Oven Baked Chicken Legs is a budget-friendly meal that takes less than 30 minutes to make. They’re crispy and flavorful on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. With a few tips and some simple ingredients, you can easily make delicious chicken thighs for a simple one pan dinner!
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
- chicken legs
- soy sauce
- brown sugar
- vinegar
- garlic
- salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
- fresh parsley (optional)
(Note: Full recipe is at the bottom of the post)
How To Bake Chicken Legs
- Whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper until combined.
- Whisk together marinade ingredients in a clear bowl.
- Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and toss to coat thoroughly. Let marinate for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove chicken thighs from the marinade and place on the rack.
- Place marinated chicken thighs on the rack with the skin side up
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes to make them extra crispy while deepening the color.
Tips and Tricks
- We recommend bone-in and skin-on legs to get crispy skin on top. The bone also helps them stay plump during baking!
- Shake off the excess marinade before baking and don’t pour leftover marinade onto the baking sheet.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes in the end for extra crispiness.
How Long To Bake Chicken Legs?
In terms of how long to bake chicken, it really depends on your oven temperature and the type of chicken legs. At 400°F / 204°C, bone-in chicken legs need 35-40 minutes, or less if you’re using a convection/forced air oven. Boneless chicken thighs also require about 10 minutes less.
How to Tell When Chicken Legs are Done?
When the chicken legs are done, juices will run clear and the bone will no longer be pink. However, it’s best to check for a safe internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) in poultry with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of a leg.
We recommend baking chicken legs at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time, as they’ll be more tender than at lower temperatures.
Do You Need To Flip The Chicken Legs?
No, there’s no need to flip chicken legs while baking. However, you can baste them with pan juices halfway through if you like.
Oven Baked Chicken Legs Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken legs bone-in, skin-on
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce low-sodium recommended
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons vinegar white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- fresh parsley minced – optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper until combined.
- Add the chicken legs to the bowl and toss to coat thoroughly with the marinade.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes up to 8 hours.
- Place the oven rack in the upper-middle position. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Then add a wire rack.
- Remove chicken legs from the marinade and place on the rack with the skin side up, shaking off excess marinade. (Discard leftover marinade.)
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes to make the chicken extra crispy and add a nice caramelized brown color.
- Garnish with optional parsley and serve.
Notes
- You can double the marinade and reserve half for serving. Boil it in a saucepan and drizzle on the chicken when serving.
- Make-Ahead: you can leave the seasoned or marinated chicken thighs for as long as 12 hours or overnight before cooking.
- Storage: You can store cooked chicken thighs in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Otherwise, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Reheat thawed chicken thighs for several minutes in a skillet or microwave.
Leftovers can be used for chicken sandwiches and other lunch ideas.
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