Moroccan Spiced Crispy Chicken Leg Quarters

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.

Print Recipe

Moroccan Spiced Crispy Chicken Leg Quarters

These easy, delicious Moroccan spiced crispy chicken leg quarters are crispy on the outside with gorgeous, succulent meat on the inside. This recipe does not involve marinating or precooking the meat - just coat in the spices, roast and enjoy!

Prep Time7 mins

Cook Time1 hr 20 mins

Total Time1 hr 27 mins

Course: Dinner, Main

Cuisine: Moroccan

Keyword: crispy chicken, Moroccan

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Monika Dabrowski

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.

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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.