Chicken leg quarters — the leg and thigh together — are an under appreciated cut. They are excellent for grilling or oven roasting as done here. An herb butter adds an amazing amount of flavor with little effort resulting in a juicy, flavorful dinner in under an hour.
Ingredients
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/3 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
Herb & Garlic Butter
7 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
4 garlic cloves finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped (if using dried reduce to 1-1/2 tsp)
2 tsp thyme, finely chopped (if using dried reduce to 1-1/2 tsp)
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 °F.
Mix the herb and garlic butter ingredients until well combined.
Using your finger, loosen the skin from the meat on the leg quarters. Place about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the herb and garlic butter under the skin of each leg quarter and spread it as evenly as possible. Place the prepared leg quarters in a 9×13 baking dish, skin side up, and top with the remaining herb and garlic butter, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt. Pour the wine or chicken broth around the chicken.
Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, reducing the oven temperature to 400 °F after the first 10 minutes. Using a tablespoon, baste the leg quarters with the pan juices about every 10 minutes during cooking. Roast until an instant read thermometer registers 185 °F. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
