Take back your grocery budget with this simple dinner idea! Chicken leg quarters are always modestly priced at the grocery store, making them as easy on the eyes as they are on the wallet. Bonus? They're even better on the taste buds.
This recipe for BBQ Baked Chicken Quarters requires only a few ingredients and delivers an easy, flavorful chicken dinner. Perfect for any night of the week, this chicken dinner requires only 5 minutes of prep time and baking up tender and juicy.
You'll also love our quick and easy Baked Chicken Legs and these simple Crock Pot Chicken Legs for extra budget-friendly dinner ideas to add to your weeknight lineup!
HOW TO MAKE BBQ BAKED CHICKEN QUARTERS
The beauty of this BBQ Baked Chicken Quarter Recipe is that it is so very simple. Just a few small steps and you've got perfectly baked, tender and juicy chicken quarters on the table. Pat the chicken dry, drizzle it with oil, season it, bake it, and top it with sauce. Then, bake it a little more -- that's all there is to it!
QUICK RECIPE OVERVIEW
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Drizzle with oil and season.
- Bake at 400° for 35 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Add BBQ sauce and bake 10 minutes more.
1. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP!
Patting the chicken quarters dry with a paper towel is an important step in the recipe. Removing the excess moisture from the surface will ensure that the oil properly adheres to the chicken quarters. Oil helps the chicken to both cook evenly and crisp up nicely. The oil also helps the seasoning to stay in place, which in turn, makes the chicken even better. Point of the story...is don't skip this step. Pat your chicken dry.
2. OIL AND THE SEASONING OPTIONS
The oil called for in this BBQ Baked Chicken Quarters Recipe is oil, but if you do not have any on hand you can certainly use canola, vegetable, or avocado oil in its place. As far as the seasoning goes, you can use your favorite poultry spice blend or TAK House Seasoning. This is a simple blend of Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. It goes perfectly with all chicken dishes, as well as pork and beef.
3. BAKING THE CHICKEN QUARTERS
Baking the chicken is extremely simple. You're going to bake them at 400° for a total of 35 minutes. Baking the chicken quarters at a high temperature allows for the chicken's skin to crisp up nicely.
You might have noticed this recipe calls for baking the chicken for 35 minutes, then adding the BBQ sauce and baking for an additional 10 minutes. There's a reason for this. Actually, there's two...
4. WHEN YOU ADD THE SAUCE MATTERS
If you were to add the sauce at the beginning of the cook time, the BBQ sauce would likely over-caramelize and ultimately burn before the chicken could cook through. Not only this, but the chicken's skin would not have a chance to crisp up.
Adding the BBQ sauce toward the end of the cook time allows the oil to do its job under the heat. Remember how the oil helps the skin to crisp up? BBQ sauce does not have the same effect. So oil first, BBQ sauce second.
Once the sauce goes on, all you need is ten more minutes in the oven for the chicken to finish cooking through and for the BBQ sauce to set up on the chicken.
This is an effortless dinner idea that's not only kid-friendly but budget-friendly as well! With just a few simple steps, you'll have perfectly cooked, super flavorful BBQ Baked Chicken Quarters ready and waiting to be served. Please, enjoy!
5 MORE EASY CHICKEN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Baked Chicken Leg Quarters are smothered in a simple mix of oil and butter, seasoned, and baked to perfection.
- Baked BBQ Chicken is a dinner idea the whole family will love! Featuring a mix of legs and thighs, this is a full-flavor BBQ chicken recipe perfect for weeknight dinners.
- BBQ Chicken Tostadas are quick-fix, gluten-free dinner idea featuring made-from-scratch tostada shells, chicken, BBQ sauce, and Colby Jack cheese!
- Chicken Breasts in the Oven is a recipe E-VER-Y-ONE needs! Learn to bake chicken breasts the right way, and you'll never serve dry white meat chicken again.
- Perfect Pan-Seared Chicken starts in a pan and ends in the oven with a quick bake! It's a fast chicken dinner option that's great for healthy eating and topping salads.
Easy, super flavorful BBQ Baked Leg Quarters bake up tender and juicy every time!
- 4 pounds chicken leg quarters (4-6 quarters)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 ½ teaspoons of your favorite spice blend or TAK House Seasoning
- ¾ cup any sweet and sticky, store-bought BBQ sauce
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Preheat the oven to 400° and have ready a large rimmed baking sheet, lined with aluminum foil (preferably nonstick if you have it).
