Paprika Chicken Legs – Resist the temptation of cooking the same thing over and over and make these Baked Garlic Paprika Chicken Legs. It’s packed with great flavors from garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, herbs and of course, paprika. It’ll be a new family favorite easy dish!
The whole family will totally enjoy these baked Paprika Chicken Legs and it comes together quickly. If chicken is on your mind this week, put this one-pot low-carb meal on the menu.
All you need is a few pantry staple spices coupled with herbs on hand. For an added bonus, you can throw in some vegetables in the roasting pan and have a delicious one-pot meal ready in no time. How easy is that? You’ll have a complete meal that looks as impressive as it tastes.
What is paprika?
Paprika is a deep orange-red ground spice made from dried fruits of the larger and sweeter varieties of Capsicum annum called bell pepper or sweet peppers. It is commonly used as a garnish on soups, stews or appetizers, but its flavor is truly released when its is heated through. Paprika is also named as the fourth most consumed spiced in the world.
Is paprika spicy?
There’s not just one variety of paprika; thus its flavor could vary depending on where it’s from and the type of peppers used. Thus the flavors could range from sweet to mild to red hot.
Popular varieties consist of plain paprika, Spanish paprika and Hungarian paprika. If you’re unsure on which suits you, you can start with the one that only says “paprika” on the label as it is neither sweet nor hot and is perfect as a garnish for eggs. Hungarian paprika on the other hand has some degree of rich, sweet red pepper flavor. Those you see usually in the grocery store marketed as the Hungarian sweet paprika is sweet and slightly pungent.
For this recipe I used a smoked paprika which is a type of Spanish paprika used to achieve a deep, smoky and woodsy, earthy touch of flavor.
If you want a really crisp skin, use a paper towel to wipe the chicken dry. Looking for carbs to pair this with? Then try pairing it with this aromatic Green Beans and Bacon. If using fresh vegetables be sure to blanch before adding so you can have really tender vegetables.
Enjoy!
Watch How to Make It
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Paprika Chicken Legs
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Ingredients
- 3 -3 ½ pound chicken drumsticks
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon bouillon powder (you may replace with salt)
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 4-6 garlic cloves minced
- 2-3 Tablespoons fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, oregano)
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons onion powder
Instructions
- Wash chicken legs dry, rub with salt , white pepper and bouillon powder and set aside
- In a small pan set over medium low heat, combine canola oil, minced garlic, fresh herbs, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper . Stir for about 30 seconds or 1 minute. Let this mixture sit for a little bit about 5 minutes.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°.
- Place the chicken in a large bowl, toss with garlic paprika spice mix, then sprinkle with the onion powder.
- Line a baking pan with foil; top with a wire rack. Arrange chicken legs out in a single layer.
- Bake chicken legs until cooked through and skin is crispy, about 40-45 minutes
- If desired rotate chicken halfway through-roughly 25 minutes. And continue cooking until chicken is fully cooked and juice from the chicken runs clear.
- Remove and let it cool slightly before serving .
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
How to Make Baked Chicken Legs
Wash chicken legs and dry, rub with salt, white pepper and bouillon powder and set aside. In a small pan, set over medium low heat, combine canola oil, minced garlic, fresh herbs, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper . Stir for about 30 seconds or 1 minute. Let this mixture sit for a little bit about 5 minutes.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°. Place the chicken in a large bowl, toss with garlic paprika spice mix, then sprinkle with the onion powder.
Optional: You can lay out baby carrots and green beans on the foiled baking pan just underneath the rack to roast alongside the chicken.
Line a baking pan with foil; top with a wire rack. Arrange chicken legs out in a single layer. Bake chicken legs until cooked through and skin is crispy, about 40-45 minute.
If desired, rotate chicken halfway through-roughly 25 minutes. And continue cooking until chicken is fully cooked and juice from the chicken runs clear. Remove and let it cool slightly before serving.
luis says
Hi beautiful recipe one question can i replace the canola oil for olive or coconut?
thank you
ImmaculateBites says
You sure can.
luis says
thank you 🙂
Cassandra says
Imma,
This is one of the best chicken recipes that I have tried!!!! My 4 year old son said “Mommy, the chicken is delicious! Can I have some more?” I let the meat marinate in the spices overnight and that really allowed for the flavor to penetrate the chicken. Imma, keep up the good recipes!!!
