Name: Roast Chicken Legs with Lots of Garlic
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick; about 2 1/2 lb. total); Kosher salt; 4 heads of garlic, halved crosswise; 1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds removed; 1 red chile (such as Fresno), quartered lengthwise, seeds removed if desired; 3 bay leaves or 5 sprigs thyme; Freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; Country-style bread, toasted (for serving)

Roast chicken legs in oval casserole dish with caramelized halfheads of roasted garlic lemon slices thyme sprigs and chiles.

Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou

For this roast chicken recipe, if you have the time, season the chicken with salt the night before and chill uncovered so the skin will dry out a bit. Doing this helps the chicken take on a nice golden finish.

Recipe information

Yield
4 servings

Ingredients

4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick; about 2 1/2 lb. total)

Kosher salt

4 heads of garlic, halved crosswise

1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds removed

1 red chile (such as Fresno), quartered lengthwise, seeds removed if desired

3 bay leaves or 5 sprigs thyme

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Country-style bread, toasted (for serving)

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat oven to 325°F. Place chicken in an 13x9" baking dish and season generously all over with salt. Add garlic, lemon, chile, bay leaves, and a few grinds of pepper. Pour in oil and toss everything to coat. Turn garlic heads cut side down so they are in contact with the baking dish (this will help them brown).
Step 2
Roast chicken, rotating pan once, until meat is almost falling off the bone, 75–90 minutes. Let chicken cool in pan 10 minutes, then serve with bread.