Chicken Leg Recipes
Chicken legs done easy — crockpot smothered chicken legs, smoked chicken legs, lemon garlic, Southern fried — for busy weeknights on a budget.
★ lunch
lunchNicolas Cage Chicken Legs
While not nearly as exciting as capturing the Declaration of Independence, the crispiness and juiciness of the Nicolas Cage Chicken Legs are pretty high up there on the to-be-added list of national treasures you might want to scoop up. Now, while we don't recommend you embarking on most of the fictional journeys this daring, adventurous A-list actor pretends to go on, we do think the next time you're craving crunchy chicken legs, you should grab this recipe and give it a try.
Eric YeagerIngredients
- 3 tsp Garlic Powder
- 3 tsp Onion Powder
- 5 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 tsp Black Pepper
- 4 1/2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 3 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 12 Chicken Drumsticks
- Olive Oil Spray
Instructions
- 1Preheat oven to 400F.
- 2Line a baking tray with foil, then place a wire rack on top.
- 3In a shallow bowl, mix the garlic powder, the onion powder, the paprika, the black pepper, the salt, the flour, and the baking powder.
- 4Toss the chicken in the olive oil, while stretching and pulling the skin on each of the drumsticks to coat as much of the flesh as possible.
- 5Coat each of the drumsticks in the spice mixture, shaking off the excess well.
- 6Spray the coated chicken generously with the oil spray and place it on the prepared baking tray.
- 7Bake, rotating the tray halfway through, about 30 minutes.
- 8Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and bake until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F and the skin is crispy, about 15 minutes and then Serve.
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Open in Pepper →Chicken Legs Feed A Whole Table
Chicken legs are cheap, hard to dry out, and the piece everybody at the table actually fights over. A pack of drumsticks stretches farther than about anything else in the meat case.
Cooks on Pepper reach for these on the nights the grocery budget is tight, the kids are hungry at six, and the slow cooker is the only thing standing between them and takeout.
Every recipe here uses legs and not much else: Nicolas Cage Chicken Legs with garlic and smoked paprika, Crockpot Smothered Chicken Legs in brown gravy, Sticky Spicy Chicken Legs, Roasted Chicken Legs with Vegetables, and buttermilk-soaked Southern Fried Chicken Legs.
Quick Tips
- 1
Pat the skin dry
Blot every leg with paper towels before seasoning. A little baking powder rubbed in, about 1 teaspoon per 6 legs, helps the skin crisp.
- 2
Roast them hot
Bake at 425°F for 40 to 45 minutes, turning once. The high heat renders the fat instead of steaming the skin.
- 3
Check the bone
Legs are done at 175°F near the bone, higher than breast meat. That extra time breaks down connective tissue and keeps them juicy.
- 4
Brown before the crockpot
Sear the legs 3 to 4 minutes a side in a hot skillet, then add the gravy or barbecue sauce. It keeps them from going pale and rubbery.
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