How to boil Chicken Legs (Thighs, Drumsticks, Quarters)

User Reviews

4.9

21 reviews
Excellent
  • Prep Time

    5 mins

  • Cook Time

    5 mins

  • Servings

    4

  • Calories

    267 kcal

  • Course

    Main Course

  • Cuisine

    American

How to boil Chicken Legs (Thighs, Drumsticks, Quarters)

Learn how to boil chicken legs: thighs, drumsticks, or quarters. It’s fast, easy, and delicious! And there are so many ways you can use the tender, flavorful boiled chicken legs.

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Ingredients

Servings
  • 4 chicken legs Note 1,2
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 small piece celeriac or 2 celery sticks optional
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 4-5 cloves optional, Note 3
  • 5-6 juniper berries optional
  • 3-4 bay leaves
  • a small bunch of parsley
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste or powder or 1 chicken stock cube Note 4
  • cold water
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Instructions

  1. Chicken: Place the chicken legs in a large pot, don’t overcrowd the pot.
  2. Vegetables: Clean and halve onion, carrot, and celeriac/celery sticks. Add to pot.
  3. Add spices: salt, peppercorns, cloves, juniper berries, bay leaves, and chicken stock cube.
  4. Cover with COLD water, about 1 inch/ 2.5 cm above the meat.
  5. Cover and bring the water to a boil on medium-high heat. Don’t let the water come to a rolling boil; reduce the heat once it starts to boil gently.
  6. Simmer gently on medium-low heat until the chicken parts are cooked through.
  7. Chicken drumsticks: about 15 minutes.Chicken thighs: between 20-25 minutes, depending on size.Chicken quarters: between 25-30 minutes, depending on size.
  8. Check that the chicken legs are cooked through with a meat thermometer; the internal temperature should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit/ 74 degrees Celsius).If you don’t have a thermometer, cut the leg at the thickest part, the juices should run clear, and the meat should be completely white.

Notes

  • You can use chicken drumsticks (4 pieces only serve 2, cook 8 of them if serving 4), chicken thighs (4 pieces for 4 modest servings), or chicken quarters (4 pieces for 4 generous servings).
  • The nutrition is calculated with chicken thighs.
  • All the spices except salt and pepper are optional, but I recommend using them; they add a lot of flavors.
  • Also optional, but it adds a lot of flavor to the broth. The cooking time is not long enough to make chicken stock really flavorful; the bouillon or stock cube helps.

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Serving 1g Calories 267kcal (13%) Carbohydrates 5g (2%) Protein 19g (38%) Fat 19g (29%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Monounsaturated Fat 8g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 111mg (37%) Sodium 542mg (23%) Potassium 331mg (9%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 2644IU (53%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 25mg (3%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 267 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving 1g
Calories 267kcal 13%
Carbohydrates 5g 2%
Protein 19g 38%
Fat 19g 29%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Monounsaturated Fat 8g 40%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 111mg 37%
Sodium 542mg 23%
Potassium 331mg 7%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 2644IU 53%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 25mg 3%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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21 reviews
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