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These oven baked chicken legs are coated in BBQ sauce and roasted with vegetables until the meat is juicy and the skin is lightly crisp. Made in one pan, this single serving recipe delivers a flavorful, well balanced meal with minimal prep and simple ingredients.
Featured Comment
Love this recipe, just a few simple ingredients, easy cooking steps to follow, and tastes delicious.”
– Ophelia
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One Pan Chicken Dinner: Chicken legs and vegetables bake together in one pan, making prep and cleanup simple.
- Juicy Chicken with Crispy Skin: Baking the drumsticks in the oven keeps the meat tender while the skin turns lightly crisp.
- Flexible Ingredients: Use your favorite vegetables or BBQ sauce to suit your taste or what you have on hand.
- Perfect Single Serving: Made just for one, this recipe delivers a satisfying meal without extra portions.
The moment these baked chicken legs come out of the oven, I’m reminded why this recipe works so well. The skin turns lightly crisp, the meat stays juicy, and the BBQ sauce thickens and caramelizes as it bakes. The vegetables roast underneath, soaking up the pan juices and adding deep flavor to the entire dish. It’s a simple, well-balanced meal that delivers bold flavor and satisfying texture without feeling heavy or complicated.
This one pan baked chicken legs recipe is a complete meal on its own, with chicken and vegetables cooked together. If you’d like to add something on the side, it pairs well with a single serving macaroni salad, a small loaf of French bread, or a small batch of cornbread.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this juicy baked chicken legs recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Chicken: This recipe uses 3 bone in, skin on chicken legs, which bake up juicy on the inside with crisp skin in the oven. This amount makes the perfect single serving.
- Vegetables: Carrots, onion, and garlic roast alongside the chicken, adding flavor and creating a simple built in side. You can swap in other root vegetables like potatoes or parsnips if that’s what you have on hand.
- Olive Oil: I use extra virgin olive oil to coat the chicken and vegetables. It helps the seasonings stick and encourages even browning. A lighter olive oil will also work if preferred.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika season the chicken simply and effectively, adding depth and a subtle smoky flavor without overpowering the BBQ sauce.
- BBQ Sauce: Use your favorite barbecue sauce since the flavor really shines here. I often reach for a Texas style BBQ sauce like Stubbs, but homemade BBQ sauce works beautifully. If you have extra sauce, it’s great to use again in our single serving oven baked ribs recipe.
Recipe Variations
This baked chicken legs recipe is easy to adapt with simple flavor swaps and vegetable changes.
- Spicy BBQ Chicken Legs: Stir a little hot sauce or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes into the BBQ sauce before brushing it onto the chicken. This adds heat without overpowering the flavor.
- Honey Mustard Chicken Legs: Skip the BBQ sauce and brush the chicken with a mixture of equal parts honey and Dijon mustard. The result is slightly sweet with a tangy finish.
- Garlic Herb Chicken Legs: Leave out the BBQ sauce and season the chicken with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, or oregano. This variation highlights the roasted chicken flavor and creates crispy skin in the oven.
- Vegetable Options: Carrots and onions work well, but other vegetables roast beautifully alongside chicken legs. Try potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, or beets. Softer vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini, or cherry tomatoes can be added during the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking.
How To Bake Chicken Legs
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Season the chicken: Place the chicken legs in a bowl and coat them with olive oil, salt, black pepper, and BBQ sauce until evenly covered.
- Prepare the vegetables: Spread the vegetables in a lightly greased baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Toss to coat.
- Assemble the dish: Arrange the seasoned chicken legs on top of the vegetables in a single layer.
- Bake: Bake in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is lightly browned.
Expert Tips
- Check for doneness: Chicken legs vary in size, so baking time can differ. Start checking at 35 minutes and continue baking until the internal temperature reaches 165°F when measured with an instant-read thermometer.
- Use whole garlic cloves: Roasting whole garlic cloves with the vegetables softens their flavor and adds a mild, buttery richness to the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, baking chicken legs uncovered helps the skin brown and prevents the chicken from steaming.
Yes, chicken legs and drumsticks are often used interchangeably. Baking time may vary slightly depending on size.
I prefer baking chicken legs at 450°F to allow the meat to cook through while the skin browns evenly.
Yes, you can skip the BBQ sauce and season the chicken with olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper for a simple roasted version.
Yes, you can double the ingredients, but use a larger baking dish so the chicken legs have enough space to cook evenly.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this roasted chicken legs recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried these baked chicken legs with roasted vegetables or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Baked Chicken Legs For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups sliced carrots
- ½ small onion -rough chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil -divided
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt -divided
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper divided
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
- 3 chicken legs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Add the carrots, onions, and garlic to a small baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika. Toss to coat evenly.
- In a small bowl, stir together the BBQ sauce, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Place the chicken legs in a bowl and pour the BBQ sauce mixture over them. Turn the chicken to coat all sides.
- Arrange the chicken legs on top of the vegetables in a single layer.
- Bake uncovered for 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Check for doneness: Chicken legs vary in size, so baking time can differ. Start checking at 35 minutes and continue baking until the internal temperature reaches 165°F when measured with an instant-read thermometer.
- Use whole garlic cloves: Roasting whole garlic cloves with the vegetables softens their flavor and adds a mild, buttery richness to the dish.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Really good recipe, i Chop the garlic in rough pieces instead of leaving them whole.
I love this recipe. I’ve added cubed potatoes with the carrots and sometimes with barbecue sauce and sometimes without using chicken legs and chicken thighs Its wonderful I’m thinking of replacing the chicken with a hamburger patty. Thank you for a wonderful recipe. I’ve never baked chicken at this high a temperature but it turns out fantastic
Wow, wow, wow! I’m not the best of cooks, so I really appreciate this website and applaud Joanie Zisk for providing us with easy meals for 1 or 2. Who knew something this simple to make would taste so delicious?! Fast, easy, tasty … I will make this again!
Joanie, we loved the flavor and ease of this dish! I substituted one bone in skin on chicken breast since that is what already had. It was delicious. I had to guess on the cooking temperature and time. Joanie, if you have a recommendation on proper way to bake with with the breast, please comment. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! When baking a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast, I usually bake it at 400°F for about 25-30 minutes. This should give you a juicy, flavorful chicken breast with a nicely crisped skin. Thanks for sharing your feedback!
5 stars very tasty and easy.