As I’ve stated many times, I buy my chicken in large quantities and freeze them from CostCo because of the cost savings and constantly look for great recipes using what I already have.  Crispy Baked Rosemary-Garlic Chicken Legs left my family nearly licking their plates.  There is not even a slight exaggeration to that comment.  Is it normal for men/boys to just grunt while they eat?  Seriously, conversation was lost at our dinner table until they both had gotten one chicken leg into their dinner.

Many of my friends want some of the leftovers, but we are hard pressed to have any it seems these days.  After throwing away way too many containers of slimy leftovers, I’ve really tried to cook just enough for our family for dinner with just a little something leftover.  Plus, the boys just seem to devour whatever I put in front of them.

The bread crumbs really make the crust so light and flaky on the chicken legs combined with the drizzle of olive oil in the bottom of the cooking sheet we were convinced we were eating fried chicken.

Keys items that make this dish a success:

  • Be sure to season the panko bread crumbs and flour well with salt and pepper.  The salt and pepper seasons the chicken well and does not overpower the flavors.
  • Allow the coated chicken to sit the entire 15-20 minutes to allow the coating to adhere to the chicken well.
  • I chose to turn the chicken legs during the baking process to allow the chicken legs to brown on all sides and cook thoroughly after cooling in the refrigerator.
  • Squeeze lemon over the top of chicken legs right before serving it brings a zip to the chicken.
  • Use the advice of the recipe and use a large plastic bag for the final step adding the panko crumbs.  It reminded me of the shake and bake days of being a kid with easier clean up.

panko mixture

 

all set up and ready to dip

 

just chillin'

 

a close view

 

plated and ready to go

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Crispy Baked Rosemary-Garlic Chicken Legs

Ingredients

  1. 12 chicken legs
  2. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  3. 4 stems rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  4. 4 cups panko bread crumbs
  5. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  6. 2 eggs
  7. 2 cups milk
  8. 3 cups all-purpose flour
  9. Extra-virgin olive oil
  10. Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a sheet tray in the oven to preheat.
  2. Wash and trim the chicken legs of any excess fat. Mix the garlic, rosemary and panko together in a shallow rimmed dish and season well with salt and pepper. Alternatively, crush the garlic and rosemary with some olive oil and salt in a mortar and pestle.
  3. Crack the eggs into a similar dish, add the milk and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper, oil).
  4. Take the chicken legs and one at a time, dredge the flour, then the egg wash and then coat well with the rosemary-garlic panko bread crumbs. (Cook’s note: you could also bread the legs by putting the bread crumbs in a large plastic bag and shaking the legs in the crumbs inside the bag.) Lay the chicken legs out on a tray lined with parchment paper, as you work. Refrigerate the legs for about 15-20 minutes for the breading to set.
  5. Remove the hot sheet tray from the oven and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil. Arrange the chicken legs carefully on the tray, spacing them out evenly (the chicken will sizzle when added to the hot oil). Roast until the chicken legs are golden and crispy, turning a few times to get all sides golden, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven to a serving platter. Season with salt and serve with lemon wedges.
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