These crispy ginger chicken legs are going to be your new go-to meal for super easy no-fuss weekly dinner recipes. Expect an explosion of flavors in your mouth, from ginger, onion, and garlic to the umami flavor of coconut aminos, juicy meat, and crispy skin. The recipe is gluten, and dairy-free, Paleo, and AIP.

Page Content

• Ingredients
• Health Benefits of Chicken
• How to Source the Best Chicken
• How to Make Crispy Ginger Chicken Legs
• More Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes

Crispy Ginger Chicken Legs

This recipe has been on repeat in my house for the past months. Personally, I only like chicken when it is prepared in a very specific way because it has a tendency to get dry. But this recipe is unbelievably delicious, even if you are not a chicken fan. It is juicy and crispy and the flavor is incredible. But my favorite part is that it is so easy to make. If you don’t have a lot of time to spend on cooking you are going to love this recipe. Your active cooking time is less than 5 minutes. The rest of the magic happens in the oven. I love chicken legs because the meat is way juicier than breast. The skin gives extra flavor and crispiness and you can save the bones to make homemade chicken bone broth.

HOT TIP: Save the bones of these chicken legs in a stasher bag or other container in the freezer. Once you have enough to fill a crockpot/pot, make homemade chicken bone broth. Make sure the bones were organic and/or pasture-raised.

Ingredients

• chicken legs
• extra virgin olive oil
• coconut aminos
• salt
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• ginger powder

Do you have food sensitivities and don’t know what to eat? Get my FREE substitution chart to learn how to make easy swaps, because life is too short to not enjoy food. Suitable for gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, Paleo, and AIP.

Health Benefits of Chicken

Chicken is a great source of protein, Niacin (B3) B6, phosphorus, and selenium (source). If you tend to eat mostly chicken breast you may want to switch it up from time to time. Because different cuts of chicken have different nutrient profiles. When it comes to chicken, we often talk about white and dark meat. Chicken breast is considered white meat because it has fewer red fibers and therefore appears whiter. Chicken legs however are considered dark meat and have more red fibers. This not only makes them juicier and more flavorful but also changes the nutrient profile slightly. While chicken breast is higher in Niacin, chicken legs have double the amount of zinc (source). Compared to beef chicken, however, is less nutrient-dense. The moral of the story, switch it up and have lots of variety in your diet.

HOT TIP: Chicken legs have twice as much zinc as chicken breast, so keep a good variety in your diet and rotate your protein sources.

How to Source the Best Chicken

When it comes to buying meat it is important to get it from a high-quality source. The nutrient profile and the possibility to be exposed to toxins change depending on what the animal ate and how it was held.

For poultry, you want to look for pasture-raised animals. This means that the animal was raised on grass, roaming around in their natural environment and eating more of their natural diet.Chickens are omnivores. Besides the feed, they are given they eat insects, worms, grass, seeds, legumes, and scraps. And this is important because as Michael Pollan correctly said: “We are what we eat eats too” (“In defense of food”, p. 167).

If you simply buy organic, none of the above is a given. It only means that certain chemicals are not allowed, which is definitely better than meat from conventionally raised animals.

You can find pasture-raised poultry at your local farmer’s market, health food store, or a local farm. You can look for local farmers that raise pastured poultry here.

HOT TIP: If you can, buy pasture-raised chicken. You can find it at the farmer’s market, health food stores, or local farms. If you don’t have access to it, organic poultry is the next best bet.

How to MakeCrispy Ginger Chicken Legs

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the chicken legs on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with the skin side down. Drizzle with olive oil and coconut aminos. Season generously with salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground ginger.
2. Flip the chickens. If there is enough olive oil lightly coating them you don’t have to add more oil. If not drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Drizzle with a bit more coconut aminos than on the other side. Repeat the same seasonings, salt, onion, and garlic powder, and ground ginger. The skin of the chicken leg should look dry from all the spices.
3. Roast in the middle of the oven for about 35 minutes, until the temperature reaches 170 F measured away from the bone, or when the juices run clear not red (if you make a small cut on the thickest part). The skin should look browned and crispy.
4. I like to serve it with some of the sauce from the baking sheet. It is best to add 1-2 Tbsp on a plate and place the chicken on top. That way the chicken skin stays crispy.
5. These chicken legs store and reheat really well. Place them in a glass container in the fridge (sauce on the bottom). Simply reheat them in the oven for the next few days. The flavor of the meat gets even better when the bottom of the chicken leg has soaked longer in the sauce.

Servings Suggestion

My favorite way to eat these crispy ginger chicken legs is with pan-fried green plantains and a side salad. Simply fry the plantain slices on both sides until golden brown and season with salt. I love to pour the chicken drippings into a small bowl and dip the fried plantains in it. For the salad, you can keep it simple. Just lettuce, fresh herbs, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

FAQ

How much seasoning should I use: This depends on your preference. But as indicated you should season the chicken leg with each spice generously on both sides. It should look lightly coated with each spice. Ginger can taste strong so depending on how much you love ginger you can adjust how much you use. I like a generous ginger coating as well. When you are done with all the spices the chicken skin should look dry. This way it crisps up nicely.

More Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes

• Tuna Apple Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Turmeric Marinated Salmon
• Steak with Sautéed Asparagus and Sweet Potato Wedges
• Honey Garlic Glazed Chicken
• Ground Beef and Vegetable Skillet

If you love this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment below. And as always don’t forget to tag me in your food pictures on Instagram

Happy Cooking

~ Annika

Crispy Ginger Chicken Legs

These crispy ginger chicken legs are going to be your new go-to meal for super easy no-fuss weekly dinner recipes. Expect an explosion of flavors in your mouth, from ginger, onion, and garlic to the umami flavor of coconut aminos, juicy meat, and crispy skin. The recipe is gluten, and dairy-free, Paleo, and AIP.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 4 chicken legs, skin on Pasture raised
• extra virgin olive oil
• coconut aminos
• salt
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• ginger powder

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the chicken legs on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with the skin side down. Drizzle with olive oil and coconut aminos. Season generously with salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground ginger.
• Flip the chickens. If there is enough olive oil lightly coating them you don't have to add more oil. If not drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Drizzle with a bit more coconut aminos than on the other side. Repeat the same seasonings, salt, onion, and garlic powder, and ground ginger. The skin of the chicken leg should look dry from all the spices.
• Roast in the middle of the oven for about 35 minutes, until the temperature reaches 170 F measured away from the bone, or when the juices run clear not red (if you make a small cut on the thickest part). The skin should look browned and crispy.
• I like to serve it with some of the sauce from the baking sheet. It is best to add 1-2 Tbsp on a plate and place the chicken on top. That way the chicken skin stays crispy.
• These chicken legs store and reheat really well. Place them in a glass container in the fridge (sauce on the bottom). Simply reheat them in the oven for the next few days. The flavor of the meat gets even better when the bottom of the chicken leg has soaked longer in the sauce.

Keyword aip, gluten-free, egg-free, nute-free, paleo