Creamy Baked Chicken Legs
When I’m looking for fast and easy comfort food, these creamy baked chicken legs are usually the first thing that comes to my mind. Robust flavor, a cream sauce, and just 10 minutes of prep time. Perfect for busy weeknight meals and gatherings!
This easy-to-prepare creamy chicken recipe, boasting tasty herbs, onion, garlic, and cream, requires very little work. Satisfying and delicious for a weeknight meal that the whole family will enjoy.
Browning the chicken first gives an extra flavor boost and adds richness to the finished sauce. But most of the preparation takes place in the oven for an easy-peasy main dish. You could even skip the searing part and turn on the broiler for the last few minutes.
Why Chicken Legs Are a Good Choice
Grabbing a package of chicken legs is part of my shopping routine. First of all, they’re one of the most economical parts of the chicken. Second, dark meat is much more forgiving and moist than the white, even if you leave it in the oven a couple of minutes longer than necessary. And third, if you like making your own broth, don’t discard the bones because they make some of the best soup.
How to Bake Chicken Legs in Cream
- Rinse chicken legs, season them with seasoned salt and paprika, and set aside. (Photo 1)
- Brown the chicken in a large Dutch oven or oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Set aside. (Photos 2-3)
- Sauté the onions, followed by the minced garlic, and stir for about 5 minutes.
- Add the milk, cream, broth, along with Italian seasoning and white pepper. Stir well before proceeding. (Photos 4-6)
- Stir in the tomato sauce. (Photo 7)
- Place the chicken back into the pan with the sauce and bake for 30-35 minutes or until fully cooked. (Photo 8)
- Adjust the sauce’s thickness and seasoning with broth and salt according to preference. Garnish with parsley, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Chicken thighs and leg quarters also work well, but they will take longer to bake.
- Make sure to pour the milk and cream into the pot before adding the tomatoes to prevent curdling.
- Searing the chicken first adds more flavor. But if you need to save time, feel free to skip it.
- To crisp up the skin before serving, turn the broiler on for 3-4 minutes. Keep an eye on it, because it can go from golden to burnt in seconds.
Make-Ahead and Leftovers
This recipe is super easy and fast. The only thing that gets dinner on the table faster is if you bake your chicken the day before. Let it cook, then store it in the fridge (I prefer an airtight glass container, but plastic will work).
Leftovers in a sealed bag or Tupperware container will last 3-4 days in the fridge. I don’t recommend freezing it because the cream may separate. However, it will last 3-4 months frozen, though the sauce may curdle a bit.
What Goes With Baked Chicken Legs
Chicken goes great with roasted broccoli and carrots or green beans and a side of rice or pesto pasta for a lovely dinner! For a hot summer evening, a tossed salad is refreshing.
More Budget-Saving Chicken Recipes to Try
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- One-Pot Cilantro Rice and Chicken
- Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
- Southern Fried Chicken
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”3ZyAjbES” upload-date=”2019-09-07T22:00:59.000Z” name=”Creamy Baked Chicken Legs” description=”Baked Chicken Legs(Creamy and Spicy) — a creamy baked chicken that has robust flavors and a creamy sauce with just 10 minutes prep time. Perfect for busy weeknight meals or gatherings!”]
This blog post was originally published in March 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Creamy Baked Chicken Legs
Ingredients
- 2½-3 pounds (1.2-1.5kg) chicken legs
- 1½ teaspoons (9g) seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon (5g) smoked paprika
- ¼ cup (60ml) canola oil (or any neutral-flavored cooking oil)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons (5g) minced garlic or 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream (or whipping cream)
- ½ cup (120ml) milk
- 1 cup (240ml) chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons (7g) Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon (5g) white pepper
- ½ cup (120ml) tomato sauce
- salt to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons (8-12g) chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450℉ (230℃).
- Rinse the chicken legs, pat them dry, season them with seasoned salt and paprika, and set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven or oven-proof skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Then add the chicken and brown, turning once or twice to ensure even cooking. Or place oiled and seasoned chicken legs on a rack and bake them in a 450℉ (230℃) oven for about 15 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Drain excess oil, leaving a couple of tablespoons in the pan. Add the onion, followed by the minced garlic, and stir for about 5 minutes.
- Add the cream, milk, and broth, along with the Italian seasonings and white pepper. Stir well.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, and test for seasonings and adjust to taste.
