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Laura Beth Drilling/Demand Media Chicken legs make for a fast, nutritious and tasty meal. They often come frozen, and defrosting the chicken legs can take a long time. One way to save time is by safely cooking the legs by baking them in the oven from frozen. This saves you the trouble of defrosting the legs, although there are some important points to keep in mind, namely the proper cooking temperature and seasoning the meat well. Cooking Frozen Chicken
Laura Beth Drilling/Demand Media Chicken left out to thaw is an ideal breeding ground for bad bacteria. One way to mitigate this risk is to cook the chicken legs from frozen because the meat cooks while it is thawing. Cooking chicken legs from frozen is especially convenient if you only need to cook a small amount such as one or two legs. Thawing the chicken legs prior to cooking them may often be more trouble than it is worth. Cooking chicken legs from frozen does, however, take longer. To do so requires at least 50 percent more cooking time if not more. Seasoning Frozen Chicken
Laura Beth Drilling/Demand Media Chicken legs should not be coated or seasoned in a frozen state. If chicken legs are seasoned while they are frozen, the meat will not absorb the flavors and aromatics that you are trying to add to the dish. Season or coat the legs with a marinade or dry rub prior to freezing the meat. If you are pressed for time and did not season the legs before freezing, partially defrost the legs by heating them in the microwave for one to two minutes on the defrost setting. This thaws the exterior of the leg while keeping the interior frozen. Coat the legs with seasonings -- the legs may not coat as evenly -- and immediately bake them. Bake Chicken Legs
Laura Beth Drilling/Demand Media Frozen chicken legs can be baked as is or with other liquids and seasonings. This second option is especially useful if you are not able to season the legs before freezing. Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the frozen legs in an oven-safe pan along with any liquid, seasonings or root vegetables. A good blend is olive oil, crushed garlic, oregano, marjoram and lemon juice. Add potato and carrot pieces as you like. For less fuss, you may use a mix of white wine, Dijon mustard and minced garlic. Place the pan with the chicken in a center rack and cook for 50 to 60 minutes. Skin-on chicken legs self-baste so leave the legs untouched until they are cooked. Checking for Complete Cooking
Laura Beth Drilling/Demand Media Use an instant-read thermometer to test chicken for doneness as only a thermometer ensures an accurate reading. Chicken is safe to eat when the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit at the thickest part of the leg; do not touch the bone when taking a reading. When cooked, chicken turns white and firms up and the juices run clear. However, in young chickens, the meat near the bone may stay pink when fully cooked. The veins in the legs also sometimes leak dark-colored blood, even though the meat is fully cooked. References Writer Bio David Grimes has worked professionally as a chef since 2002, in settings as wide-ranging as a corporate caterer and as a sous chef in a Michelin-starred French restaurant. He has been writing about food since 2009 and published in "Time Out New York" and "Food and Wine" magazine. YOU MAY ALSO LIKEThese are Chicken Legs, oven-baked, and cooked ’til tender, moist, and juicy. A homemade crust is rubbed on the legs and marinated overnight. So, so good. When you go to your grocery stores, in the meat section, you can’t help but notice how cheap chicken legs are compared to chicken breast. The difference is staggering! It’s because the chicken legs are considered less healthy than chicken breast. To be honest, I don’t really care. All I know is that I love the moistness of the chicken legs and when they are baked in the oven, they always come out really juicy. I love chicken thighs too… they are at the same level as my favorite the chicken leg. Sure, there are several ways of cooking chicken leg. I made it into Filipino Adobo before but I like cooking chicken legs in the oven. The ease of just rubbing this homemade chicken leg rub, arranging them in the pan, and baking them just alleviate my mom’s stress.  HOW DO YOU BAKE CHICKEN LEGS?
WHAT TEMPERATURE SHOULD I COOK THE CHICKENArrange chicken in a baking pan and bake at 350 F preheated oven. HOW LONG TO BAKE THE CHICKEN LEG AT 350 F, 385 F, 400 FBake chicken legs until internal meat temperature reaches 165 F. You can bake the chicken until 185 F. This takes about 40 minutes on one side and 20 more minutes on the other side. WHAT PART OF THE LEG SHOULD I POKE MY THERMOMETER?Put /poke the thickest part of the leg – not touching the bone. WHAT MEAT THERMOMETER TO USE?A meat thermometer is important to make sure that the chicken leg is done. You can use any meat thermometer available in your store. You can even use the cheaper ones which are only about $2.00. SHOULD I BAKE FROZEN CHICKEN OR THAW IT?Place frozen chicken leg in a pan covered with foil. Spray nonstick oil and line chicken leg. Bake frozen chicken leg for about 60 minutes or when the internal temperature reaches 180 F. Chicken Leg Rub Ingredients
FOR MORE CHICKEN RECIPES:
CHICKEN RUB INGREDIENTS
MARINATING THE CHICKEN LEGS
Reader InteractionsHow long does it take to cook frozen drumsticks in the oven?Frozen drumsticks will take around 55-60 minutes to bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees, to avoid overbaking them it's highly suggested to check the internal temperature of your drumsticks with the use of a meat thermometer in the last few minutes of baking.
Can you cook chicken drumsticks frozen?How long do you cook frozen chicken drumsticks? That depends on what cooking method you are using. It takes a whopping hour and 20 minutes in the oven at 375 F, but in a pressure cooker you only need 13 minutes!! A few minutes on natural release is best when done but wow is that a huge difference!
Can you cook frozen chicken legs without thawing?According to the USDA, yes, you can safely cook your frozen chicken, as long as you follow a couple general guidelines. In order to skip the thawing step and turn your frozen chicken into a fully-cooked, safe-to-eat dinner, use your oven or stove top and simply increase your cooking time by at least 50%.
How long do chicken drumsticks take from frozen?Oven from frozen
200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6 45 - 50 mins Place frozen chicken drumsticks on a baking tray in the centre of pre-heated oven for 45-50 minutes.
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Can you cook chicken legs from frozen in the oven?
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