Print FriendlyChicken legs are seriously underrated. With grocery prices going up, it’s a great time to give chicken legs a second look. Chicken legs are rising in popularity with home chefs and restaurants alike and I can see why! They are juicy, flavorful and the most cost effective cut of chicken we have available.
I roasted chicken legs for supper last night plus extra to turn into burritos which I will freeze so we have something quick and easy in the freezer that I can just reheat on those long summer days.
Prepping the legs was easy and then I just put them in the oven and forget about them until the timer goes off.
Chicken legs has been a recurring dish on our table the last couple of year but this was the first time that I have cooked ‘extra’ legs to use in a dish like burritos and the cooked legs were way easier to debone than I anticipated. I just held the bony end of the leg and used a fork to scrape the meat off the bone. This was a quick & effective way to remove all of the meat and in short order I had several cups of chicken ready to go into our burritos. My summertime self is going to be so happy with wintertime me when I can pull supper out of the freezer at 9pm when the fading sunlight finally forces us in from the fields.
How to cook chicken legs? I like to roast them at 425F for about 50 minutes. Here’s my process + the seasoning I used last night:
- Turn oven on to 425F
- Pat chicken dry with paper towel
- Rub legs with paste made from olive oil & herbs/spices
- Place legs on a baking rack on a cookie sheet – optional but using a silicone mat under the rack with help with clean up
- Place in 425F oven for 35 minutes
- Flip drumsticks and return to oven for 15-20 minutes more
- Remove from oven and let rest 3-5 minutes before serving
Using a baking rack on top of your baking sheet is totally optional but putting the legs on a rack does make the skin crispier – and who doesn’t love crispy chicken skin??
You can use any seasoning you like but since I was using the leftovers in burritos, I mixed up a southwest seasoning.
Another herb combo I like to use on chicken is rosemary, thyme & garlic.
Here’s my Southwest Seasoning Recipe:
Southwest Seasoning for 8 chicken legs
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp oregano, dried
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Mix together herbs and add enough olive oil to make a paste
I paired these with roasted sweet potato bites – I will share that recipe in my next blog. If you have been looking for a low prep, simple supper idea, give chicken legs a try!
Enjoy!
Emily
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