- Put the chicken back into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Adjust the sauce's thickness and seasoning with broth and salt according to preference. Garnish with parsley, and serve hot with rice or potatoes and your favorite veggies.
Tips & Notes:
- Room-temperature chicken cooks more evenly and crisps up better.
- Chicken legs and thighs are the juiciest when they reach an internal temperature of 180-195℉ (85-90℃) because the higher temperature breaks down the tougher tissues. Just make sure the thermometer isn’t touching the bone.
- Add a touch of cayenne if you’d like this recipe a little spicier.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Just made this and it was soo good! It wasn’t as spicy as I would have liked, but maybe next time I’ll add cayenne like someone mentioned in the comments. I got a little confused for a second because the recipe never says to add the chicken back to the skillet.The pictures cleared that up though haha. Great recipe!! Do you have any suggestions on reheating leftovers?
I didn’t add the tomato sauce since my uncle can’t eat tomatoes and the dish was still very good it was more of ; similar to; a white cream sauce instead of a pink cream sauce if you get what I’m staying it was so good going to try it with tomato sauce for myself next time.
Hello John. So glad it worked out without the tomatoes! Thanks for sharing.
Wow made this tonight, so full of flavours and the sauce is to die for. Thankyou
This recipe looks amazing. I baked the chicken on 450• for 20 minutes. Made the sauce as directed. Threw the chicken in my crock pot, added sauce on top, cooking on high for 4 hours. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Wow what a fantastic recipe!! This was absolutely delicious. I made it twice in one week because we loved it so much. Served it with Sukuma and ugali. Also, added a little bit of cayenne for an extra kick. Thank you SO much for sharing your recipes!!
Going to try this tomorrow. Just wanted to double check.. tomato sauce as in ketchup? Or tomato sauce as in the one in the can?
Thanks so much! So excited to try this
It’s the one in cans. Please do let me know how it turned out for you. Enjoy!
Going to try this tonight, will let you know how I got on enjoy your day
Can’t wait for your feedback!
Can I use breast for this? When I bake breasts it always releases water. Any tips for stopping that with your recipe? TIA
You sure can. Try to let your chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before you cut it. Resting allows the juices from the chicken to redistribute, through the chicken, instead of flowing out.
Wow, all the family liked it! Thank you
Awesome! Thanks!
I made this tonight for dinner and shared it in a cooking group on Facebook. This is a HIT! Thank you for sharing this. It will be in my monthly dinner plans.
I cook a lot. So many different types of food. I am white, my hubby is Indian – so he likes spicy. He was so pleasantly surprised I did not have to add any spice to this and he could just taste all the flavors. I love this and can’t wait to make it for more people. Amazing job!
Thank you. SO happy to hear how it turns out for you.
I usually don’t post reviews, but this recipe was a hit! The sauce was amazing. I used the excess sauce as a gravy for the rice. I used 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning and the meal was very flavorful. I will definitely cook this dish again.
Yaaay! I’m so happy it turned out well for you, Tasha!
This is one of my favorite recipes on the site. I have made this twice and loved each and every time. I am currently putting the ingredients on my grocery list to make it again today! That is how much I love this recipe. Beware, it turns out pretty spicy, just the way I like it.
Can you make recipes in crockpot?
If so should I brown the chicken first?
Yes, brown first , and proceed with the rest of the instructions. Instead of placing in the oven, add to the crockpot and cook until tender.
Made this today, came out fab, didn’t add all the water/broth and dried it out on the job
Thank you!
Thanks for the feedback Ali, glad to hear it worked out well for you.
I had double the chicken legs so I doubled the recipe . mine looks too watery and nothing like the picture. I guess you can only make these in small batches.
Made this tonight. It was just me so I just winged it with the ingredient amounts and it was fabulous! Thank you for sharing, will make this many more times.
Glad it turned out fab for you, Sally! Thanks you for stopping by! 🙂
So glad I found your website. Made this tonight and it was soooo delicious. Wish I could give it 10 stars!
Great! So happy to hear this . Thank you so much
Omg this was awesome! So fancy and so delicious! First recipe I made that I could tell my husband truly loved! Thank you !!
Awesome! Thank you so much!
I just put the chicken in the oven. So excited!! Thanks for your wonderful recipes.You are my go to!!
Aww Thanks! Bon Apetit!!!