Oven Barbequed Chicken Legs

Oven roasted chicken covered in tangy barbeque sauce. A quick and easy main course that is ready in 30 minutes!

I hesitated to post this recipe because of it's overly simple nature. But then, I think of how some of the simple, good recipes are hard to come by. It's so easy to fill my recipe box with dinner ideas that take one, two, or even three hours to prepare. That time frame isn't possible for a busy weeknight--I have to have a good repertoire of easy, go-to meals.

So today I am sharing with you oven barbeque chicken. You can follow the same recipe and cook the chicken on a barbeque grill if you wish. I prefer the oven because I think it's more time consuming to prepare our grill (we have a charcoal grill) so I opt to do my "barbequing" inside.

Chicken legs are one of my favorite cuts of the chicken and they are relatively inexpensive. So I think they make a great low-budget and fast meal. Growing up, my favorite meals my mom prepared was her homemade fried chicken. My mom would cut a whole chicken, fry it and serve it with mashed potatoes and gravy. We are a family of five, so that meant we ate every piece of chicken and sometimes we didn't get a choice of what cut we got. My brothers and I often fought over the legs--our favorite piece out of them all. Since there were three of us, and only two legs, that meant someone would miss out. Mom would often make us take turns on who got the leg. If you missed out that time, you would get a leg the next time she fixed fried chicken. As we got older (and...ate more) she would generally buy an extra package of chicken legs and fix them. Everyone got a leg (or two) and was happy. I guess I've always preferred the leg because dark meat is more tender and flavorful. I tend to fix a lot of boneless, skinless chicken breasts out of convenience and simplicity, but I think the dark meat is the best cut.

This recipe takes very little prep work. While the oven is heating up, clean up the chicken legs as needed--you can leave the skin on or remove it. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper (season under the skin as well) and arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet (the foil makes for easy clean up). Always allow meat to sit for at least 5-10 minutes after salting because it allows the salt to absorb into the meat and tenderize and season it. Once the oven is to temperature, pop the chicken in the oven onto the middle rack and allow the chicken to cook until it's almost cooked through. Remove the chicken about five minutes away from done time. Brush on your favorite barbeque sauce and return it to the oven. Be generous with the sauce--it will bake and caramelize so you need a good amount. Serve with extra barbeque sauce if desired.

And there you have it, easy barbeque chicken in under thirty minutes!

Oven Barbeque Chicken Legs

Ingredients 

• 2 lbs, skin-on chicken legs
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt*
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2-1/3 cup barbeque sauce, store bought or homemade

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil, set aside. Remove chicken legs from package and trim away any excess fat or skin. Remove skin if desired or leave intact. Lightly season with salt and pepper--if leaving the skin on, carefully peel the skin back, season with salt and pepper and then lay the skin back in place. Arrange legs on baking sheet, spacing two inches apart.

2. Bake chicken legs for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush chicken with barbeque sauce using a pastry brush. About one heaping tablespoon per leg. Return to oven and bake an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is done. To test chicken with a kitchen thermometer. Insert thermometer into chicken leg as close to the bone as possible without touching the bone. Fully cooked chicken should register 165 degrees. Serve chicken with additional barbeque sauce, if desired.

*Measurements for salt and pepper are approximate. I always grab a little using my fingers and lightly and evenly sprinkle over the meat. It really doesn't take much to season well. However, I am a low salt cook, so if you feel it needs more, add more. Just keep in mind that the barbeque sauce will add some seasoning as well.

Yields: 4-5 Servings (two chicken legs a piece)

Baked Chicken and Stuffing Casserole - An Update

Baked chicken topped with Swiss cheese, homemade cream of chicken sauce and stuffing. It's one of my most popular recipes on my blog so far!

I posted this recipe for chicken and stuffing casserole last year. Since starting my blog, this casserole recipe has been one of my most viewed recipes. I made a few minor changes (added cheese, took some new photos and explained my technique a little better). I always aim to improve my recipes and plan to share with you as I update them.

The weather is supposed to remain cool the next few days. This would be the perfect casserole for a hearty, evening meal!

Baked Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

Oven-Baked Chicken Nuggets

Crispy, oven-baked chicken nuggets covered in toasted Panko breadcrumbs. A satisfying main dish for adults and kids alike!

Chicken nuggets: they can either be delicious or done horribly wrong. I very rarely eat a fast food chicken nugget because of the way they are made.  Chicken nuggets should be simple: small bite size pieces of white meat chicken. Not, a chicken patty made of chicken pieces smooshed together in an odd nugget shape. I refuse to eat those types of nuggets.

This recipe consists of chicken breasts (or tenderloins) cut into small pieces and covered in crispy Panko breadcrumbs. No mystery ingredients. Just plain and simple.

