Southern Baked Chicken

A close up of baked chicken legs and wings after coming out of the oven

4.31 from 165 votes

Made with a simple homemade spice rub, rich butter, caramelized onions and a hint of maple essence, my Auntie Rose’s Southern Baked Chicken recipe is tender, juicy and chock-full of flavor!

Prep Time3 30

Cook Time2 30

Total Time6

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: soul food, south, Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 378kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Ingredients

2 tsp seasoned salt
2 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
4 lbs fresh chicken wings We use wings most of the time but you can also use legs or even thighs but not breasts
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup butter in pats
1 large onion thinly sliced
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Paprika to taste
Fresh rosemary for garnish

Instructions

Dry chicken with paper towels and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
Whisk together seasoned salt, dried rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper in a small bowl until combined.
Sprinkle and toss chicken with seasoning mix ensuring all of the chicken is completely covered. Cover and place chicken in the refrigerator and rest for 2-3 hours or even overnight.
When ready to bake, remove chicken from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Add chicken to a 8x11 or 9x13” baking dish.
Use a spoon to drizzle chicken with maple syrup on both sides. Cover with onions then add pats of butter over the chicken. Lastly, drizzle Worcestershire sauce over the chicken. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1 hour.
After an hour, turn the chicken over and evenly sprinkle the top of the chicken with paprika. Bake for an additional hour.
After the 2nd hour, turn the temperature to 350 degrees. Remove foil, sprinkle with more paprika if desired for color. Brown for 20-30 more minutes. Garnish with fresh rosemary and serve.

Notes

We usually use chicken wings for this recipe but you can also use legs or thighs. Do NOT use chicken breasts because the long bake time does not tenderize them but dry them out.
Make sure to use pure maple syrup instead of the artificial pancake kind.

Nutrition