Chicken marylands: such an under-utilised cut of chicken! Cheap, juicy, flavourful, hard to stuff up. It’s like roast chicken, without the mess of carving. Slather in herb & garlic butter, bake until golden, then serve with potato gratin or creamy mash with garlic sautéed green beans for the perfect meal!
Chicken marylands (aka chicken leg quarters)
Chicken maryland is a massively underrated economical cut of chicken. I tell people it’s like roasting up a whole chicken – without dealing with the mess of bones and juices from carving up a whole chicken! A substantial piece of meat with plenty of golden skin, juicier* than drumsticks and thighs, and super flavourful.
It’s nearly impossible to mess up since you don’t have to worry about precise roasting time to prevent dry, bland breast. Because this cut doesn’t include chicken breast! Why aren’t we cooking chicken marylands all the time??!!
* Why it’s juicier – because it’s a larger single piece of bone-in meat. Which means less juice-escaping-crevices by meat weight = juicier meat.
What is a chicken maryland – to you?
As it turns out, chicken marylands means different things in different countries. Here in Australia, it refers to a cut which is a chicken leg with the thigh attached, pictured below. It’s called whole chicken leg quarters in the States and just chicken legs in the UK. I know it’s confusing, but at least the cut is easily identifiable!
In the States, “Chicken Maryland” or “Maryland Chicken” refers to a dish originating from the state of Maryland comprised of fried chicken with creamy gravy. This immediately got added to my ever-growing List of Things To Make.
In the UK, “Chicken Maryland” refers to a retro Chinese fried chicken dish served with a banana fritter, corn fritter and bacon.
This did not get added to my List of Things To Make! 😂
PS I put this little table together just to clear up the confusion in my head. Though it might be useful to you too. 🙂
| Chicken cut names | Australia | US | UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken maryland (leg + thigh attached – today’s recipe) | Chicken maryland | Chicken leg quarters | Chicken legs |
| Chicken drumsticks (ie no thigh attached) | Chicken leg or drumsticks | Chicken leg or drumsticks | Chicken drumsticks |
Ingredients you need
Today, we’re roasting this chicken slathered in a herb and garlic butter. Here’s what you need for the butter – see above for the photo and talk about the chicken marylands!
Herb & garlic butter
Thyme and rosemary – Fresh is best, for maximum flavour impact. However, dried will work as a substitute.
Garlic – Fresh and only fresh! Jarred stuff just doesn’t compare – it’s sour and doesn’t have real garlic flavour.
Unsalted butter – I prefer using unsalted so I can control the amount of salt. However, if you only have salted it will work too, just halve the salt.
White wine – Serves a triple purpose: keeps the underside of the chicken moist as it roasts, infuses flavour into the flesh, and makes the juices in the roasting pan so tasty it’s like liquid gold. All that flavour from the herb & garlic butter mingling with the chicken juices plus the white wine = sauce perfection!
Substitute with chicken stock/broth, low sodium or just a splash of water (you’ll end up with less sauce but don’t worry, there’s plenty of flavour in the chicken itself!).
How to make Herb & Garlic Butter Chicken Marylands
This recipe calls for the herb & garlic butter to be slathered under the skin. Don’t worry, it’s not hard – access is easy with this cut of chicken! Also, while I’ve used marylands here, this recipe would be terrific made with bone-in thighs (use 8).
Mix softened butter with garlic, herbs and salt. Use a garlic press or microplane to finely grate the garlic and make it “juicy” so it mixes through the butter, for better garlic flavour. (If you don’t have one, very finely chop it).
Loosen the skin using a tablespoon. The spoon hugs the curves of the chicken flesh so it won’t pierce the skin. Access the skin from the straight edge of the thigh, as pictured above, and move the spoon around to create butter pockets (including on the drumstick).
Slather butter under the skin. It’s easy, I promise – lift skin, stuff butter under then spread by pressing/pushing on the skin. No need to be exact here, the butter melts and runs everywhere anyway. Even if you spread a wad in the middle that’ll do the trick.
How much butter where – Put about 75% of the butter under the skin. Then only a small amount (~5% ) on the flesh (underside), then the remainder on the skin. Why? Because the flesh side is going to get tons of flavour from roasting in the wine and the butter/chicken juices run-off. It doesn’t need extra butter help!
Roast for 50 minutes – Put the chicken in a baking dish skin side up. Pour the wine around then roast for 50 minutes.
Start off high at 220°C/425°F (200°C fan) for 10 minutes to get the skin browning, then on a slightly lower 200°C /400°F (180°C fan) for 40 minutes or until the skin is golden and the chicken is cooked.
Baste twice at the 30 minute and 40 minute mark (ie spoon pan juices over the chicken skin).
Rest for 5 minutes before serving, using the juices in the roasting pan as the sauce. That stuff is pure gold!!
Close up of said golden roasting juices:
What to serve on the side
I served this with roasted vegetables and a rocket/arugula tossed with my Everyday Dressing. If I was making for company, I would opt for a potato gratin (make it in advance then reheat it while the chicken is roasting – allow an extra 10 minutes for the chicken roasting time) or Lemon Potato Salad (served warm) for something a little fresher.
I can also see a pile of Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic with Creamy Buttery Mashed Potato on the side. Or for a simple option, just steam vegetables of choice (peas, carrots, broccoli) then toss with French Dressing and serve with a hunk of bread on the side (for plate mopping).
