Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Legs

Delicious lemon garlic baked chicken legs that are full of flavor, easy to make & loved by the whole family. One of our favorite baked chicken legs recipes!

• Prep Time: 5 min

•  Cook Time: 1 hour

•  Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

•  Yield: Serves 4-6 

INGREDIENTS

• 2–2.5 pounds of chicken legs (about 8 legs)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• zest and juice from 2 large lemons (or 3 medium), separated
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, optional
• 2 tablespoons honey

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Pat your chicken legs dry with paper towel and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the salt, lemon zest (but not juice), minced garlic, pepper, and thyme. Use the back of a spoon to smash the mixture together and release any moisture the zest or garlic might have into the herbs (a mortar and pestle works well here but isn’t a must). The goal is to have a spice mix that is well blended using the garlic to bring it all together.
4. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken and set the chicken legs inside a baking dish (9×13 or 8×11 both work).
5. Bake the chicken for 40 minutes.
6. While the chicken is baking, mix together 1/3 cup of the lemon juice and the honey. If the honey is too thick, warm it just a bit so that it’s mixed into the juice well.
7. After the 40 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven. Turn the chicken legs over in the pan and then drizzle the lemon juice mixture over the chicken. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven again. Flip the chicken over again and spoon the juice that has collected in the bottom of the pan over the chicken. Return to the oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 165 degree F. on an instant-read thermometer.
9. Remove the chicken from the oven and spoon the pan juice over the top one more time. Enjoy hot.

NOTES

• I don’t feel like there’s a good sub for the fresh lemon here. The mix of the zest and the juice of the fresh lemon are so great. I don’t think dried lemon or bottled juice would have the same effect.
• No thyme on hand? Skip it all together OR pick your own favorite herb. This would be great with fresh or dried rosemary, basil, or parsley.
• Wondering if your chicken is done? Investing in a little thermometer is the best way to make sure your meat is not over or under cooked. I have a really basic thermometer and it’s such a cooking game changer.