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Bon Appétit

Roast Chicken Legs with Lots of Garlic

4.5

(36)

This image may contain Food Meal Dish and Bowl
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou

For this roast chicken recipe, if you have the time, season the chicken with salt the night before and chill uncovered so the skin will dry out a bit. Doing this helps the chicken take on a nice golden finish.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

4

chicken legs (thigh and drumstick; about 2½ lb. total)

Kosher salt

4

heads of garlic, halved crosswise

1

lemon, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds removed

1

red chile (such as Fresno), quartered lengthwise, seeds removed if desired

3

bay leaves or 5 sprigs thyme

Freshly ground black pepper

½

cup extra-virgin olive oil

Country-style bread, toasted (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 325°. Place chicken in an 13x9" baking dish and season generously all over with salt. Add garlic, lemon, chile, bay leaves, and a few grinds of pepper. Pour in oil and toss everything to coat. Turn garlic heads cut side down so they are in contact with the baking dish (this will help them brown).

    Step 2

    Roast chicken, rotating pan once, until meat is almost falling off the bone, 75–90 minutes. Let chicken cool in pan 10 minutes, then serve with bread.

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Reviews (36)

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  • My family told me this was the best meal I've ever made!My family told me this was the best meal I've ever made! Lol What I did was used a frozen lemon I had which worked just fine. I used red pepper flakes instead of Chile pepper which I didn't have. Then broiled the chicken after. On the side - mashed potatoes & cooked carrots. What a great meal. Next time- MORE GARLIC since it stays good for a week in the fridge.

    • Anonymous

    • 9/26/2022

  • Really awful recipe. The temperature and timing made for flabby skin and gummy fat. Also the instructions are incredibly vague.

    • Nicole Di Nardo

    • Toronto, ON

    • 2/8/2021

  • I used bone-in chicken thighs and this was fab. I added more oil than the recipe calls for, it went up about halfway to the top of the chicken, and created a bit of a confit result. After about 80 min, I added some butter to the skin and broiled for five minutes. Absolutely perfect. A fall/winter staple for sure. Do NOT forget good crusty bread and a simple green salad with a tangy vinaigrette... it brings it together!

    • Chicago

    • 10/30/2020

  • Delicious! I salted the chicken and air dried it in the fridge overnight so the skin would be crispy. I used 2 meyer lemons and both bay leaves and thyme. Next time I would make mashed potatoes to go with all the beautiful roasted garlic. The skin was crispy and delicious.

    • kdandie

    • Ontario, Canada

    • 3/22/2020

  • AMAZING RECIPE!! I did put the oven slightly higher at 175 celsius for 80 mins, then set it on broil (190-200c) for 5 mins just to crisp up the skin a bit more. This works well for me and my oven. But the flavors here are awesome. Would make the whole thing just for the buttery garlic :)

    • tysh

    • Kraków

    • 12/19/2019

  • Followed the recipe exactly but my skin never crisped up and my garlic never browned also did'nt enjoy the flavor of the chicken all that much

    • 8/16/2019

  • Can I make this in a slow cooker? And how do I adapt the recipe?

    • Anonymous

    • Taiwan

    • 6/21/2019