Chicken legs make for easy weeknight meals. They are inexpensive, packed with protein and might even make you and your kids giggle because you look like cavemen when you eat them! My Apricot Balsamic Chicken Legs are sweet and saucy with a little zing from the balsamic vinegar.
Not only is my recipe reasonable on the wallet and delicious, it can easily be made ahead as a freezer meal. Easy? Make ahead? That’s a win, win in my book!
Necessities:
2 pounds chicken legs ( I like to use Just Bare Chicken )
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
1 Tablespoon butter
Method:
I’m going to let you in on a secret trick I use when I make chicken legs. Yes, it’s a little bit more work, but it is so worth it. Ready? I remove the skin. This extra step is helpful with saucy recipes so that you don’t end up with soggy chicken skin – seriously, no one wants to eat that. Not to mention you save a lot of fat and calories by removing it.
There is no exact science to it, you just sort of peel the skin down like you’re rolling off a sock. Start at the meaty round end and pull the skin down and off of the leg bone. Sometimes you need to use kitchen shears or a knife to help out. Your chicken legs should end up looking like this. Ta-da!
Once your chicken legs are prepared you can place them in a Ziploc bag, wash your hands really well and then make the marinade. In a small bowl whisk together the apricot preserves, balsamic vinegar, salt and garlic.
Pour over the chicken legs and seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Now you can toss the bag in the refrigerator for 4 hours or up to over night or place the bag in the freezer to cook another night.
When you are ready to cook the legs, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and empty the entire bag into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through. I happened to have meaty chicken legs, my 2 pound package had 7 legs. If your legs are much smaller you may end up with a lot more in your 2 pounds, so they will cook more quickly.
Once you remove them from the oven, transfer the legs to a serving plate and scrape all of the sauce and yummy brown bits into a small pan. Turn your stove onto high heat and whisk in 1 Tablespoon of butter.
Bring to a roaring boil and whisk for 2-3 minutes. The butter will fully incorporate and the sauce will thicken up a bit. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes to cool and then pour over the chicken legs. Now serve with your favorite sides and dig in! They’re juicy, they’re tangy, but oh so sweet.
Freezer Meal Instructions
If you’re going to make this as a freezer meal make sure to date and label your bag before you add your ingredients. The chicken legs can be frozen for 2-3 months.
Apricot Balsamic Chicken Legs: Thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours. Bake in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.