4.9 from 21 votes
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.
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 267 kcal
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
American
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- Chicken: Place the chicken legs in a large pot, don’t overcrowd the pot.
- Vegetables: Clean and halve onion, carrot, and celeriac/celery sticks. Add to pot.
- Add spices: salt, peppercorns, cloves, juniper berries, bay leaves, and chicken stock cube.
- Cover with COLD water, about 1 inch/ 2.5 cm above the meat.
- 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.
- Simmer gently on medium-low heat until the chicken parts are cooked through.
- Chicken drumsticks: about 15 minutes.Chicken thighs: between 20-25 minutes, depending on size.Chicken quarters: between 25-30 minutes, depending on size.
- 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.
Cup of Yum
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
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
% 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.