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Generously seasoned and roasted to golden-brown perfection, this is the absolute best chicken recipe! These roasted chicken quarters are an easy, hands-off entrée that the whole family will love.
Who doesn’t love a good roast chicken recipe?
A little bit of prep work and some time in the oven, and you have a main dish that feels elevated and seriously goes with anything.
When I have the time, I make some truly delicious whole roasted chicken! Between my Tuscan roasted chicken and Cajun roast chicken, we’ve had a lot of tasty Sunday dinners.
But what about weekdays when I need dinner on the table a little faster? That’s when chicken quarters come in.
Quartering a chicken allows you to bake it in about half the time as a whole bird, but with all of the same cooking ease, crispy skin, and wonderful flavor!
This roasted chicken quarters recipe is one of my favorite ways to make oven-baked chicken. The meat is well-seasoned and juicy, and the skin is crispy and delicious.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy roast chicken: This is a great way to use a whole chicken without the complexity and long bake time of a whole roast chicken. Quartering the bird before baking helps it bake faster and more evenly, so it turns out perfectly every time.
- Simple main dish: Roast chicken is the perfect entrée when you don’t know what to make for dinner! It’s simple yet delicious and can be served with a variety of sides.
- Hands-off meal: The beauty of roasted sheet pan meals is that they are very hands-off. Rather than standing at the stove flipping chicken in a skillet, all you have to do is prep the meat, then let the oven do the rest.
Ingredients
- Whole chicken quarters: You can quarter a chicken yourself or ask a butcher to do it for you. Keep reading for instructions on how to quarter it at home in just a few minutes.
- Butter and oil: A combination of butter and oil gives this chicken a crispy, golden brown skin and incredible flavor.
- Chicken broth: Adding a little broth to the bottom of the pan helps keep the meat moist and juicy.
Find the full list of ingredients, including measurements, in the recipe card below.
How to Make Roasted Chicken Quarters
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Pat the chicken dry and place it in a baking dish or on a sheet pan.
Step 2. In a small bowl, mix together the butter and olive oil. Rub it over all sides of the chicken.
Step 3. Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and Italian seasoning. Season the chicken evenly.
Step 4. Place the smashed garlic around the chicken and squeeze the lemon over the top. Set the lemon halves in the pan.
Step 5. Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the pan.
Step 6. Arrange the chicken skin-side up, leaving space between each piece.
Step 7. Roast for 45–55 minutes, or until the skin is golden and the internal temperature near the bone reaches at least 165°F.
Step 8. Let the chicken rest for 5–10 minutes. Spoon some of the pan juices over the top before serving.
Tips + Notes
- Don’t skip patting the meat dry before oiling and seasoning it. Moisture on the skin will prevent it from getting beautifully golden brown and crispy.
- Be careful not to roast your chicken too long, or you may end up with dry and/or tough meat. I recommend checking the internal temperature regularly, starting around the 40-minute mark, to ensure you don’t let it go too long.
- Feel free to adjust the seasonings to your liking. You can add a bit of cayenne pepper if you like a little kick.
- Letting the chicken rest before serving will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, giving you juicier, more delicious chicken.
What are Chicken Quarters?
Chicken quarters are exactly how they sound: a whole chicken cut into quarters! Quartering a chicken is easier than it seems, and all you need is a sharp knife and a cutting board (though kitchen shears can also be helpful).
To quarter a chicken, remove the legs by cutting between the thigh and the body of the bird. Then carefully slice along the base of the breasts to remove the breast meat and wing from the bones. Be sure to save the bones for meat stock or bone broth!
In the end, you’ll have two breasts/wings and two full legs as your quarters. I removed the wings from the breasts for more even sizing and easier serving. For a video demonstration of how to quarter a chicken, I recommend checking out this video from Bon Appétit magazine.
What to Serve with Roasted Chicken
One of my favorite things about roasted chicken is how versatile it is in a meal! You can serve it with any of your favorite sides, and it’ll be delicious every time.
I typically pair chicken with one carb and one veggie. The carb will vary between oven-roasted potatoes, Dutch oven mashed potatoes, easy rice pilaf, or some sort of homemade bread, such as freshly milled dinner rolls.
For the veggie, I like to serve a boiled, roasted, or steamed vegetable — typically whatever is in season or on sale. A few of my favorites are garlic parmesan brussel sprouts, boiled asparagus, or boiled zucchini. A fresh green salad with homemade ranch dressing is always an excellent choice, too!
Recipe FAQs
A quartered chicken is not something you can typically buy at a grocery store, so you’ll have to buy a whole chicken and cut it up yourself. If you buy your meat from a butcher, most of them will happily quarter the chicken for you before you leave.
An instant-read thermometer is pretty critical for oven-baked chicken. It allows you to determine exactly when your chicken has reached a safe temperature to eat without overcooking and drying it out. You’ll know your chicken is done when the digital thermometer reads 165°F near the bone.
Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat them in a microwave, air fryer, or oven. Roasted chicken is also great for repurposing! You can turn the leftovers into chicken salad, soup, or a quick lunch wrap.
Related Recipes
- Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- Bang Bang Chicken
- Cast Iron Fried Chicken
- Skillet Cajun Chicken Bites
If you tried this Roasted Chicken Quarters or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Roasted Chicken Quarters
Equipment
- Sheet pan
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken quartered
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3–4 cloves garlic smashed
- ½ lemon
- ¼ cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Pat the chicken dry and place it in a baking dish or on a sheet pan.
- In a small bowl, mix together the butter and olive oil. Rub it over all sides of the chicken.
- Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and Italian seasoning. Season the chicken evenly.
- Place the smashed garlic around the chicken and squeeze the lemon over the top. Set the lemon halves in the pan.
- Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the pan.
- Arrange the chicken skin-side up, leaving space between each piece.
- Roast for 45–55 minutes, or until the skin is golden and the internal temperature near the bone reaches at least 165°F.
- Let the chicken rest for 5–10 minutes. Spoon some of the pan juices over the top before serving.
Notes
- Don’t skip patting the meat dry before oiling and seasoning it. Moisture on the skin will prevent it from getting beautifully golden brown and crispy.
- Be careful not to roast your chicken too long, or you may end up with dry and/or tough meat. I recommend checking the internal temperature regularly, starting around the 40-minute mark, to ensure you don’t let it go too long.
- Feel free to adjust the seasonings to your liking. You can add a bit of cayenne pepper if you like a little kick.
- Letting the chicken rest before serving will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, giving you juicier, more delicious chicken.
