A hearty and comforting dinner for two, Maple Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters with roasted vegetables baked in the same pan is simple yet packed with flavor. Use chicken legs, thighs, or quarters for an easy and delicious meal.
For the longest time when someone asked what my favorite food was, I didn’t have an answer.
Sure, I love some foods more than others, but nothing stood out as number one.
Was it ice cream? Chocolate chip cookies? Shrimp? Clams?
Then I started thinking about what I would eat as my last supper and still didn’t have an answer.
It wasn’t until I was eating this Maple Roasted Chicken Quarter recipe for the third time in one month when I finally realized what my last supper would be – crispy chicken skin with roasted vegetables underneath.
I’ve always jokingly said that someone should just serve up a plate of crispy chicken skin at a restaurant for my entree.
The chicken meat itself I can take it or leave it, but since I wouldn’t want to waste the meat, it must be dark meat; I don’t like eating roasted chicken breast.
The roasted vegetables underneath – carrot, potato, onion, and garlic – tie everything together with a built-in side dish for a fulfilling dinner for two.
I don’t have a date for this upcoming Valentine’s Day, but if I did, I would tell him let’s stay home and make this roasted maple chicken dinner together.
What would you eat for your last supper?
What is the difference between roasting and baking a chicken?
Roasting and baking may seem like one and the same. Put the chicken in the oven and let it cook. However, there is a difference between the two cooking methods.
Roasting is used to create a crispy, golden brown skin on the chicken. Sometimes the meat is basted for long cooking times, but you don’t need to baste chicken quarters since the cook time is relatively short.
This process requires a higher temperature of 400F (200C) or higher. Anything below 400F/200C is considered baking, not roasting.
You also need to roast your chicken uncovered. If you cover the chicken with foil, moisture is trapped and steams the food, resulting in flabby chicken skin.
What is a quarter chicken?
A chicken quarter refers to the leg and thigh being attached as one piece. My original plan was to use chicken thighs, but the butcher didn’t have any separated.
Instead I bought two fat chicken quarters, which is pretty much equivalent to four small chicken thighs.
Typically for serving sizes, I do one large chicken quarter or two chicken thighs per person.
You can also make this recipe using chicken breast. However, I’m not a fan of light meat so I stick with thighs and legs.
As long as you know your preference between dark and light meat, you can customize it to your liking.
How long do you bake chicken leg quarters?
Baking time depends on how large the chicken quarters are. Typically you bake them for about 40-45 minutes.
The important thing is to cook the chicken to an internal temperature of at least 165F (74C) with clear juices running out when poked.
If the chicken is done before the vegetables, remove the chicken from the pan and let the vegetables roast another 5-10 minutes or until done.
What are the ingredients for maple roasted chicken?
The ingredient list may seem too simple with only maple, fresh thyme, and salt seasoning the chicken skin, but sometimes simple is best.
It’s also why it’s very important to buy pure maple syrup.
Be careful buying maple syrup from the grocery store as a lot of them are pancake syrups with artificial maple flavoring. Make sure the bottle says pure maple syrup.
I usually buy mine locally in Pennsylvania since we have a good bit of maple farms in the area.
How To Make Maple Roasted Chicken Legs and Thighs
Before you start to cook, make sure you prep the chicken quarters properly. Pat them completely dry then rub both sides with salt.
Next, heat your oil in a large skillet until hot. It’s important to not rush this because if your oil isn’t hot, your chicken skin won’t brown and crisp up properly.
Add your chicken skin side down, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. If your skillet isn’t large enough, you may need to brown in batches.
Overcrowding the pan will result in steaming your skin rather than frying it, so make sure you give your chicken pieces room to fry.
Once the skin is brown, flip and cook the other side until brown. Then transfer your chicken to your baking pan, brush with maple syrup, then roast until done.
How To Make Roasted Vegetables
What I love most about this recipe is you cook both the main dish and side dish at the same time. You don’t need to make a second recipe on the stove while the chicken is roasting.
Don’t let the simple roasted root vegetables underneath fool you because they’re anything but ordinary.
Between the maple syrup and the chicken juices, the vegetables are packed with so much flavor, I like them even better than the meat, especially the roasted garlic.
Do you peel the garlic before roasting?
I’m often asked whether you peel the garlic before roasting. I’ve done it both ways and find keeping the skin on the garlic prevents it from burning too much.
More Roasted Chicken For Two Recipes
Looking for other chicken for two recipes for your dinner rotation? Add these easy recipes to your menu planning:
Maple Roasted Chicken Quarters (Dinner For Two)
A hearty and comforting dinner for two, Maple Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters with roasted vegetables baked in the same pan is simple yet packed with flavor. Use chicken legs, thighs, or quarters for an easy and delicious meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large chicken quarters or 4 chicken thighs, patted dry and rubbed with salt (kosher preferred)
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 large potato, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon salt (kosher preferred)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F/220C. Have a small casserole dish or an 8x8 pan ready.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Once hot, add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and brown for 5 minutes. Flip and brown the other side for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl add the carrots, potatoes, onion, and garlic and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and salt. Spread evenly into the bottom of the baking pan.