ImmaculateBites says
Awww thanks Cassandra! That is sure a sweet thing to say. Am so excited that your kids enjoyed it too!
P.S I always do a happy dance when the kids give it a thumbs up. So am doing one now…
Have a great weekend!!!
Marah says
The recipe states “4-6” minced garlic. Is that 4-6 cloves? Or tsp?
Thanks!
ImmaculateBites says
It means 4-6 garlic cloves minced which equals about 2 1/2- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
Carol Mikel says
Looking forward to making this dish but confused about exactly how much garlic to u
ImmaculateBites says
Sorry for the confusion. Use 4-6 garlic cloves.
Jillian says
This is Absolutely Delicious!!! I made it for the family and they want it again today. Thank you so much ! Can’t wait to try out the other recipes.
ImmaculateBites says
AWESOME!!!
Victoria says
excellent recipe. .tried it for dinner and turned out perfect.
ImmaculateBites says
AWESOME!! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
Krista says
I’m making this tonight for dinner but the store in my town didn’t have Smoked paprika so all I have is spicy peprika or regular, do you think that it will still turn out ok?
ImmaculateBites says
It will do just fine.
diana says
where is the recipe of the rice!!! i have the chicken in the oven smelling amazing as it cooks but i need the rice to complete it!!! at least whats the name of the rice so i can look it up~!
ImmaculateBites says
Here is the recipe for the rice. http://africanbites.com/south-african-yellow-rice/
Theresa says
My oven isn’t big enough for me to use a pan and a wire rack. Do you have a different suggestion on how to bake them?
ImmaculateBites says
The only other way is to make it in an oven safe pan. It would not be super crispy but it would do just fine.
three feathers says
once again, a recipe home run ;0) had nary a green bean, so i used a whole bunch of radishes with the carrots…..used the radish greens in a kale saute to go with with this chicken….i roast, grill, pan fry radishes regularly ….rarely eat them raw, unless they’re dipped in butter and sprinkled with salt, which kinda defeats the “salady-diet” aspect of radishes HAHA
thank you for making me look good in the kitchen again LOL
am having probs getting a 5 star rating, only 1 star shows up, that’s wrong…..this is def a fiver!
ImmaculateBites says
Glad you approve.So happy you enjoyed the veggies too! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us . Have an AMAZING 2016.
M says
Is it just me or did I miss something. The 1 tbsp paprika and 1/2 tsp cayenne wasnt enough sauce to coat the chicken and I only had 1 lb of chicken. The sauce was good but definitely wasn’t enough, I could barely taste it. Need to add more next time! Otherwise, good recipe.
ImmaculateBites says
Did you include the herbs and garlic? You can always double the spices if you feel it needs a little more. Thanks for feedback!!
Tia says
Hi,
I am going to make this chicken for dinner tonight. Your recipe says to add bouillon powder and I wanted to know if that is the same as the chicken flavored bouillon cubes?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, Tia. They are the same.
Tia says
Imma,
Your chicken recipe is the bomb.com!!!!!!!! It has so much flavor, I followed your recipe but I used smoked sweet paprika and smoked hot paprika. My husband is African and he loved it!!!!! I also cooked your yellow rice recipe(Indian style). In addition to the green peas, I also added fresh cilantro. It was soooo damn delicious!!!!!!! I have already composed a list of your other recipes I am going to try. Thank you so much for sharing, you rock Imma
Jackie says
Just made this recipe using chicken thighs and oh my word…this was an incredibly tasty meal. Thank you for the recipe. My husband and I enjoyed it and I will be adding this to my rotation
Jackie says
Thank you for your quick response. I will do just that and report back on the results.
Jackie says
Hi. I would like to make this tonight using hicken thighs instead of legs. Is there anything I should do differently?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Jackie! Just add a few extra minutes when roasting the chicken. That’s it.