Crispy Baked Chicken Quarters

Name: Crispy Baked Chicken Quarters
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (($0.10)); 1 teaspoon Onion powder (($0.10)); 1 teaspoon Garlic powder (($0.10)); ½ teaspoon Paprika (($0.05)); ½ teaspoon Salt (($0.05)); ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper (($0.02)); 4 Chicken leg quarters (($1.88)); 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil (($0.39))

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Serve up some crispy baked chicken quarters with this tasty recipe. A perfect dinner main dish to complement any side.

an upclose view of two crispy chicken quarters on a plate

We love eating chicken quarters because they're cheap, filling, and full of delicious dark meat chicken. While we enjoy all cuts of chicken, we always find some chicken leg quarters on the menu.

Chicken quarters are cuts of chicken that include both the thighs as well as the legs. Thighs are my favorite and the kids love the drumsticks, so quarters are perfect for giving everybody what they like best.

Don't forget to check out my Instant Pot Chicken Quarters for another great option to serve up your favorite dark meat.

Why This Recipe Works

The skin is crispy. While they may not be as crispy as if we had made Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters, cooking them in the oven is perfect for my family of 4 because we can cook all of the quarters at once.
Simple ingredients. We don't need anything too fancy or expensive, in fact, we're seasoning our chicken with basic pantry staple ingredients like salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. You probably have them on hand already.
It's really frugal! Chicken quarters are one of the cheapest cuts of meat you can buy from a chicken. I often find them for less than $1 per pound at stores like Aldi and Walmart. That's a lot of meat for your money!

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🥘 Ingredients
🍽 Equipment Needed
🔪 Instructions
🧾 Substitutions
📖 Variations
🍴 Recipe Tips
🍳 Reheating
🥗 Side Dishes
👩🏻‍🍳 Storage
💭 FAQs
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🥘 Ingredients

Chicken leg quarters- You will need 4 chicken quarters of roughly the same size.

Olive oil- This will help to get the skin nice and crispy as well as get the seasoning to adhere to the chicken.

Seasonings- You will want to use a combination of Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper for maximum flavor.

For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.

🍽 Equipment Needed

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🔪 Instructions

Check out how to make Crispy Baked Chicken Quarters with these simple step-by-step instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

In a small bowl, add your seasonings.

Mix well to combine.

raw chicken quarters on a foil lined baking sheet

Place your chicken quarters on the baking sheet. Pat them dry with a clean paper towel. This helps to crisp up the skin as they bake.

brushing olive oil over chicken quarters on foil lined baking sheet

Brush the skin of the legs with olive oil until well coated.

seasoning coated raw chicken quarters on a foil lined baking sheet

Sprinkle your seasoning over the chicken and then rub well to evenly coat all sides of the meat.

baked seasoned chicken quarters on a foil lined baking sheet

Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

Let the chicken cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Be careful as they will be hot.

two crispy baked chicken quarters on a plate with more on a baking sheet in background

🧾 Substitutions

Italian Seasonings: I like to use Italian seasoning in my recipes because it contains a blend of different seasonings like rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc. You can use a homemade blend or just use oregano in its place if you don't have Italian seasoning on hand.

Paprika: Use regular paprika or smoked paprika for this recipe and it's sure to turn out delicious either way. Smoked paprika adds a nice depth of flavor that works really well here.

📖 Variations

BBQ! If desired, after the chicken has been fully cooked, you can brush some of your favorite barbecue sauce over the top of these chicken leg quarters and return to the oven. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes or until you think it looks done. Be careful and keep a close eye on them as they may burn easily under the extreme heat.

🍴 Recipe Tips

The amount of time needed to actually cook your chicken quarters will depend upon several different things including:

The size of your chicken quarters
The temperature of the chicken (is it frozen, chilled, or room temperature)
If you preheated your air fryer.

You want to make sure that your chicken cuts are all about the same size so that they cook at the same speed.

Your chicken shouldn't be frozen or have ice crystals on it, but if it does, prepare to extend the cooking time a few extra minutes as a result.

Chicken safety

You will know that your chicken has finished cooking properly when you can insert an instant read food thermometer into the meat hand have it register as 165 degrees F. The meat and juices may still have a slight pink coloration to them but it should not look raw.

🍳 Reheating

If you have leftovers, you can reheat them in the air fryer by cooking them at 350 degrees F for about 4-5 minutes or until warmed through.

Alternatively, you can cook a thigh on a plate for just 2 minutes in a microwave.

🥗 Side Dishes

This recipe pairs wonderfully with just about any side dish recipe! Recipes like 20 Delicious Summer Squash Recipes, Heaven Berry Fluff Salad, and Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli all pair wonderfully with this recipe.

👩🏻‍🍳 Storage

You can keep your cooked chicken stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days if you do not plan to eat it immediately.

💭 FAQs

What temperature should leg quarters be cooked to?

Your chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees F, but when in doubt, you can cook your dark meat to 170 degrees F.

What is the red liquid in chicken leg?

I get this question from my kids A LOT but it's NOT blood! Commercially processed chickens have blood drained before being cut, so there's almost no chance of this. The pink discoloration is mostly water and a protein called myoglobin which carries oxygen through the muscles.
Purple discoloration in your chicken is a result of myoglobin and purple marrow in the bones. These colors don't really fade as the meat is cooked, and if your chicken reaches 165F, it's perfectly fine to eat!

Are chicken leg quarters white or dark meat?

The legs and thighs of a chicken are considered dark meat; since the chicken quarters are both thigh and legs, this means that this bird cut is all dark meat.

More great chicken recipes to check out soon

📖 Recipe

two crispy chicken quarters on a square plate

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5 from 2 votes