1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Take a sheet of parchment paper, large enough to line your baking pan, and run it under water. Ball up the paper while under the water to wet it well. Remove the paper from under the water and drain off any excess water. The paper should be more pliable. Lay the wet parchment into your baking pan. On top of the parchment, drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil. Using your hands, spread the olive oil over the parchment paper to coat it evenly. Then set the pan aside while you prepare the chicken legs.

2.  Rinse the chicken legs and set them aside on a plate or tray lined with paper towels to drain.

3.  In a dish for breading the chicken legs, add the bread crumbs, minced garlic, lemon zest, minced rosemary, Parmigiano and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients so that they are mixed well.

 

 

 

4.  To the bread crumb mixture, add approximately 2 tablespoons of white wine and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Using your hands, toss the bread crumb mixture through your hands to distribute the oil and wine throughout the mix. When the consistency is correct, you should have a mix that feels sandy - moist enough to stick but still crumbly. If the mix is too wet, add another tablespoon or 2 of bread crumbs and mix. If the mix is too dry, add another tablespoon of both oil and wine and mix again.

5.  When the bread crumb mixture is ready, take a chicken leg and pat dry any remaining water. Place the leg into the bread crumb mixture and press the bread crumb mixture onto the chicken leg to coat it well. Turn the chicken leg and continue pressing and coating it with the bread crumbs until all sides are coated. Then place the breaded leg onto the oiled parchment in the baking pan.

6.  Repeat step 5 until all of the legs are coated and placed in the pan.

7.  Cover the pan with foil and place it on the center rack in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and open the foil. Rotate the legs onto their opposite sides. Cover the pan again and place the pan back in the oven to bake for another 20 minutes.

8.  When the chicken appears almost cooked, remove the foil from the pan and bake the chicken uncovered for another 10 minutes or so, until the breading is a golden brown.

9.  When the legs have cooked through, remove the pan from the oven and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes prior to serving.

Notes

Water can be substituted for the wine if you prefer.