23 Delicious Things to Make with Chicken Quarters

Chicken quarters are an extremely versatile and budget-friendly cut of chicken. A quarter contains both white and dark meat providing a good balance of flavors and textures for various dishes. There are so many delicious meals you can whip up using this humble cut of chicken. Here are 23 amazing things to make with chicken quarters!

Roast Chicken

Another simple and traditional way to cook chicken quarters is to roast them in the oven. Dinner doesn’t need much work: just roast a chicken with salt, pepper, and herbs. After about 40 minutes, the skin should be crispy and the meat should be cooked all the way through. Serve with vegetables for a hearty and comforting meal.

Fried Chicken

You can make the most mouthwatering fried chicken with quarters. You can either coat the chicken in flour or batter and then pan fry or deep fry it until it’s golden brown and crispy. Season the flour with spices and herbs for extra flavor. You can eat fried chicken by itself or with classic sides like coleslaw, biscuits, mashed potatoes, and mashed potatoes.

Chicken Stew

Chicken quarters work great in flavorful stews. Brown the chicken first to develop fond, then simmer in broth with potatoes, carrots, celery, and other vegetables. Season with garlic, herbs, and spices. The meat will become fall-off-the-bone tender. Ladle the stew into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Chicken Soup

Simmer chicken quarters in broth with vegetables like onions, carrots celery, and potatoes to make a nourishing homemade chicken soup. Shred the cooked chicken and add noodles or rice along with parsley. Chicken soup made with quarters is especially comforting during cold weather.

Chicken Tacos

You can make tasty chicken tacos with chicken quarters that have been roasted or braised and shredded. Serve the tacos in warmed tortillas or taco shells with pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, cheese, and other favorite taco toppings. Leftover chicken also works great for tacos the next day.

Chicken Salad

You can put shredded poached chicken quarters in a sandwich or serve the salad over greens. Add apple, grapes, pecans, mayo, and lemon juice to the chicken and toss it around. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Chicken salad also pairs well with croissants or crackers.

Chicken Pot Pie

Comfort food at its finest, chicken pot pie is perfect for chilly weather. Make a creamy sauce with vegetables like peas, carrots, and potatoes. Place the chicken quarters and sauce into a pie dish, top with a flaky pastry, and bake until bubbly and golden.

Chicken Enchiladas

Shredded chicken quarters cooked in enchilada or taco seasoning makes fantastic enchiladas. Roll up the chicken in tortillas with cheese, enchilada sauce, beans, rice, etc. Bake until hot and melty. Top with lettuce, pico de gallo, avocado, and more enchilada sauce.

Chicken Alfredo

Transform chicken quarters into a restaurant-worthy pasta dish. Cook fettuccine, then toss with Alfredo sauce and shredded chicken along with vegetables like broccoli. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley. Creamy chicken Alfredo is pure comfort food.

Chicken Fajitas

Slice grilled or baked chicken quarters into strips. Sauté peppers and onions, then serve everything in warmed tortillas. Provide an array of toppings like guacamole, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, etc. Chicken fajitas make an easy and fun dinner.

Chicken Fried Rice

Stir-fried rice loaded with shredded chicken quarters, frozen mixed veggies, soy sauce, and eggs is a quick and tasty weeknight meal. You can also add other favorite fried rice ingredients like peas, carrots, shrimp, etc. Chicken fried rice is even better with leftover rice.

Chicken Casserole

Chicken quarters baked in a creamy sauce with vegetables over rice, pasta, or stuffing makes a hearty casserole. You can create endless flavor combinations using ingredients like mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, celery, cheese, bacon, herbs, etc. Casseroles freeze well for leftovers.

Chicken Cacciatore

This Italian classic features chicken braised with onions, garlic, tomatoes, bell peppers, white wine, oregano, and olives. Chicken cacciatore, meaning “hunter-style chicken”, develops deep flavor as it simmers. Serve over polenta, pasta, or rice.

Chicken Curry

Curries made with chicken quarters are full of exotic spice flavors. Sauté aromatics like onions and garlic, then simmer the chicken in coconut milk with curry paste and seasonings. Add potatoes, chickpeas, spinach, etc. Chicken curry is excellent with basmati rice, naan bread, chutneys, and raita.

Buffalo Chicken

Give baked chicken quarters a spicy kick by tossing shredded meat in Buffalo sauce. Pile it on rolls to make Buffalo chicken sandwiches, stuff it into tacos, or serve over salad greens for a messy, tasty Buffalo chicken salad. Don’t forget plenty of blue cheese dressing!

BBQ Chicken

Chicken quarters can be grilled, baked, roasted, or even cooked in the slow cooker until extremely tender and slathered in your favorite barbecue sauce. Serve BBQ chicken with classic sides like baked beans, coleslaw, cornbread, etc. Any leftovers will make killer BBQ chicken sandwiches.

Chicken & Dumplings

Tender, fall-apart chicken in a creamy broth with fluffy dumplings is pure comfort food. Simmer chicken quarters in broth with carrots, celery, and onion. Drop spoonfuls of biscuit dough on top and cook until the dumplings are done. Chicken and dumplings make the perfect Sunday supper.

Chicken & Waffles

Fried chicken quarters served over sweet waffles is a delicious flavor and texture combo. Drizzle the chicken and waffles with maple syrup or honey. For a spicy twist, coat the fried chicken in cayenne and other spices or hot sauce and serve with a side of jalapeños.

Chicken Parmesan

Breaded, fried chicken cutlets topped with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella is an Italian-American favorite. For a quick and easy version, simply top baked chicken quarters with marinara sauce and cheese and broil until melted. Chicken Parmesan tastes amazing with a side of garlic bread or pasta.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

A rolled up chicken quarter stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese gives you comforting flavors without a lot of work. Simply pound the chicken to flatten, layer with the fillings, then roll up and secure. Bread, bake, and slice to serve. Delicious hot out of the oven or cold the next day!

Chicken & Rice

Chicken and rice is a fast, budget-friendly one-pot meal. Sauté aromatics, add rice and chicken quarters along with broth or water. Season simply with salt and pepper. Let it all simmer until the rice absorbs the liquid and the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with parsley or green onions.

Chicken Caesar Salad

Transform leftover chicken quarters into a hearty main-dish salad. Toss shredded chicken with crisp romaine lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese, and creamy Caesar dressing. Chicken Caesar salad is satisfying on its own or served with garlic bread.

Chicken quarters are endlessly versatile. With a little creativity, you can transform this humble and affordable cut of chicken into all kinds of delicious family meals. What will you make with chicken quarters next?

Chicken leg quarters are typically inexpensive because they require less processing than other cuts. They consist of a drumstick, thigh, and a portion of the back, which are all part of the same cut and don’t need to be separated before sale. This lower processing cost translates to a lower price for consumers.