Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 F. Line sheet pan with foil and set large flat wire rack over sheet pan.

Separate chicken leg quarters into drumsticks and thighs, remove skin and pat dry with paper towels.

Drizzle vegetable oil over Melba toast crumbs in a shallow dish or pie plate; toss well to coat. Mix eggs, mustard, thyme, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and optional cayenne with a fork in a second shallow dish or pie plate.

Working one piece at a time, coat chicken on both sides with egg mixture. Set chicken in Melba crumbs, sprinkle crumbs over chicken, and press to coat. Turn chicken over and repeat on other side. Gently shake off excess and place on rack. Bake until chicken is deep nutty brown and juices run clear, about 40 minutes.

Notes:

1) A whole cut-up chicken can be used instead of drumsticks and thighs.

2) To help pull skin from chicken, particularly the legs, grasp the skin with a paper towel so it doesn't slip out of your fingers.

3) To make Melba toast crumbs, place the toasts in a heavy-duty plastic freezer bag, seal, and pound with a meat pounder or other heavy blunt object. Leave some crumbs the size of pebbles in the mixture, but most should resemble coarse sand.

4) Be careful not to over-crush the Melba toast; crumbs that are too fine will leave the chicken wanting in crunchiness.

5) If you own a spray bottle for oil, skip the step of tossing the Melba toast crumbs in oil. Instead, once the chicken is coated with crumbs, spray the pieces evenly with oil.