Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Legs
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These Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Legs are loaded with flavor, perfect for a super quick dinner. The best part? No bowls to wash, super fast prep all in one pan!
Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Legs
What I love about this recipe is its simplicity. You do it all in a ziploc bag, no bowls to wash and cooked in just one pan, which in my book is huge. You basically add all these ingredients to a ziploc bag, close it up, then just shake shake shake!
There’s plenty of flavor in this marinade, chock full of bright lemon, tons of fresh garlic, and some punchy oregano and thyme. I do specify to marinate this for minimum of 30 minutes, although if you really want these flavors to penetrate the chicken all the way through, go for longer. So let’s get cooking!
Why Chicken Legs?
But why chicken legs, you ask. Why not, I say. They’re delicious, they’re portable which is great if you’re having a picnic, or are asked to bring something to a potluck, plus you can also eat them cold. Seriously, what more do you want?
Of course, who am I to say that you cannot use chicken thighs, or chicken breast, any cuts of chicken will actually work for this recipe, just check the recipe notes for instructions.
Ingredients In Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Legs
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Chicken – I’m using legs today, skin on for flavor and texture. Although any cut of chicken will work.
- Butter – I always use unsalted to control the sodium content of our dish.
- Olive oil – We want a nice neutral tasting oil to allow our chicken to crisp up beautifully.
- Herbs – I’m using dried oregano and fresh thyme.
- Smoked paprika – Now it’s not a roast chicken recipe with out a little smoked paprika in my books, just trust me on this one.
- Garlic – I always say fresh is best but if jarred is all you have on hand just keep in mind that 1 1/2 teaspoons equals 1 fresh clove.
- Lemon – Fresh sliced up.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
How To Make Lemon Garlic Chicken Legs
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Marinate the chicken legs: In a large ziploc bag add the chicken legs, melted butter, olive oil, oregano, paprika, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Close the ziploc bag and toss everything together well. Place the ziploc bag in the fridge and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 24 hours.
- Preheat your oven: to 450 F degrees.
- Finish the dish: Transfer the chicken legs to a large casserole dish and place the lemon slices in between the legs. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until legs are golden brown and cooked through. Finally. garnish with fresh thyme and serve warm.
Can I Use Other Cuts Of Chicken?
Of course you can! Consider chicken the blank canvas for this tasty marinade, so feel free to have some fun! Moist, tender chicken thigh would cook down beautifully in this sauce and it would really kick chicken breast up a notch.
Chicken thigh
- Just place in the oven for 35 – 40 minutes at 375 F degrees.
Chicken breast
- Bake these in the oven at 450 F degrees for 15 – 18 minutes.
How To Check If Your Chicken Is Done
To ensure your chicken is cooked through, the best way is to use a thermometer. A thermometer inserted in the middle of the drumstick should read 180 to 185 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, another way to ensure your chicken is cooked is to pierce it with a knife and if the juices that run out are clear, your chicken should be cooked.
What Can I Serve With Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Legs?
This wonderful recipe will go well with any of your favorite sides! Whether you’re looking for some carbs or a nice fresh salad check some of these recipes out:
Potatoes:
Salads
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad
- Kale and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Veggies
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Old Fashioned Green Beans
- Garlic and Herb Roasted Carrots
- Cauliflower Poppers
Can I Make Chicken Legs In The Instant Pot?
You sure can, and it’ll make this recipe even quicker!
- Marinate your chicken to prepare it to cook.
- Pour 1 cup of water into your Instant Pot and insert the trivet before layering your chicken on over top. Lock the lid and allow to cook for 15 minutes on the poultry setting.
- You can crisp them up under the broiler afterwards if you’d like, just keep an eye on them so that they don’t burn.
Storing Leftover Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Legs
Fridge
You can store this in the fridge for 2 – 3 days in an airtight container. Just be sure the chicken is cooled before placing it in the fridge.
Freezer
Stored in an airtight container this dish will keep for up to 4 months. Just allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before warming back up to temperature in the oven.
Craving More Chicken Legs? Try These Delicious Recipes:
- Garlic and Paprika Chicken
- Honey Soy Chicken Drumsticks
- Honey Mustard Glazed Chicken
- Roast Chicken
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken
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Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Legs
Prep: 35 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 1 hr 10 mins
Serves: 6
These Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken Legs are loaded with flavor, perfect for a super quick dinner. The best part? No bowls to wash, super fast prep all in one pan!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 chicken legs skin on
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lemon sliced
- fresh thyme for garnish
Instructions
- In a large ziploc bag add the chicken legs, melted butter, olive oil, oregano, paprika, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Close the ziploc bag and toss everything together well.
- Place the ziploc bag in the fridge and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450 F degrees.
- Transfer the chicken legs to a large casserole dish and place the lemon slices in between the legs. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until legs are golden brown and cooked through.
- Garnish with fresh thyme and serve warm.
Video
Recipe Notes
To ensure your chicken is cooked through, the best way is to use a thermometer. A thermometer inserted in the middle of the drumstick should read 180 to 185 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, another way to ensure your chicken is cooked is to pierce it with a knife and if the juices that run out are clear, your chicken should be cooked.
Chicken thighs either boneless and skinless or with skin and bones can also be used though they might require 5 or 10 extra minutes to cook. Use the above mentioned methods for checking for doneness.
Chicken breast can also be used, but the cooking time could vary based on size of breast.
Serve these along with salads, rice, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, coleslaw, etc.
Total time includes time to marinade the chicken.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 2legsCalories: 361kcal (18%)Carbohydrates: 3g (1%)Protein: 27g (54%)Fat: 26g (40%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Cholesterol: 159mg (53%)Sodium: 159mg (7%)Potassium: 378mg (11%)Vitamin A: 470IU (9%)Vitamin C: 12.1mg (15%)Calcium: 31mg (3%)Iron: 1.3mg (7%)
G. Andreani says
Made this recipe tonight. It was easy and delicious, and I will make it again.
Jose says
The melted butter caused the marinade to curdle when it was mixed in the bag with all other ingredients, is that normal?
Jo Cooks Team says
That’s odd! I’ve never heard of butter curdling. Could it possibly be that the other ingredients were quite cold and re-solidified some bits of melted butter?
Nakato says
Hi! I was thinking about trying this recipe this weekend but using whole chicken legs, dumb question but do you think I would have to increase the ratios of ingredients?
jo says
If you’re using 12 whole chicken legs, I would double the ingredients. If you hover over the number of servings in the recipe card you can change how many servings there will be and it will adjust the ingredients accordingly.
Tianna Burt says
Do we have to use Oregano ? I have all the other ingredients besides Oregano.
jo says
Use whatever you have or simply skip it.
Michelle says
I was searching for a drumstick recipe. I was missing most of the Ingredients for every recipe I liked!I was so happy to find this one ! I had everything but fresh herbs. I marinated the chicken for a couple hours. I used the convection portion of my new oven to cook this and a hash brown casserole. Dinner was ready in 30 minutes, what more could I ask! I will make this again and give it more lemon flavor next time with more juice and some zest.