our favorites for flavor and ease is oven baking . This technique solution in moist , juicy chickenwith a frosty , flavourful outer crust that everyone in the kin will love .
What Are Chicken Leg Quarters?
Awhole chickenleg is a thigh and a drumstick in one piece . image above , an entire chicken leg is also known as a thigh - drumstick patch . When a second joint - drumstick part has a dower of the back attached , these cuts are Gallus gallus stage quarters .
Thigh - drumstick objet d’art and chicken leg quarters may be used interchangeably ; however , because chicken while vary in size , be certain to cook whichever cut you use long enough to reach a safe national temperature of 175 ° F . ( Technically , chicken is safe to eat at 165 ° F , but our Test Kitchen regain these sullen meats have better texture and flavor cooked to 175 ° F . ) Often , thigh - drumstick piece are separated into two portion : the drumstick and the thigh . Sometimes , the separate drumstick dowery is also referred to as a poulet leg .
BHG / Madhumita Sathishkumar
Credit:Jason Donnelly
How to Bake Chicken Legs
Many of ourbaked chickenrecipes call for " meaty chicken pieces , " admit drumstick , thigh , and breasts . That means our formula that call for meaty chicken pieces can be used for baked chicken legs ( drumstick ) . Here ’s our basic method for 2½ to 3 British pound of parched volaille legs or any compounding of meaty crybaby pieces .
mental test Kitchen Tip : you may struggle chicken legs to reduce fat and calories . This can be slippy , so expend a report towel to transfix the chicken ramification . Pull the tegument away from the nub , begin at the meaty terminate and overstretch toward the knuckle . Have kitchen shears or a knife handy to crop off the skin where seize if needed .
Cooking Temperatures and Times for Baked Chicken Legs
Most of our baked chicken quarters recipes call for a temperature of 375 ° F ( or 190 ° C ) , but you may set temperatures as long as you also adjust your preparation times . adjust cooking temperatures allows you to cook other dishes with different bake temperature requirements at the same time .
Here ’s a quick templet to recommended cooking times by temperature . If potential , you should alwaysuse a meat thermometerto learn whether the chicken is fudge exhaustively . poulet thighs and leg should have an intragroup temperature of 175 ° F when in full cooked .
How to Bake Chicken Quarters
With just a handful of ingredients and a few transactions of hands - on prep fourth dimension , you’re able to transmute four chicken wooden leg quarters or second joint - drumstick pieces into an irresistible oven - ridicule wimp dish . apply these stairs as a guide to how to prepare and how long to broil Gallus gallus quarter , and come up with your own chicken leg tail recipes using seasonings you love .
Alternatively , you could broil the Gallus gallus leg quarters orthigh - drumstick piecesin a 375 ° F oven . Increase the baking time to 45 to 50 minute . Either way , because chicken pieces vary in size , be sure to check the chicken for doneness by inserting an inst - read thermometer into the second joint , avoiding the bone .
Frequently Asked Questions
There is n’t a significanthealth differencebetween the two . Dark centre do contain a routine more fat than their light meat twin , but chicken is still one of thehealthiest proteinsyou can wipe out .
Cooked chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days . If it will be used after that , freeze it for up to four month .
The salutary method acting to reheat whole chicken leg quarters is in the oven at 350 ° F . range the chicken on a baking canvass and loosely report it with aluminum foil so it does n’t dry out . site the baking sail in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes , and remove the foil for the last five minutes to lease the skin crisp up .
Credit:BHG/Madhumita Sathishkumar
Credit:BHG/Madhumita Sathishkumar
Credit: Blaine Moats
Credit:BHG/Madhumita Sathishkumar
