Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters with Root Vegetables

From the roundup: 22 Easy High Protein Fall Dinners the Whole Family Will Actually Eat

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Roasted chicken leg quarters are what I make when I need dinner to mostly take care of itself. Fifteen minutes of prep, everything onto one pan, and the oven does the rest for about 50 minutes. The carrots, parsnips, and potatoes go under the chicken so they cook in the drippings the whole time, which means they come out tasting like they simmered for hours even though they did not.

The one thing I got wrong the first few times I made this: I did not dry the chicken skin well enough. If there is any moisture on the surface, the skin steams instead of crisps. Now I pat each piece with paper towels until they look almost chalky before I add any oil or seasoning, and the difference is noticeable.

This is a real weeknight dinner for a hungry family, not a project. One pan goes in, one pan comes out, and there are usually enough leftovers to pull the chicken off the bone the next day and toss it into soup or a grain bowl.

Why you will love this

• Leg quarters are one of the cheapest cuts at most grocery stores and stay juicy at high heat without much fuss.
• The root vegetables cook directly under the chicken, absorbing the drippings, so you do not need a separate sauce or gravy.
• Active prep is about 15 minutes. The oven runs the rest of the clock.
• One pan means one thing to wash, which matters on a Tuesday.
• Leftovers hold up well for 4 days and the chicken pulls apart easily for soup or sandwiches.

Tips for success

• Dry the chicken skin thoroughly before oiling it. Even a little surface moisture will prevent crisping. Paper towels and a firm press on every surface.
• Spread the vegetables in a single layer with as much contact with the pan as possible. Piled vegetables steam each other and you lose the caramelized edges.
• Do not open the oven for the first 30 minutes. Every time the door opens, the temperature drops and you lose momentum on the skin.
• If the chicken hits 165°F at 45 minutes but the skin is still pale, a few minutes under the broiler fixes it quickly. Stay close, it goes from golden to burnt faster than you expect.

Common questions

• Can I use bone-in thighs instead? Yes. Start checking the temperature around 35 minutes since thighs are smaller than full leg quarters.
• My vegetables are soft but not caramelized. Did I do something wrong? Most likely they were overlapping on the pan. Give them more room and they will brown instead of steam.
• Do I need to flip the chicken? No. Skin side up the entire time. Flipping it puts the skin against the wet vegetables and undoes the crisping.
• What if I only have dried rosemary? Use 1 teaspoon dried in place of 1 tablespoon fresh. Rub it into the oil on the vegetables so it blooms instead of sitting dry on top.

Substitutions

Bone-in thighs or drumsticks work in place of leg quarters. Reduce the cook time by roughly 10 minutes and check the temperature early. For the vegetables, turnips or sweet potatoes swap in well for parsnips. Sweet potatoes will caramelize faster, so cut them a little larger than the other pieces. Avocado oil works at 400°F if you are out of olive oil.

If someone at the table avoids nightshades, skip the potatoes and add more carrots and parsnips. The pan still fills out and the cook time stays the same. Garlic powder can replace the smashed cloves if you have a garlic-averse kid, though the roasted cloves tucked into the vegetables are worth fighting for.

Make-ahead and storage

You can season and toss the vegetables with oil, spread them on the sheet pan, and refrigerate the whole pan for up to 8 hours before dinner. Season the chicken and add it to the pan right before it goes into the oven. Seasoning the chicken too far ahead can draw moisture to the surface and work against crispy skin.

Leftovers keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 375°F oven for about 15 minutes to keep the skin from going completely soft. The vegetables freeze poorly since they get watery after thawing, but the chicken freezes well for up to 2 months. Pull the meat off the bone before freezing and it is ready to go straight into soup.

Brittany Stage

Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters with Root Vegetables

Chicken leg quarters roast over carrots, parsnips, and potatoes at high heat until the skin is golden and the vegetables are caramelized in the drippings. Simple rosemary and garlic seasoning makes this a complete one-pan dinner.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Calories: 520

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 4 whole chicken leg quarters bone-in, skin-on, patted dry with paper towels
• 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 medium parsnips peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 lb baby potatoes halved, or use Yukon Golds cut into chunks
• 1 medium yellow onion cut into thick wedges
• 5 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
• 3 tbsp olive oil divided
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped, or 1 tsp dried
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt divided
• 3/4 tsp black pepper divided
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder for the chicken
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika for the chicken

Equipment

• large rimmed sheet pan or roasting pan
• cutting board
• chef’s knife
• instant-read thermometer

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Position the rack in the center of the oven. High heat is what gives you crispy chicken skin and caramelized vegetables, so do not drop the temperature.
2. Add the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, onion wedges, and smashed garlic cloves to your sheet pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, half the pepper, and the fresh rosemary. Toss everything well with your hands so each piece is coated, then spread the vegetables into a single layer. Try to cover most of the pan surface. The vegetables should be touching the pan, not piled on top of each other.
3. Pat the chicken leg quarters very dry with paper towels. Dry skin is the key to crispiness. Rub each piece all over with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of salt, the remaining pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika, pressing the seasoning into the skin with your hands.
4. Nestle the seasoned chicken leg quarters directly on top of the vegetables, skin side up. Try to tuck the vegetables under and around the chicken pieces so they sit in the drippings as the chicken roasts. This is what gives the vegetables that slow-cooked, savory flavor.
5. Roast uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes. Do not open the oven during the first 30 minutes. At the 45-minute mark, check the chicken by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone. It should read 165 degrees F. The skin should be deep golden brown and the vegetables should be fork-tender with some caramelized edges.
6. If the skin needs more color at 45 minutes but the temperature is already at 165 degrees F, switch the oven to broil for 3 to 4 minutes and watch it carefully so it does not burn.
7. Let the pan rest for 5 minutes before serving. This lets the juices settle back into the chicken so they do not all run out when you cut into it. Serve the chicken directly over the vegetables and spoon any pan drippings over the top.

Notes

Patting the chicken very dry is the single most important step for crispy skin. Any surface moisture will steam the skin instead of roasting it. If your pan looks crowded, use two sheet pans and rotate them halfway through cooking.

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