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Enjoy a simple one-pan meal featuring Baked Chicken Legs over perfectly seasoned roasted carrots, onions, and garlic. An ideal easy and flavorful dinner for those cooking for one.
Discover the easy and delicious oven-baked chicken legs recipe, perfect for a single serving! Enjoy tender chicken legs (or drumsticks) roasted with seasoned carrots, onions, and garlic, creating a flavorful one-pan meal. Ideal for a cozy night in or when you’re in the mood for a comforting dish, this recipe brings a touch of restaurant-quality to your home kitchen. Let’s get started on this simple yet delightful chicken recipe!
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This one-pan baked chicken legs recipe, featuring both chicken and vegetables, is a complete meal on its own. However, you might enjoy pairing it with a creamy Macaroni Salad, freshly-baked French Bread, or buttery Cornbread.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Legs Recipe
- One-Pan Meal: Baking the chicken and vegetables together in one pan makes cleanup a breeze.
- Versatility: The recipe is flexible, allowing for ingredient substitutions based on your preferences.
- Depth of Flavor: Baking the chicken on a bed of seasoned vegetables infuses the drumsticks with additional flavor.
- Portion Control: This single serving recipe is perfect for those who want a satisfying meal without leftovers.
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Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this baked chicken legs recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Chicken: For this recipe, you’ll need 3 chicken legs or drumsticks, perfect for a single serving.
- Vegetables: This dish includes carrots, onions, and garlic. However, you’re welcome to add or replace these with other root vegetables like potatoes or parsnips for variation.
- Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is my go-to for this BBQ chicken recipe, as it is for all recipes requiring olive oil. It’s the least processed, unrefined, and highest quality olive oil available, known for its authentic olive flavor and rich nutrient content. While extra virgin is my preferred choice, a lighter olive oil can also be used.
- Seasonings: Simple yet effective – salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika bring out the flavors in this dish.
- BBQ Sauce: Personal preference is key here. Use your favorite BBQ sauce. As a Texan, I’m partial to Texas-style BBQ and recommend Stubbs from Austin, TX. Alternatively, you might opt for our homemade BBQ sauce recipe for a more personalized touch. If you have extra BBQ sauce, consider using it in our Oven Baked Ribs recipe
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I used them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the recipe box at the bottom of the post.
Recipe Variations
- Spicy BBQ Chicken Legs: If you enjoy a bit of heat, mix in some hot sauce or crushed red pepper flakes into your BBQ sauce before basting the drumsticks.
- Honey Mustard Drumsticks: For a tangy twist, substitute the BBQ sauce with a honey mustard glaze. Mix equal parts honey and mustard, and brush this mixture onto the chicken before and during roasting.
- Asian-Style Chicken Legs: Swap the BBQ sauce for a combination of soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger. Sprinkle with sesame seeds after baking for extra crunch and presentation points.
- Herb Roasted Drumsticks: Forgo the BBQ sauce and instead, create a herb marinade. Mix olive oil with your choice of herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or oregano, and a squeeze of lemon. Marinate the chicken legs for at least an hour before roasting.
- Vegetable Variations: Feel free to mix up the veggies based on what you have on hand. Root vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, and parsnips all roast well. You can also add bell peppers, zucchini, or cherry tomatoes during the last 20 minutes of roasting.
How To Bake Chicken Legs
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Begin by coating the chicken legs in a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, and BBQ sauce, ensuring they are well covered with the seasoning.
- In a baking dish that’s been lightly greased, spread out the vegetables. Drizzle some olive oil over them and sprinkle with a pinch of salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Toss the vegetables to ensure they’re evenly coated in the oil and seasonings. Then, lay the seasoned drumsticks on top of the vegetables.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Cooking time may vary depending on the size of your chicken legs. Begin checking if the chicken is cooked after 35 minutes of baking. Continue baking if necessary until the chicken is fully cooked. For an accurate check, use an instant-read meat thermometer by inserting it near the bone of the chicken legs. The chicken is safe to eat when the thermometer reads 165°F.
- For an enhanced flavor when roasting vegetables, include whole garlic cloves. Roasted garlic offers a buttery and milder taste compared to its raw counterpart, adding a delightful flavor to your dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but the cooking time will be different. If using a boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cook for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and registers 165°F on a meat thermometer.
Absolutely! Broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts make great additions or substitutions.
Yes, if you would like to make more just double the ingredients and bake for the same amount of time.
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:
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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
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 your oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- In a small baking dish, combine the chopped carrots, onions, and garlic. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then season with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and a ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika. Toss everything together to evenly coat the vegetables, then set the dish aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the BBQ sauce, another tablespoon of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
- Place the chicken legs in another bowl and pour the BBQ sauce mixture over them. Use your fingers to ensure each drumstick is thoroughly coated with the sauce.
- Arrange the sauce-coated chicken legs on top of the seasoned vegetables in the baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
- After baking, remove the dish from the oven and cover it with foil. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cooking time may vary depending on the size of your chicken legs. Begin checking if the chicken is cooked after 35 minutes of baking. Continue baking if necessary until the chicken is fully cooked. For an accurate check, use an instant-read meat thermometer by inserting it near the bone of the chicken legs. The chicken is safe to eat when the thermometer reads 165°F.
- For an enhanced flavor when roasting vegetables, include whole garlic cloves. Roasted garlic offers a buttery and milder taste compared to its raw counterpart, adding a delightful flavor to your 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.
hi – do you have suggestions on other pan sizes? i don’t want to buy more pans, all i have is your 5×5 and two 8x8s and a bunch of sheet pans
No worries, you can definitely work with what you’ve got! An 8×8-inch baking dish should be just fine for this recipe. Just keep an eye on the cooking time, as you might need to adjust it slightly. If all the ingredients comfortably fit, you’re good to go!
Second time I made this and terrific both times. I do add cut up potatoes and onion. My husband loves cooked carrots..not me so much but I loved the roasted potatoes.
Your recipes work out so well for us. I’m 86 and hubby is 88 and we don’t eat as much as we used to. I do increase the protein and go a little heavier on other ingredients. It works so much better than halving other recipes. You are my go to recipe most nights. Thank you!
This recipe is delicious. I’ve made it several times.
I LOVE this recipe! But using the oven during the summer makes it really uncomfortable. Is there a way to cook this recipe in a slow cooker? Much thanks!
I’m so glad you love the recipe, Barbara. Yes, you can cook chicken drumsticks in the slow cooker. Cook them on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Easy peasy and very tasty.
Sounds great. Making it Monday
Not overly fond of cooked carrots; think I could sub potatoes? And if so should I change temp / baking time?
Thanks!
Yes, you can use potatoes and keep the cooking time the same. I suggest cutting the potatoes into 1-inch cubes.
Love this recipe, just a few simple ingredients , easy cooking steps to follow and tastes delicious….. yummy!
Made this tonight. Used thighs instead, the only thing that I would change is to use less oil. Very delicious. Amazing recipe again. Thanks
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for your feedback.
I made this for my dinner tonight; it was delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the chicken recipe. Thank you so much for your feedback.