Cast Iron Chicken Leg Quarters with Crispy Skin

These cast iron chicken leg quarters have crispy, golden skin on the outside with tender, juicy dark meat underneath. They start on the stovetop to crisp the skin, then the entire skillet goes into the oven to finish cooking.

It’s an easy one-pan chicken dinner made with simple seasonings, a little oil, and about an hour from start to finish.

If you love crispy chicken skin but can’t get outside to grill, this is one of my favorite ways to cook chicken leg quarters.

We also love my grilled chicken leg quarters when the weather cooperates, but cooking chicken leg quarters in cast iron gives you that beautifully browned skin without firing up the grill.

Why You’ll Love These Cast Iron Chicken Leg Quarters

There are a few reasons I keep coming back to this method.

Crispy skin: Starting the chicken skin-side down in a hot cast iron skillet gives the skin time to brown and crisp before it goes into the oven.

Juicy dark meat: Chicken leg quarters are naturally flavorful and stay juicy when cooked properly.

One-pan cooking: The chicken starts on the stove and finishes in the oven in the same skillet. Fewer dishes are always welcome in my house!

Simple ingredients: You don’t need a marinade or a long ingredient list. A simple dry rub and a little oil are all you need.

Easy to customize: You can brown the skin a little longer or shorter depending on how crispy and dark you like it.

What Are Chicken Leg Quarters?

A chicken leg quarter includes both the thigh and drumstick, which remain connected.

Because both pieces are dark meat, leg quarters have more fat than chicken breasts. That gives them plenty of flavor and helps them stay juicy during cooking.

They’re also a great choice for cast iron cooking because the skin can be browned directly in the skillet before the chicken finishes cooking in the oven.

What Size Cast Iron Skillet Should I Use?

I recommend using a 13-inch cast iron skillet when cooking four chicken leg quarters.

You can fit four into a 12-inch skillet, and that’s actually what I used when I originally photographed this recipe. However, it gets pretty crowded.

Giving the chicken a little more room makes it easier to arrange the leg quarters and helps the skin brown instead of steam.

If you’re cooking only two or three leg quarters, a smaller skillet should work just fine.

How to Make Cast Iron Chicken Leg Quarters

The method is simple: season the chicken, brown it skin-side down on the stovetop, flip it over, and transfer the entire cast iron skillet to the oven.

1. Prepare the Chicken

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl.

Chicken leg quarters sometimes have a large piece of excess fat attached near the bone. Trim away any large pieces of excess fat before seasoning.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. This is an important step because removing excess moisture helps the skin brown and crisp in the skillet.

Sprinkle the dry rub evenly over the chicken and gently press the seasoning onto the skin.

2. Heat the Cast Iron Skillet

Place your cast iron skillet over medium heat and allow it to heat for about 2–3 minutes.

Cast iron takes a little longer to heat than some other cookware, but once it’s hot, it holds heat extremely well.

Add the oil and let it heat for another minute or two.

You want the skillet hot enough that the chicken immediately begins sizzling when it touches the pan.

Tip: Use an oil suitable for cooking at this temperature. Avoid oils with very low smoke points.

3. Brown the Chicken Skin

Carefully place the chicken leg quarters into the skillet skin-side down.

You should hear a good sizzle when the chicken hits the pan.

Cook the chicken skin-side down for approximately 7–10 minutes.

For lightly browned, crispy skin, stay closer to 7 minutes. If you prefer darker, crispier skin, let it cook closer to 10 minutes.

Try not to move the chicken around while it’s browning. Giving the skin uninterrupted contact with the hot skillet helps it develop that golden crust.

And yes, chicken skin and hot cast iron can get a little enthusiastic. A splatter shield is very helpful here to keep the grease from splattering all over the stove.

4. Finish the Chicken in the Oven

Carefully flip each chicken leg quarter so the skin is facing up.

Transfer the entire cast iron skillet to the middle rack of your preheated oven.

Bake for approximately 40–45 minutes, or until the chicken reaches the proper internal temperature.

Cooking time can vary depending on the size of your chicken leg quarters, so use the temperature rather than the clock to determine when they’re done.

Let the chicken rest for about 5–10 minutes before serving.

What Temperature Are Chicken Leg Quarters Done?

Chicken must reach a minimum internal temperature of 165°F for food safety. Check the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh without allowing the thermometer to touch the bone. The USDA recommends 165°F as the safe minimum internal temperature for poultry.

While 165°F is safe, I prefer chicken leg quarters cooked to around 170–175°F.

Dark meat handles the higher temperature much better than chicken breast, and I find the texture of the thighs and legs is better when they’re cooked a little beyond the minimum safe temperature.

A digital instant-read thermometer works great, or you can use an oven-safe probe thermometer to monitor the chicken while it cooks.

How Do You Get Crispy Skin on Chicken Leg Quarters?

The biggest trick is starting with dry chicken and a properly heated skillet.

Pat the chicken dry before seasoning it, preheat the cast iron skillet before adding the chicken, and place the quarters skin-side down without moving them around.

Also, don’t skip the stovetop step.

Putting raw chicken directly into the oven will cook it, but you won’t get the same deeply browned, crispy skin that comes from direct contact with hot cast iron.

Don’t Overcrowd the Skillet

This is one of the lessons I learned after making these several times.

If the chicken quarters are packed tightly together, moisture can become trapped in the skillet. Instead of browning nicely, the chicken can begin to steam.

Four large leg quarters fit much more comfortably in a 13-inch skillet than a 12-inch skillet.

If your chicken quarters are especially large, use a bigger skillet or cook fewer pieces at once.

What to Serve With Chicken Leg Quarters

Chicken leg quarters are pretty versatile, so you can keep dinner simple.

We often make Instant Pot baby potatoes with them because they’re easy and the timing is predictable.

They would also be delicious with mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, green beans, rice, mac and cheese, coleslaw, or a simple salad.

Tips for the Best Cast Iron Chicken Leg Quarters

Pat the chicken dry. Moisture is the enemy of crispy chicken skin.

Preheat the skillet. Don’t put the chicken into a cold cast iron pan.

Start skin-side down. This is what gives you that beautiful crispy exterior.

Don’t constantly move the chicken. Let the skin stay in contact with the skillet while it browns.

Use a meat thermometer. Chicken pieces vary in size, so internal temperature is much more reliable than cooking time alone.

Let the chicken rest. Give the leg quarters about 5–10 minutes before serving.

Frequently asked questions

Other great skillet recipes:

If you like these cast iron chicken leg quarters, you will probably love the parmesan pan fried chicken or chicken parmesan in cast iron. They are also easy to make but with boneless chicken breasts instead of bone in chicken.

Have you ever cooked with cast iron before?

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