Slow Roasted Chicken Legs
If you’re looking for the ultimate slow-roasted chicken legs recipe, this is it. These chicken legs come out perfectly tender—so juicy they practically fall off the bone—with a lightly spicy, crispy skin that’s impossible to resist. It’s a go-to favorite in my house, loved by everyone from toddlers to teens (and every grown-up in between).
Why you’ll love this recipe
- No special ingredients – it uses spices you probably already have in your spice cabinet.
- The chicken can be marinated up to 24h in advance and kept in the fridge until you are ready to pop it in the oven.
- It freezes well, either raw or cooked.
- It only takes a couple of minutes of prep time and because it cooks on low temp, it won’t instanty burn if you leave it a little too long.
- It is a showstopper – it looks so beautiful! It is great for both everyday fare and for special occassions when you just need a dish that both looks and tastes amazing.
Tips for making the slow roasted chicken legs
- The amount of chillies I used makes a mildly spicy chicken. If you like it hot, use double the amount.
- If you don’t have red chillies, use chilli powder instead. One teaspoon for mildly spicy, 2 or more teaspoons for hot.
- The recipe uses 7 whole chicken legs so 1 chicken leg per adult (which is a generous serving). If you have kids who don’t yet eat adult sized portions, this recipe will make a dinner for two days for you, plus possibly leftovers enough for a chicken fried rice or chicken salad for day 3.
- If you make this recipe as often as I do, it’s a good idea to mix a larger batch of all the spices and store in a jar, ready to use whenever you need it.
Ingredients
- 7 large chicken legs
- 2 tsp rosemary
- 2 tsp thyme
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 small dried red chillies, crushed OR 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 cups chicken stock, or plain water
Directions for making the slow roasted chicken legs
Preheat you oven to 160C/320F. Place the chicken legs on a large oven tray or casserole dish – you don’t want to crowd them. In a small bowl, mix all the seasonings.
Using a small spoon, sprinkle the seasoning mix evenly all over the chicken legs.
Using your hands, rub the seasonings well into the chicken legs, including the underside.
Pour half of the stock/water around the chicken (not on top). This will become a delicious sauce you’ll use to baste the legs later on. Place the tray in the preheated oven and let it roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.
After 1 hour has passed, it is time to baste the chicken. Using a large spoon, pour some of the pan juices over the chicken. Add another 1 cup of stock (or a little more) if there isn’t much liquid left in the tray. You don’t want it to get dry at any time or the chicken will stick to the bottom of the tray. Let it roast another 30 minutes and then baste it again and leave for 30 minutes more.
After 2 hours of total cooking time has passed, your chicken should be really tender inside, crunchy outside, and ready to serve. If it looks like it needs a little more time, baste it and leave for 30 minutes more. Every oven is different so you can’t always judge by the clock.
Serve immediately with some plain boiled rice or mashed potatoes, and some cooked veggies. Spoon some of the delicious pan juices over the chicken and the rice/potatoes.
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe — I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! And if you enjoy old-fashioned, real food recipes like this one, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter for updates and access to my exclusive subscriber-only resource library.
Slow Roasted Chicken Legs
Equipment
- 1 large baking pan or casserole dish
Ingredients
- 7 large chicken legs (weighing a total of 2.7kg/6 pounds)
- 2 tsps rosemary
- 2 tsps thyme
- 2 tsps paprika
- 2 tsps onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 small dried red chillies, crushed, or 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp unrefined salt
- 2 cups chicken stock or water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160C/320F.
- Arrange the chicken legs on a baking pan.
- In a small bowl, mix all the seasonings. Sprinkle the mix over the chicken legs.
- Using your hands, rub the seasoning mix all over the chicken legs (including the underside).
- Pour 1 cup of the stock around the legs in the baking dish.
- Place the baking dish in the oven and let it cook for 1 hour.
- After the first hour is up, baste the chicken legs with the pan juices using a large spoon. Add more stock if necessary – you don't want it to get dry at any point during roasting.
- Let it cook for another 30 minutes and then baste it again and leave to cook for 30 minutes more.
- After 2 hours cooking time have passed, your chicken should be very tender inside, crispy and golden on the outside, and ready to be served. If it looks like it needs a little more time, baste it again and cook for an extra 30 minutes (every oven is different).
- Serve immediately with plain rice or some mashed potatoes, and some veggies. Don't forget to spoon some of the pan juices over the chicken and rice or potatoes.
Notes
- If you love this recipe as much as I do, keep a large batch of the mixed spices in a jar, ready to use whenever you want to make this recipe.
- I used chicken stock but any other type of stock or even plain water will work just fine.
- I allow 1 large chicken leg per person which is a generous adult serving. This amount is enough for two dinners for our family of two adults and three kids.
- You could add some potato wedges or carrots cut up into large pieces after the first hour of cooking and let them roast with the chicken.
- This is a great recipe to use with turkey legs – roasting time will be longer of course.
