David Burtka’s Herb-Roasted Chicken Legs
with Brown Butter Veggies & Rice
- Milk
Professional chef David and Neil Patrick Harris are a dynamic duo, proving that some things are just better together. Same goes for this recipe: Chicken legs, featuring both a drumstick and a thigh, make the ultimate 2-in-1 combo with juicy dark meat and crispy-crackly skin! David seasons his chicken with earthy Herbes de Provence, roasts it until tender, and serves it over jasmine rice with brown butter asparagus and carrots for a flavorful match that was simply meant to be.
Ingredients
½ cup
Jasmine Rice
6 ounce
Asparagus
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
5 teaspoon
Red Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon
Herbes de Provence
16 ounce
Chicken Legs
9 ounce
Carrot
¼ ounce
Parsley
1 tablespoon
Brown Sugar
1 unit
Shallot
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. • In a small pot, combine rice, stock concentrate, 3⁄4 cup water (1 1⁄2 cups for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper. Heat a large drizzle of oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin sides down; cook until skin is browned and crisp, 3-5 minutes. (For 4 servings, you may need to work in batches.) • Remove from heat and flip chicken. (TIP: If your pan isn’t ovenproof or big enough, transfer chicken to a lightly oiled baking sheet now.) Sprinkle chicken with 1 tsp Herbes de Provence (2 tsp for 4). Roast on middle rack until cooked through, 15-20 minutes.
• Wash and dry produce. • Trim and discard bottom 1 inch from asparagus. Trim, peel, and cut carrots into 1⁄4-inch rounds. Halve and peel shallot; finely chop half (all for 4 servings). Pick parsley leaves from stems; roughly chop leaves.
• Once water is boiling, add asparagus and carrots to pot. Cook until asparagus is bright green and carrots are almost tender, 2-3 minutes. Drain and transfer veggies to a plate to cool. TIP: Make an ice bath and drop your veggies in immediately once they’re drained so they stay bright and stop cooking.
• Melt 3 TBSP butter (6 TBSP for 4 servings) in a second large pan over medium-high heat. Cook, carefully swirling butter, until foamy and flecked with amber brown bits, 1-2 minutes. TIP: If using a dark pan, scoop a small amount of butter in a metal spoon to check for those flecks. • Reduce heat to medium low and add chopped shallot; cook until softened 1-2 minutes. Add half the brown sugar (all for 4) and half the vinegar (all for 4); stir until the sugar has dissolved, 1-2 minutes. Add blanched veggies and cook until tender, 2-3 minutes. • Remove from heat and stir in half the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Fluff rice with a fork. • Divide rice between bowls; top with chicken and veggies. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the crispy, flavorful chicken skin and herb seasoning, though some found the Herbes de Provence too strong.
- Ease of prep: Several noted longer cook times than stated and felt the recipe was complex with multiple pans and cooking methods.
- Suggestions: Consider marinating the chicken first for extra juiciness, and adjust vegetable cooking method for better texture and flavor.
- Portions: Some found the chicken legs small with little meat, while others appreciated the full leg and thigh combination.
- Veggies: The carrot and asparagus combo was popular, but opinions varied on the brown butter and vinegar sauce 🥕.
Reviews from our home cooks
AMAZING is all I can say! This meal was so delicious oh my goodness! I'm ordinarily not a fan of chicken legs or thighs, this recipe completely changed that for me. I'll be making it again, and again and....
I must say this was definitely better than his enchilada meal last week. I would order this one again in a heartbeat. That chicken was perfect with that seasoning. The veg was a perfect pairing. The rice was a good side but it kind of was overkill with the veg. Still a great meal!
The meal was very good and easy to prepare. For a healthier version, I used olive oil for the veggies and omitted the brown sugar and wine vinegar.
I really liked the carrot/asparagus combo. That worked really well, and so nice to have something besides baked carrots. Alas, we don't eat chicken skin because of the fat content, so were wishing for a sauce. Real shame as I got the skin nearly perfectly crispy. I love herbs of the province, so it smelled wonderful, I probably should have put the herbs straight on the meat instead of on the skin. We rarely eat dark meat, so that was a nice change.
Delicious!! I added some real butter, garlic and salt/pepper to the rice to give it some more flavor. Really balanced flavors and definitely a favorite!
Great chicken portion and I don't usually eat chicken skin but this was tasty. It can be made with fewer pans than described.
Chicken legs were tasty, but the cook on the vegetables felt like it was missing a step. I cooked more than the recipe called for, and still they were extremely under-cooked and bitter. The spices on the chicken were also a little too coarse - the long pieces of dried rosemary were uncomfortable to chew on/kept poking our gums.
Delicious!!! I loved that we got the full chicken leg and thigh, and the seasoning was so good!!
Outstanding and different from the "norm". David's brown butter veggies were brilliant!
The dish was very easy to make and super delicious! Would make again
