These chicken quarters are stuffed with a delicious sweet and savory rice mixture and baked in the oven. The seasoned skin turns out beautifully browned and so crispy! So good!
1/2cupdried cranberriesif you like the stuffing sweeter add more cranberries to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400° F and line a baking dish (large enough to fit four pieces of the chicken leg quarters) with parchment paper.
Cook the rice following package instructions (add a little salt to taste) - see note 1 in Notes section below.
While rice is cooking, rinse and pat dry the chicken leg quarters. Place the chicken on the parchment-lined baking dish.
In a small mixing bowl combine all the seasoning ingredients and rub the chicken quarters with the seasoning. Make sure to rub the seasoning on the chicken skin and inside the skin, by gently lifting the skin with one hand and rubbing the seasoning mixture with the other hand. Set the chicken aside.
Prepare the stuffing: heat one tablespoon of cooking oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and add the chopped onions, diced celery, and grated carrot. Season with salt and pepper and saute until the mixture has softened - about 5-7 minutes.
Add the cooked rice, the corn kernels, and the dried cranberries to the pan. Mix well to combine all ingredients.
Stuff the chicken skin with the rice stuffing by gently lifting and holding the skin with one hand and using the other hand to stuff the rice under the skin. I like to use my hands for this, however, you can use a tablespoon if you like. See notes below if you have leftover rice.
Place the chicken in the preheated oven, uncovered, and bake for about 45-50 minutes, until the skin has become crispy and the internal temperature has reached 165° f. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle.
Notes
Do not overcook the rice so it doesn't become too mushy. It will cook more in the oven.
Drying the chicken leg quarters with a paper towel helps crispen the skin.
If you have some rice mixture left over after stuffing the chicken, make sure to either bake it in the oven or sauté it in a pan over medium-high heat. This will help eliminate any bacteria that might have been transferred to the rice during the chicken stuffing process.
After roasting, let the meat rest for 5 minutes before serving so the juices have a chance to settle.
Reheat leftovers in the oven, in an oven-safe dish, at 400 ° f, until heated through (about 15 minutes).