Love to know what you’d serve this with for company. I’m having a dinner party this weekend – I was going to do a Mexican Fiesta but I’m expecting some not-so-subtle requests for today’s dish instead! – Nagi x
Suggested sides
Watch how to make it
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Herb & Garlic Butter Chicken Marylands (chicken leg quarters)
Ingredients
- 4 pieces (~1.5 kg/3 lb) chicken marylands (US: leg quarters) or 8 bone-in, skin-on thighs (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/3 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine (sub low-sodium chicken stock/broth)
Herb & garlic butter:
- 100g/7 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
- 4 garlic cloves , minced using a garlic press (Note 2)
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves , finely chopped (Note 3 for dried)
- 2 tsp thyme leaves , finely chopped (Note 3 for dried)
- 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan).
- Mix Herb & Garlic Butter ingredients until combined.
- Butter chicken – Use an upside down tablespoon to loosen the chicken skin from the flesh on the thigh and most of the leg (Note 4). Smear 80% of the butter under the skin, just a small amount (~5%) on the underside (flesh side) then the remainder on top of the skin. (The flesh side gets lots of flavour from the pan juices).
- Put chicken in roasting pan, skin side up. Sprinkle skin with the 1/2 tsp salt. Pour wine around chicken.
- Roast 50 minutes – Roast 10 minutes to get the skin going. Then reduce the heat to 200°C /400°F (180°C fan) and roast for a further 40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes from the 20 minute mark onwards.
- Rest & serve – Remove from oven. Rest 10 minutes then serve with the garlic-herb-butter pan juices as the sauce!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Passed out from exhaustion after snuffling around unsuccessfully in someone’s backpack for treats. (Or….perhaps not unsuccessful!)
Made this last night. Absolutely smashing. Nagi, you are simply put, brilliant!
Outstanding recipe! Simple, elegant and delicious! Two quick tweaks: melt the herb butter to brush evenly over the skin and finish under the broiler a couple minutes for beautifully crispy skin. This recipe ticks all the marks for family, company, or a quick, easy and delicious dinner anytime.
BTW, the spoon trick under the skin is genius. Thanks, Nagi.
I made this last night and was reallly good. I added a bit more wine and then said as felt it wasn’t enough 🙂
Would never discourage anyone from using more wine Grant!! Glad you enjoyed it – N x
We love dark meat chicken in our house so know this will be a big hit. Thank you.
Canada says “legs” and “drumsticks” like the UK. I’ll make this using thighs – looks delish.
There you go! Learn something new every day:) Thanks Sandra! N x
I would definitely have leftovers as most packages contain more than 2 quarters. How would you suggest reheating?
I’d do it in the microwave to keep the meat juicy! N x
May I suggest removing the (no longer crisp) skin, pulling the meat from the bones and using the meat for chicken salad using mayo and celery. The special flavor is already in the chicken. Crisp up the skin and serve alongside. Ohmy! Yum.
Hi Nagi & Dozer,I am from South Africe and absolutly love trying out some of your recipes .Keep them coming .
I WILL NEVER STOP! 🙂 N x
So pleased that you’re not doing a UK chicken Maryland.
HA HA!!!
Another one I will try. There was a chicken thigh recipe you posted which was just thighs in a pan (no oil) which gave incredible crispy skin. You commented it was your new favourite way to cook thighs. Mine too. I’ve lost th recipe for timings. Any chance you could email me a link please. Thanks.
Hi John! It’s in the cookbook 🙂 I am still obsessed with that recipe! N x
Thanks Nagi. They turn out great done like that.
Hi Nagi……tried this, loved it but I don’t know where you got your UK description of Chicken Maryland from. I have never heard of the dish you describe and I wouldn’t eat it either!!!! As far as I know (and I am English) we would use the American version to describe it. 😀
Good old Wikipedia!!! See under the UK section -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_Maryland
Wikipedia!! Haha… who knew? Anyway, your version is delicious 😋
Please tell me what a cup of white wine would be in UK measurements of fl oz.
Thank you
Done! 125 ml 🙂 N x
Should be 250 ml.
Thank you 👍😀
8 oz
250 gms
Can this be cooked in an airfryer?
Sadly not, need the juices! N x
I would have thought so Victoria as long as you put the chicken in another tray to hold all the butter. See photos in main body of post otherwise your fryer will be swimming in butter.
Hi Nagi, just wondering what you would recommend for those of us who live alone and would love to make this recipe for one? Would you suggest just making it in the air fryer? And if so, leaving out the wine and just grilling it? Thank you.😊
Hi Nancy! Scale the recipe down using the slider for 1 maryland. And cook in a small pan with 1/4 cup wine (when you scale down it will say use 1/8 th cup of wine but that’s not enough to get pan juices). Recipe works great on a small scale, I first made this with one piece of chicken. ENJOY! N x
Stop it, I´m about to go down stairs and do my morning pilates and zumba but instead I´m just sat here drooling and wanting this for breakfast, I´ve also stopped doing a whole roast chicken, I still go for the recepi´s if I see one but with chicken pieces because we were all fight over the same cuts, shame chickens only have two legs. x
He he he Sorry Rachel! Go do your Zumba!! (I really feel like I should give Zumba a crack as a fun option to work off my belly….) – N x
Nagi: Stunning recipe! Would this cook as well if I made double the recipe in a larger dish, and made double your Roasted vegetables on a second shelf in the same oven?
Yes! I’d get the veg roasting first as it takes longer. If either the veg or chicken finish first it’s fine, they will both hold fine without degrading. YUM! N x
edit: 1.5 times roast veg recipe
thank you x
This looks like an easy, tasty recipe – I will definitely be making it soon. I would serve this with roasted vegetables, cooked in the oven at the same time as the chicken. That garlicky juice would also be great over chips (fries).
YUM YUM YUM, YES!!!!