These easy, delicious Moroccan spiced crispy chicken leg quarters are perfectly crispy on the outside with gorgeous, succulent meat on the inside. This recipe is super easy to throw together. It does not involve marinating or precooking the meat – just coat in the spices, bake and enjoy!
This spiced crispy chicken leg quarters recipe takes under 10 minutes to prepare and makes a fantastic family dinner. Enjoy with rice, couscous, quinoa or salad.
This is the easiest method of baking chicken legs to crispy perfection I know and I am very excited to share it with you today. I made this recipe a few times, each time a little differently in order to compare the results and decide which method worked best. Once using spatchcock chicken and once using smaller chicken legs.
Although the chicken tasted delicious each time (I used the same spice mix) the texture wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. The problem with using spatchcock chicken is that white meat cooks quickly and can be chewy if roasted for too long, so it’s best to stick to dark meat only.
When I used smaller chicken legs the skin was nice and crispy but the meat was a little dry around the edges.
The crispy baked chicken legs recipe I am sharing below produced the best results. The skin was paper thin and perfectly crispy with no traces of fat in it while the meat inside was succulent and absolutely delicious.
How to make crispy chicken leg quarters
There are a few things to keep in mind in order to achieve the best results with this recipe.
Bake the chicken legs in a preheated oven.
It is important to pat the meat dry before coating in the spices. Also try to coat the meat as evenly as possible.
Start basting after 40-50 minutes when there are enough juices in your roasting tin.
There is no need to turn the meat over.
Serve the chicken straight from the oven as it won’t be as crispy after 15 minutes.
How to make Moroccan spice mix
You can play around with the proportions in this spice mix to suit your needs. For example, adjust the amount of cayenne to create a milder or spicier mix. If you are not a fan of cinnamon, for example, omit it and use more paprika instead.
If you prepare the spice mixture ahead store it in a jar and keep in a cupboard. If you double the ingredients you can also use it in other recipes.
Sprinkle over potato wedges or other vegetables before popping them in the oven, add to fajitas (whether you are using meat or just vegetables), burritos etc.
Serving suggestions
Serve this crispy oven baked chicken with cauliflower rice tabbouleh or roasted cauliflower salad. Tastes delicious also with sweet and zesty giant couscous salad with mango as well as romanesco salad with quinoa.
You might also like this easy Moroccan Spiced Chicken Kebabs recipe.
Check out also this collection of 13 healthy easy one pot chicken recipes.
Moroccan Spiced Crispy Chicken Leg Quarters
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken legs approx. 1 kg
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Moroccan Spice Mix, all in powder form
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2/3 teaspoon each ginger cayenne pepper, onion, garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika half a teaspoon 1/3 teaspoon each allspice, cinnamon, fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 180 C/ gas mark 4.
- Combine all the spices and salt, stir thoroughly and tip the mixture into a large, shallow roasting tin, spreading evenly.
- Cut off any loose skin from the chicken and pat the chicken dry using a paper towel sheet. Coat the chicken in the spices on both sides (do this as evenly as you can using the entire spice mixture).
- Arrange the chicken in the roasting tin skin side up, drizzle with the oil and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes in the middle of the oven. Start basting after about 40-50 minutes (baste every 15 minutes or so). Do not turn the meat over.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Pin Moroccan Spiced Crispy Chicken Leg Quarters
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RECIPE LINK PARTIES
I am bringing my crispy baked chicken legs recipe to #CookBlogShare. Also sharing with Recipe of the Week, Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by Laurena @ Life Diet Health and Alex @ Turks Who Eat.
Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking. 
Lesley@lostinfood says
March 20, 2018 at 5:54 pmI love the look of this dish, the spicing is right up my street, sounds delicious.
Monika says
March 21, 2018 at 10:55 amThanks Lesley, I love Moroccan spices in everything:)
Jhuls says
March 20, 2018 at 9:27 amThis looks so tasty, Monika! I love the sound of the recipe. Thanks for sharing! x
petra08 says
March 19, 2018 at 8:30 pmI love chicken with crispy skin and delicious spices! Yum 🙂
Monika says
March 19, 2018 at 9:15 pmThanks Petra:)
Jacqui says
March 18, 2018 at 7:44 pmOhh Monika I would love these I know I would. I often do lamb with Moroccan Spices but Chicken less so. These look delicious!
Monika says
March 19, 2018 at 9:18 pmThanks Jacqui! No one complained about dinner that day:)
TurksWhoEat says
March 16, 2018 at 7:14 pmI love roasting chicken. I totally agree with sticking to the dark meat. This mixture of spices sounds wonderful.
Monika says
March 16, 2018 at 8:06 pmThank you! glad you like my choice of spices:)
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
March 14, 2018 at 7:52 pmI love making spatchcock chicken because it’s oh-so-dramatic, but I’m with you about the different cooking times (and resulting uneven results). I love the idea of using leg quarters—they’re always on sale at my grocery, and they’re impressive in their own right. These look just gorgeous: I’m going to have to try these babies out on the hubster for date night!
Monika says
March 15, 2018 at 3:13 pmThanks Michelle, really glad you like this recipe, do let me know how it turns out if you make it:)
Mandy Mazliah says
March 14, 2018 at 12:19 pmThis sounds really lovely – I think my kids would really enjoy this x
Monika says
March 15, 2018 at 3:06 pmThanks Mandy! I thought your whole family was vegetarian…
Corina Blum says
March 14, 2018 at 11:50 amThis sounds really delicious! Coating chicken in some spices and then roasting it really is one of my favourite easy meals – It’s also something I can pretty much guarantee everyone in the house will eat too which is always a good thing!
Monika says
March 14, 2018 at 11:20 pmThank you Corina! It’s the same in my house:)
fessjarmer says
March 13, 2018 at 4:12 pmAhhhhh I just love crispy chicken SO much, especially when it’s coated with my fave spices! Moroccan cuisine is just the best and full of so much flavour! x
Monika says
March 14, 2018 at 9:08 amThank you! Moroccan spices really are super delicious:)
Cat says
March 12, 2018 at 8:58 pmThis looks delicious. I prefer dark meat on chicken because I think it as more favour which along with your Moroccan spices and crispy skin would be so tasty!
Monika says
March 13, 2018 at 11:31 amThank you Cat! It really was delicious and easy to make:)