Mojo Skinless Baked Chicken Legs Recipe: Flavor to the Bone Without the Fat by Donna John

Lately I've been really into make new casserole recipes. Nothing like a casserole, right? Right, but I had overlooked all the healthier recipes I had waiting in the wings to be tried. I broke out of that rut with this delicious, easy and super flavorful skinless baked chicken legs recipe.

The skin is removed from these chicken drumsticks before they are baked. The skinless chicken is marinated in a flavorful mixture before being baked in the oven. The result is a flavor-to-the-bone chicken dinner without all the fat from the chicken skin. For this simple chicken recipe you will need chicken legs, olive oil, a lime, an orange, Dijon mustard, fresh garlic, granulated sugar, chili powder, salt and black pepper. The result is pure magic.

I also rediscovered a kitchen tool, the Bag Well. This smart plastic kitchen helper holds the bag open for you. It made putting the marinade ingredients and chicken into the bag so simple. Not going to forget it's in that drawer by the fridge anymore when cooking!

Serve this mojo no-skin chicken with your favorite side dishes. I served mine with turmeric cabbage, but broccoli, carrots, corn, green beans, zucchini or green peas would be delicious served with it. Add a side of rice or potatoes, too, if you'd like.

Note: 30Seconds is a participant in the Amazon affiliate advertising program and this post contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission or fees if you make a purchase via those links.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes plus time to marinate
Cook Time: 40 minutes 
Total Time: 45 minutes plus time to marinate
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 6 - 8 chicken legs

Marinade

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 small lime, juiced
• 1 orange, juiced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili power
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Helpful Products

• Food Storage Bags
• Bag Well
• Baking Dish
• Tongs
• Citrus Juicer
• Garlic Press
• Kitchen Shears
• Paper Towels

Recipe Notes

• I put the spent (juiced) lime and orange peel in the pan when I baked the chicken. You can discard them if you prefer.

• I sprinkled the chicken with a little more black pepper after taking it out of the marinade and putting it into the baking dish.

• Lemon could be used in place of the lime.

• If you like the skin on your chicken, leave it on! To crisp it up at the end, turn the broiler on for a minute or two. Watch it closely so it doesn't burn.

• You could use other chicken pieces, but know that the cooking time will be affected.

Here's how to make it: 

1. To remove the skin from the chicken, loosen the skin from the top of the chicken leg. Using a paper towel to help you grip, grab the skin and pull it down. If you have trouble pulling it off, use kitchen shears to help remove it.
   
2. Put all the marinade ingredients (including the spent lime and orange) into a plastic food storage bag or shallow dish. Squish the bag to combine.
   
3. Put the chicken into the marinade and toss to coat. Let it marinate at least 30 minutes.
   
4. Put the chicken into a baking dish.
   
5. Bake in a preheated 425-degree F oven for about 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (Cooking time will vary depending on size of chicken legs and your oven.)
   
   

Recipe cooking times and servings are approximate. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography. Need to convert cooking and baking measurements? Here are some kitchen conversion charts. Here's how to submit your recipes to 30Seconds.

Take 30 seconds and join the 30Seconds community, and follow us on Facebook to get recipes in your newsfeed daily.