Baked Chicken Legs Recipe

There's no denying the fact that chicken is one of the most popular proteins that people regularly enjoy, especially at dinner time. When most people think of chicken recipes, chicken breasts come to mind due to their leanness and overall versatility. But why stop at just one type of chicken? There are plenty of other wonderful parts of the chicken that you can enjoy, including chicken legs. The chicken leg yields far more tender meat than a breast, not to mention they're much less dry. Add a special coating of spices to the outside of the chicken, and this is one of the best-baked chicken legs recipes out there.

Recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating came up with this fantastic recipe that will change how you make your chicken legs. "I love how easily you can add heaps of flavor to this chicken with a simple mix of spices. They're crisp on the outside and super tender in the middle," Brookes raves. "These are great if you're cooking for a big crowd as you can make a big batch, pile them up and people can grab as many as they want." 

To make this easy recipe, you will need chicken legs, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder. You may also wish to add a little salt and pepper to the chicken, as desired.

Since you will need to use an oven to make this recipe, preheat yours to 400 F. Next, grab your chicken legs and place them on a flat surface. Using paper towels, pat the chicken legs dry to remove any excess moisture.

Drizzle the olive oil all over the chicken legs and use your hands to rub in and coat the chicken well. This will help the spices to stick to the chicken while also helping it to brown in the oven. Then, add salt and pepper to the chicken legs to taste.

To add some flavor to the chicken legs, take out a bowl to mix your spice blend. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder. "It's savory, garlicky and smoky with a hint of heat too," Brookes says of the taste. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the chicken and use your hands to rub well and coat.

Place the chicken on a metal rack over a foil-lined baking sheet, which will catch any drippings. Pop the baking sheet into the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes, making sure to flip the chicken about halfway through.

Once you remove the chicken from the oven, you can plate and serve as you wish. This is great as a main course, and Brookes shares a few of her favorite serving suggestions. "My go to would be with rice and vegetables," she says, also noting that "leftovers will keep well up to 3 days covered in the fridge."