- Once the chicken has finished browning, transfer chicken to sit on top of the vegetables, skin side up. Brush evenly with maple syrup and sprinkle with thyme.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165F/74C. If the chicken is done before the vegetables, remove the chicken and cook the vegetables another 5-10 minutes or until softened.
Rachel says
Much as I love chicken, my last supper would be a huge slab of prime rib, a gigantic baked potato oozing with butter, a crisp salad with a white balsamic vinaigrette, and a whole pan of tiramisu (can you tell I’ve thought about this a lot? :) ) Oh, and a huge bread basket, with loads of butter.
Carla says
Oh that last supper sounds amazing too!
Catherine says
Dear Carla, what a beautiful meal! Your chicken looks absolutely perfect….beautiful photos! xo, Catherine
Carla says
Thank you!
Megan says
I love crispy chicken skin too and I think preparing it simply more often than not gets it that way. I’ll be dreaming of the veggies though in this case, chicken juices and maple syrup? Yum.
Erin says
I just made this last night and it will now be going into regular rotation. What a delicious meal! I absolutely gobbled it up. And also, as a single lady, it was super nice not to have to cut the recipe in half, like I normally have to do. Thanks for sharing with us!
Carla says
Glad you enjoyed it! This chicken has been in my regular rotation as well.
Wilma Manasse says
We eat chicken leg and thigh together a lot. Now I have a new way to fix it. Will let you know if it was a hit or not.
Carla says
Hope you enjoy!
Mat says
This meal looks outstanding. Will try it tonight although wouldn’t browning chicken and then baking for 45 mins at 425 dry it out completely? What am I missing here? Will be doing this with boneless chicken thighs and still want the flavour from the juices.
Carla says
Browning helps crisp up the skin, but the chicken is still raw inside. This recipe calls for chicken quarters, which are bigger than boneless thighs. If you’re substituting boneless thighs, they won’t take as long. Brown them for about 3 minutes per side (if they aren’t quite brown, cook another minute or two) then bake them for 20 minutes. If they aren’t done, bake until fully cooked through.
Brian Kincaid says
Now should it be covered or uncovered?. I am going to do it all in a dutch over (browning and baking) and didn’t know if I should cover it for half the cooking time and then uncovered for the last 15 minutes to get it brown.
Carla says
Uncovered. If you cover it, the skin will get soggy and not crisp up.
Jj says
How can i made this recipe using microwave?
Carla says
I don’t have any experience making this in the microwave. If you google “how to cook chicken quarters in the microwave”, you can use that as your starting point for this recipe.
Diana says
This was delicious! I wanted to try something new for Valentine’s Day and this came out so good. My SO efen had seconds which I have never seen him do.
Carla says
I’d take this maple chicken for a romantic dinner any day ;) Glad you enjoyed it!
Hannah Caveny says
Delicious! I had a dinner party last night, found chicken quarters on sale and needed a good recipe for them fast! This was awesome. Thank you.
Carla says
Thanks for the positive feedback!
Myshelle says
My boyfriend wanted to make us dinner and found this recipe. It was a HIT! He doesn’t cook very much but found this to be easy to prepare and the flavor was amazing! Thank you for sharing! We are going to double it and have it again tonight with the teenager.
Carla says
That was sweet of him! Glad you both enjoyed it :)
Riley says
Making this tonight for my boyfriend ☺️
Carla says
Awesome! How did it turn out?
Riley Peterson says
It was fantastic, I had to take the chicken and put the veggies on broil they were in the oven about an hour and a half and still were pretty firm. I think it had to do with the ceramic dish I used and I had a cookie sheet underneath it. I ended up adding more carrots, onions, potatoes and garlic so there would be leftovers for my partner to take to work! The garlic was delicious, I’m with you on being able to eat a whole head of garlic 😋 yum!!!!
Carla says
Hmm possibly. 90 minutes is a long time for chicken and vegetables. The cookie sheet underneath could have prevented the heat from circulating around the dish. Also if you added more vegetables, I wonder if the dish was too crowded? Or maybe your oven isn’t as accurate as it should be? Regardless, I’m glad you were able to salvage it with the broiler!
Frank says
Maybe a little late to the game, but I made this tonight. Carla, I have to say, it was excellent! I made it with bone-in chicken breasts since that’s my preference and I made it all in a cast iron skillet. The flavors were excellent and adding the garlic cloves is genius! This is definitely going into my recipe binder for continued use. I can see trying it with other vegetables, like maybe Brussels sprouts. Well done, Carla! Thank you!
Carla says
Glad you enjoyed it, Frank! I’ve made it with bone-in breast before and still works just as well. It’s such an easy meal to throw together and happy to hear it’s going in your rotation. Brussels sprouts are a great idea!
Joan Macintosh says
This does sound delicious! I’m wondering why you don’t peel the garlic cloves?
Carla says
I find they cook better while in their skin (plus the skins help protect against burning).
gregory anderson says
What a wonderful recipe Carla. Since I and my wife are real maple syrup fans, the only thing I would add is that we’d probably serve it with a stout iced tea sweetened with maple syrup (it goes well with roasted and bbq’d foods).
Carla says
Love the idea of the iced tea pairing! Glad you enjoyed the chicken recipe.