Fried chicken is such a delightful food, isn’t it? There’s just one problem…the frying! That’s why my crispy baked chicken legs are the perfect solution. You’ll get that juicy, tender chicken meat locked into a crispy, crunchy topping without deep-frying, and your taste buds won’t know the difference. Having a healthier way to prepare crispy baked chicken legs means you can seek out this comfort food more often without all the guilt. My recipe for crispy baked chicken legs uses a dry brine which quickly marinates the chicken to make it extra flavorful. The coating is made with breadcrumbs and cornmeal for some extra crunchiness. And that yellow color? Turmeric! Turmeric is the secret to adding a beautiful yellow color and it’s also extremely good for you. It has antioxidants that are beneficial for your health and well-being.
How to make crispy baked chicken legs
Although you need a bit of extra time to marinate the chicken, my recipe uses a very rich brine which reduces the marianting time to as little as 15 minutes. So you can easily make this dish on a weekday night. That’s it! The chicken will be super flavorful with juicy meat and extra crunchy crispy coating. I really like the coating mixed with cornmeal. It provides a much better mouthfeel than the regular breadcrumb coating. Craving crispy baked chicken legs on a weekday? They’re so easy that you can make them any night of the week. If you’d prefer though, you can also use these for meal prep. The coating holds up really well and stays quite crispy if you use your oven to reheat it.
How to serve crispy baked chicken
I enjoy serving crispy baked chicken legs over steamed rice. I also serve an Asian-style salad to balance things out for a well-rounded nutritious meal. Any salad will do, though. Or you can serve your chicken with pickles. I have some super simple and quick pickle recipes for cucumbers, peppers, and cabbage that you can make and keep in your fridge for moments like this. It’s a great way to have veggies on hand when you need them. Also, a nice cold beer really goes so well with the crispy, crunchy texture of this chicken. Pop open your favorite and enjoy! Want to learn more about Chinese Cooking? Sign up my newsletter to receive the 5-Day Chinese Cooking Crash Course and recipe update! If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
More delicious chicken dinner recipes
Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Krapow Gai)Three Cup Chicken (三杯鸡)One-Pan Chinese Chicken and RiceChicken Chop SueyPineapple Chicken
Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.