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Pat the chicken quarters dry with a paper towel, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning. Rub all over to adhere. Bake for 35 minutes.
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Remove the chicken from the oven and evenly distribute a generous amount of BBQ sauce over the top of each leg quarter using either a spoon or pastry brush. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and the juices run clear and the chicken registers 175°-180° with a thermometer.
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Allow to rest 10 minutes, serve and enjoy!
Barbara Schroeder says
I just joined in to your offer of the recipes. Holy Cw! The baked barbecue chicken looks delicious and I certainly WILL try it
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Barbara! Enjoy your new recipes 🙂
Matt @ Plating Pixels says
Lovely photos and looks delicious! Great tips about the sauce.
Sabrina says
This looks fantastic! Love your tip about patting down the chicken, thanks!
Kelly Anthony says
Thanks, Sabrina!
Chichi says
This is one of my favorite ways to make chicken drumsticks . This looks so good. Will definitely try making it with chicken quarters.
Luci Cook says
This looks amazing. I've got chicken quarter like these form the store but never made it at home.
Kelly Anthony says
So easy to do! Thank you, Luci!
Jeannette (Jay Joy) says
I love simple! I spend almost 20 years of my life only eating white meat. I didn't like dark meat. As I got older I learned to appreciate dark meat and now thighs are my favorite. This recipe sounds amazing!
Neli Howard says
This chicken could only be made better by enjoying it with you all! This looks amazing! I cannot wait to give it a try. Thank you for sharing this great recipe. YUM!
Kelly Anthony says
Ha! Thanks, Neli 😉
Jane Saunders says
I'll be honest, I usually avoid chicken on the bone, but these look so tasty you have me eager to try them out - regardless of the bone!
Meghna says
Delicious recipe & super delicious pictures, you made me drool real bad 🙂 I am making them tonight.
Jill says
The color on these chicken quarters is perfect. Your pictures are making my mouth water!
Natalie says
Oh this chicken looks amazing. So flavorful and delicious. It's perfect family dinner that's why I'm saving it and will give it a try. I bet my boys will love this.
Matt says
I’ve baked drumsticks and party wings, but never the entire leg quarter. Will have to give this a try!
Chef Dennis says
This BBQ Baked Chicken Quarters recipe looks really scrumptious! The juiciness and tenderness of this chicken made it so perfect for weeknight dinner.
Anna says
This recipe! I'm literally drooling over here! That crispy skin and shiny glaze on the chicken is everything! You have made me very hungry for dinner and it's barely a breakfast time over here! 😉
Shelley says
Ok - you had me at "5 minutes of prep" - yay! - so perfect on all those busy nights! But I really appreciated your helpful tips - like why it's so important to pat the chicken dry, and why it matters WHEN you add the sauce. Really helpful! 🙂
Patti says
I love chicken leg quarters because, as you mentioned, they are so inexpensive. I also love how simple this recipe is to prepare. I love recipes that don't require a lot of hands on time, especially on busy weeknights when there can be so many demands for my attention. Excellent recipe, and I love how clear the instructions were.
Jenni LeBaron says
I love bbq chicken and this recipe makes it so easy to make in the cold months when I don't want to go outside to grill. Delicious!
Amanda says
Love all the tips. This is a great recipe!
Jamie says
Made this chicken last night and it came out so juicy and tender! Everyone loved it! I'll be making this again soon!
JO says
Thank you for sharing such useful tips about the sauce. I love a good sticky BBQ chicken and your recipe sounds great.
Michelle says
My fiance is going to love this recipe. He's such a big fan of bbq chicken, this will be a favorite dinner of his!
Kimberly says
I'm currently cooking this as I type ! Looked to good not to try! Thanks for such an easy recipe!!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you so much, Kimberly!
Rebecca says
I love this recipe, but for me, the cook times were way off. After the total cook time, my leg quarters were bleeding like a stuck hog (I have a new stove). Other than that, it was delicious!
minaharker says
I've made this many times and in fact I'm making it now. So tasty and simple. The only comment I would make is that 175-180 is a little bit too much. It is now known to be safe to eat chicken cooked to 165 degrees.
Jim S. says
For a single guy, great recipe. Easy going to prepare.
Thanks for sharing!
Marlitt Arnouville says
Getting ready to make this recipe and not sure what Tak seasoning??
Kelly Anthony says
Here you go Marlitt! https://www.theanthonykitchen.com/tak-house-seasoning/ | It's a blend of Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.