BBQ Chicken Leg Quarters Recipe

BBQ chicken leg quarters with browned, sticky barbecue sauce in a cast iron skillet.

This BBQ chicken leg quarters recipe delivers bold, oven-baked barbecue flavor with juicy, tender dark meat and a rich, sticky finish. It’s a reliable, from-scratch dinner that works just as well for an easy weeknight meal as it does for casual gatherings.

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 50

Servings servings

Calories 698kcal

Author Diane Gail

Ingredients

2 chicken leg quarters
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves pressed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup BBQ sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Stir the garlic, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and olive oil together until evenly combined.
Rub the seasoning mixture evenly over the chicken leg quarters, coating all sides.
Refrigerate the seasoned chicken for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight, to allow the seasoning to settle into the meat.
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Coat the chicken evenly with BBQ sauce and arrange it in a single layer in a cast iron skillet.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove from the oven once the thickest part reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

Notes

Rest the seasoned chicken: Allowing the chicken to rest after seasoning improves overall flavor by giving the seasoning time to settle into the meat.
Use a cast iron skillet: Cast iron holds heat evenly and helps the chicken bake consistently while supporting a well-set BBQ sauce coating.
Watch sweet BBQ sauces closely: Sauces with higher sugar content can darken quickly, so loosely covering the skillet near the end can prevent over-browning.

Nutrition