Orange Dijon Oven Roasted Chicken Legs is an easy and delicious dinner recipe for any night of the week. The whole family will love the sweet and tangy orange and Dijon mustard marinade on these baked to perfection chicken drumsticks.
>>Scroll down for my step by step video<<
why I love these oven roasted chicken legs
Are you ready for an easy dinner recipe that the whole family will love? Then I have just the recipe for you!
These oven roasted chicken legs are just EXPLODING with flavor. The orange juice, Dijon mustard and honey marinated drumsticks are sweet, tangy and just a little spicy. My personal chef clients just love, love, love this recipe! I know it's a favorite when they order week after week.
gather the ingredients
- shallot
- garlic
- honey
- dijon mustard
- orange juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- pepper
- chicken legs
- fresh parsley
- orange
This is one of those recipes that is delicious served hot from the oven or cold straight from the refrigerator. I love packing a drumstick for lunch as it's so easy to eat, and I know it will be tasty. Along with some orange wedges, I have a lunch I can't wait to eat.
recipe details
To pack the chicken legs with the most flavor, the marinade does double duty.
To start off, the chicken marinates in the orange juice, Dijon mustard, and honey (there's some shallot and garlic too). Use a large resealable bag to marinate the drumsticks. Not only is the chicken totally covered in the marinade, but it also makes for easy clean up. No dishes to wash as you can just toss the bag in the trash. But don't toss the marinade!
After marinating, the marinade is boiled to use as an intensely flavored drizzle over the oven roasted chicken legs. Boiling and reducing the marinade first and foremost kills any bacteria left behind by the chicken. The resulting slightly thick and syrupy sauce has a super concentrated orange, mustard and honey flavor.
chef tips for making oven roasted chicken legs
- Use a resealable bag in marinate the chicken legs. Not only will the marinade completely cover the chicken, just toss the bag for easy clean up.
- But don't toss the marinade! The leftover marinade makes for a delicious drizzle/sauce for the oven roasted chicken legs. Just make sure to boil the marinade for 3 to 5 minutes. Any bacteria in the marinade is killed when the temperature of the boiling marinade reaches 165 degrees F. Since boiling occurs at 212 degrees F, you marinade will be safe to use after cooking it to a boil for a few minutes.
- Roast the chicken legs on a cooling rack in a foil lined and rimmed baking sheet. You'll want the air circulating around the chicken legs to help the skin cook to a crispy golden brown. And lining the pan with foil makes for easy clean up. And I'm all about easy clean up.
- You can also grill the chicken. Place the marinated chicken legs on a preheated grill on medium high. Grill for 30 to 40 minutes turning every 10 to 15 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer when they are fully cooked.
If you make these oven roasted chicken legs, I’d love hearing from you. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I’ll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.
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more dinner recipes
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- Parmesan Everything Bagel Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
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Recipe
Orange Dijon Oven Roasted Chicken Legs
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Orange Dijon Oven Roasted Chicken Legs is an easy and delicious dinner recipe for any night of the week. The whole family will love the sweet and tangy orange and Dijon mustard marinade on these baked to perfection chicken drumsticks.
Ingredients
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoons honey, divided
- 5 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 8 chicken legs or drumsticks, about 3 ¼ pounds
- fresh parsley
- 1 orange, cut in wedges, for serving
Instructions
- In a large resealable bag, add the shallot, garlic, 2 tablespoons of honey, Dijon mustard, orange juice, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken legs to the bag. Seal the bag and squish around the chicken and the marinade ingredients. You want the chicken completely covered with the marinade.
- Marinate the chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a cooling rack in a foil lined rimmed large baking sheet. Set aside.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade (don't toss the marinade!) and place it on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken over and roast for another 20 to 25 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer. If you like your chicken extra brown and crispy, broil it for an additional 5 minutes.
- While the chicken is roasting, put the marinade along with the remaining 2 tablespoons of honey in a small pot. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and drizzle with the boiled marinade.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley leaves and serve with orange wedges.
Notes
- Use a resealable bag in marinate the chicken legs. Not only will the marinade completely cover the chicken, just toss the bag for easy clean up.
- Don't toss the marinade! The leftover marinade makes for a delicious drizzle/sauce for the oven roasted chicken legs. Just make sure to boil the marinade for 3 to 5 minutes. Any bacteria in the marinade is killed when the temperature of the boiling marinade reaches 165 degrees F. Since boiling occurs at 212 degrees F, you marinade will be safe to use after cooking it to a boil for a few minutes.
- Roast the chicken legs on a cooling rack in a foil lined and rimmed baking sheet. You'll want the air circulating around the chicken legs to help the skin cook to a crispy golden brown. And lining the pan with foil makes for easy clean up. And I'm all about easy clean up.
- You can also grill the chicken. Place the chicken legs on a preheated grill on medium high. Grill for 30 to 40 minutes turning every 10 to 15 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees F on a digital thermometer.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: bake in oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 chicken legs
- Calories: 708
- Sugar: 24.3 g
- Sodium: 1003 mg
- Fat: 38.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.5 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 61 g
- Cholesterol: 210 mg
Dave Mack
Spectacular!!
I reheated the marinade and drizzled over the chicken and that made it.
I can see this working as a sauce with some white wine and tarragon over some red meats too.
Amy Casey
Marinades are an untapped flavor boost to dishes. Just be sure to bring it to a boil for 2-3 minutes before using it. I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe Dave.
Sally Anderson
Made this last night for the family, the kids all loved it, thanks for the recipe.
Amy Casey
You're so welcome Sally. This is a fave recipe in our family too.