Chicken legs are often one of the least expensive cuts of chicken. Coincidentally, they are also my favorite part of a rotisserie chicken because that dark meat is just so juicy and tender! Since I loooove roasted chicken, I often make Roasted Chicken Legs that are close in texture to the moist and tender rotisserie chicken that I so love. How do I accomplish that? Low and slow heat, my friends. Low and slow.
“Oh. My. Stars. This was the best chicken I’ve ever made. I’ve always thought roasting chicken was a complicated, intimidating thing. But three ingredients?! And one of those ingredients is chicken?! A thousand times thank you. You took the fear out of roasting chicken, and we are already excited to make this again.”
Ashley
For this oven-roasted chicken leg recipe, I keep things simple with just chicken legs, butter, and lemon pepper seasoning (though you can use any seasoning you like!) However, don’t let the short ingredient list fool you. As the chicken roasts, the butter melts and mingles with the lemony seasoning and chicken juices, making the most incredible sauce ever. Sure, you can use olive oil or coconut oil instead, but butter…yeah, butter is just special.
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Gather all of your ingredients and preheat the oven to 300ºF. Lightly coat the inside of a casserole dish with cooking spray.
Prep the chicken: Now pat 2 skin-on, bone-in chicken leg quarters dry with a paper towel.
Smear about 1 Tbsp of room temperature butter over both pieces (1 Tbsp total, not per piece).
Season the chicken: Then season each side liberally with lemon pepper seasoning (about ½ Tbsp), or your favorite seasoning blend. Place the seasoned chicken in a casserole dish coated with non-stick spray.
Roast the chicken: Cover the dish tightly with foil, then bake in the preheated 300ºF oven for one hour.
After an hour, remove the foil and discard it, then baste the meat with the pan juices. The meat should be quite tender, but the skin will be soft and blonde, like the photo above. To achieve that nice brown crispy skin, remove the foil and turn the oven temperature up to 425ºF.
Bake the chicken for an additional 20-30 minutes at the higher temperature (you can leave it in the oven as it heats up to the higher temp), or until it develops the level of brownness that you like on the skin.
The liquid that ends up in the bottom of the casserole dish is PURE GOLD. It’s like, one of the best things I’ve ever tasted, so don’t let that go to waste. I like to spoon it over whatever I’m serving the chicken with (if serving with rice or pasta), or serve some bread to sop it up. You can also pour it into a skillet, add a little white wine, and simmer it until it’s reduced to make a delicious pan sauce. Something about that butter, lemon, and pepper is just per-fect.
These oven-roasted chicken legs go with most sides, but I’ve got a few favorite pairings. Keep it classic with crispy roasted potatoes or a scoop of fluffy white rice to soak up all that buttery lemon sauce (trust me, you’ll want every drop). I also love a side of crunchy sautéed green beans! If you’re in the mood for pure comfort food, I’d go for something creamy like our twice baked potato casserole. Or try it alongside oven roasted ratatouille for a Mediterranean twist.
Store any leftover chicken legs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, place them on a baking sheet, cover loosely with foil, and warm in a 350°F oven for about 15–20 minutes, or until heated through. You can also freeze cooked chicken legs for up to 4 months. Let them cool completely first, then wrap them tightly to prevent freezer burn. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Our Roasted Chicken Legs recipe was originally published 1/27/16. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 11/10/25.
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