I use Panko breadcrumbs because they give the perfect crunch to oven-baked "fried" chicken. The only problem is that Panko is rather white and only lightly browns when it is baked for less than 15 minutes. I toss mine into non-stick skillet and toast the crumbs to get them golden before using. The light toasting enhances the flavor and gives the exterior a beautiful golden color. I will emphasize that it only needs a light toasting--about five minutes and they are good. Once they are golden, remove them from the heat. The crumbs can easily begin to burn so watch them carefully!

I set up a small "assembly" station to make the nuggets. You will need three shallow dishes--I use casserole dishes and pie plates. Each dish is as follows:

Dish #1: flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika
Dish #2: one egg, beaten
Dish # 3: toasted Panko breadcrumbs

On a cutting board, I cut one pound of chicken tenderloins into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Sprinkle the chicken with a little salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour, shake off the excess. Dip into the egg mixture and then into the Panko. Cover with the Panko and then set onto a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Once all the nuggets are on the tray, spray the tops with a little oil and pop into the oven. After 7 minutes, turn over and bake an additional 5-7 minutes or until done (time will depend on the size of the chicken).

Serve chicken immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.

Oven-Baked Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

• 1-lb. fresh, chicken tenderloins or breasts
• 1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Non-stick cooking spray, such as: Pam, olive or canola oil

Directions

You will need three shallow casserole dishes or pie plates. The chicken nuggets have a three dip assembly and each item needs to be kept separate. 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. On a cutting board, cut chicken into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces. Sprinkle evenly with a little salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon of each) and set aside.

2. To toast breadcrumbs: heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Toast Panko breadcrumbs in the skillet until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Stir Panko every ten seconds or so, making sure the breadcrumbs do not burn. Transfer to a shallow dish. In the second dish, mix together the flour, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In third dish, crack one egg and beat well.

3. To make nuggets: take seasoned nuggets and dredge lightly in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the floured chicken into the egg, allow any excess to drip off and then dip into the Panko. Press the Panko onto the chicken and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Spray the tops of the chicken nuggets with a little oil to set the crumbs.

4. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 12-14 minutes. After 7 minutes of baking, remove pan from oven and carefully flip chicken over. Return pan to oven and bake the additional 5-7 minutes or until done. Cooking times will vary on the size of chicken pieces you are cooking. Chicken should register 165 on a instant read thermometer and be golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Yields: 4-6 Servings

Pasta Salad

Fresh veggies and perfectly cooked pasta tossed together with Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese. It's one of my favorite summer salads!

I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday weekend! My husband has been back to work for about 3 weeks now (he's a school teacher), so it was nice to have a few days off with him.

Now that Labor Day is gone, summer is officially winding down. This recipe is a summer barbeque favorite of mine. I use a variety of summer vegetables: grape tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, red onion, and carrots. Chop them into bite size pieces, toss with cooked rotini and the Italian dressing of your choice. Delicious and simple!

All of the vegetables need to be washed and dried well before assembling the salad. When chopping up the vegetables, leave pieces that are all similar in size as shown below.

Grape tomatoes: slice lengthwise in half, Cucumber: Halfway peeled, sliced and then cut into fourths, Red Onion: Diced, Carrots: Peeled and diced, Bell Pepper: Diced

While prepping the vegetables, boil the pasta according to package directions. Do not overcook the pasta! I can't emphasize the importance of this. Nothing ruins a good pasta dish like mushy, overcooked pasta. I always go by the "al dente" directions on the box, sometimes even a minute less. You want your pasta to have a little resistance when you bite into it. Once you toss warm pasta with sauce or dressing, it absorbs the liquid and softens the pasta a little more. When in doubt, under cook it just a tad.

Once everything is prepped and the pasta is done, toss the veggies, pasta, and dressing in a large mixing bowl. I start by adding about 1/4 of the bottle of dressing (sounds like a lot, but this is a big salad). The pasta will absorb the dressing as it chills, so adjust as needed. Chill the salad for at least two hours before serving. Once it is chilled, give the pasta a quick stir (dressing tends to fall to the bottom) adjust dressing as needed and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I think I ended up using about 1/3 of the bottle of dressing. Of course, a homemade Italian dressing will work just as well. Use whatever you like.

Serve this pasta salad with your favorite barbeque or summer foods. But watch out, it's easy to fill up on this salad! I could make a complete meal out of it.

Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1-12 ounce package of rotini, cooked according to package directions (I prefer the pasta al dente)
• 1 small package of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 cucumber, halfway peeled, sliced and then cut into fourths
• 1/2-3/4 red onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• Italian dressing of your choice (I prefer a robust Italian dressing)
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions

1. Boil pasta according to box directions, leaving al dente or slightly firm. Drain pasta well.

2. While pasta is cooking, wash and prep your vegetables. Allow vegetables to drain well, or dry with paper towels. Chop vegetables so that they are all similar in size.

3. Toss pasta, vegetables, and Italian dressing together.  I start with 1/4 of the bottle of dressing and adjust as needed. Refrigerate for at least two hours or until well chilled. Stir and taste before serving. Adjust dressing if needed. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.