Spanish Baked Chicken Legs with Peppers and Potatoes Recipe
This dish is the essence of a Spanish home-style lunch: one tray, lots of peppers, potatoes, and juicy chicken. In many Spanish homes, a similar roast goes into the oven on Sunday, and then everyone just waits for the kitchen to fill with aroma. Thanks to smoked paprika and olive oil, simple chicken legs taste like they came from a small tavern.
A complete Spanish-style meal made on a single tray: juicy chicken, soft potatoes, and sweet peppers, all infused with smoked paprika and olive oil for maximum flavor with minimal effort.
Chef's tips
Use good-quality smoked paprika—it makes a huge difference to the final taste. If your oven browns unevenly, rotate the tray halfway through baking. For extra crispy skin, switch on the top heat or broiler for the last few minutes, watching carefully so it doesn’t burn.
How to serve
Serve straight from the tray at the table for a relaxed, rustic feel. Add a bowl of green salad and some crusty bread to mop up the juices. A wedge of lemon on each plate lets everyone adjust the acidity to their taste.
Ingredients
- chicken legs with bone and skin - 4 piece
- potatoes peeled - 700 g
- red bell pepper - 2 piece
- onion sliced into feathers - 1 piece
- garlic lightly crushed - 4 cloves
- olive oil - 4 tablespoons
- sweet smoked paprika - 2 teaspoons
- dried oregano - 1 teaspoon
- lemon juice - 0.5 piece
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (top and bottom heat). Lightly grease a large baking tray with olive oil or line it with baking paper.
- Cut the potatoes into thick slices or wedges. Remove the seeds from the peppers and cut them into strips. Slice the onion into thin wedges.
- In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, peppers, onion, and crushed garlic cloves with half of the olive oil, half of the smoked paprika, the oregano, salt, and pepper. Spread the vegetables in an even layer on the tray.
- Pat the chicken legs dry with paper towels. Rub them with salt, pepper, the remaining smoked paprika, and the remaining olive oil. Drizzle with lemon juice.
- Place the chicken legs skin-side up on top of the vegetables, making sure they do not overlap.
- Put the tray in the oven and bake for about 45–50 minutes, until the skin on the legs is deeply browned and crispy and the potatoes are tender. Halfway through baking, you can gently toss the vegetables so they roast evenly.
- Towards the end of baking, check whether clear juices run from the thickest part near the bone—this means the chicken is done. If the juices are pink, bake for a few minutes longer.
- Serve immediately, spooning over some of the juices that have collected at the bottom of the tray.
Storage
Mięso i warzywa przechowuj w lodówce w szczelnym pojemniku. Podgrzewaj w piekarniku pod przykryciem, aby nie wysuszyć kurczaka. Do mrożenia najlepiej oddziel mięso od kości i zamroź razem z sosem.
