When Are Chicken Legs Done On The Grill
Chicken drumsticks are very easy to make. When you are grilling the chicken legs, it will demand approximately 15to20 minutes the wizardry number is really in the warmth of the chicken. You realize your barbecued chicken leg pieces are thoroughly cooked when the inner heat arrives at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remember that when youre grilling chicken legs on the barbecue and need to observe for doneness, simply puncture deep down with a blade. The chicken is done when its fluids come out.
How Do You Know When A Charcoal Grill Is Ready
When a charcoal grill is ready, the fire should be Started. The meat should be cooked through and the fat should have melted. The grate should be clean and free of debris.
The coals should be lit and the grill should be heated up to medium-high heat. The meat can then be cooked for an hour or until it reaches your desired temperature.
How Do You Grill Chicken On A Gas Grill
Grill chicken using a gas grill is an easy process that involves keeping the chicken warm with some protection from the elements. You will need to coat the chicken in cooking spray before grilling, then set the chicken on the grates. Use a tongs to place the chicken skin side down on the grill and cook it until evenly browned, about 8 minutes per side.
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How Can You Grill Drumsticks Without Burning Them
There are a few things you can do to grill drumsticks without burning them. First, make sure the grill is not too hot. Second, cook the drumsticks indirectly by placing them on the side of the grill away from the flames. Third, cook the drumsticks for a shorter amount of time. These three simple tips will help you avoid burning your drumsticks on the grill!
Why We Love This Recipe
Call me a grillin fool, but this week alone Ive grilled pork kebabs, rack of lamb, and bruschetta chicken. Im not sure if its obvious enough, but can you tell Im excited about grilling season?
So when I got my Porter Road delivery today, naturally, I just had to make these bbq grilled chicken drumsticks next. Theyre kind of a summer classic, because you can eat them with your hands and everybody just loves them.
I like to make them with my homemade bbq sauce , but you can use a store-bought kind, or a Keto friendly bbq sauce, depending on your dietary restrictions.
In this recipe, the drumsticks are generously seasoned with an awesome sugar-free bbq seasoning blend, then grilled to crispy, juicy perfection.
Last, theyre brushed with bbq so they get that beautiful, sticky, glazed deliciousness. It truly doesnt get better than this!
Now keep in mind there are some important tips & tricks when you learn how to cook chicken drumsticks on the grill. Ill walk you through it all, but if youd rather cook your chicken in the oven or air fryer, Ive got you! Just see the adaptations below.
- Chicken Drumsticks
- BBQ Sauce. Make your own homemade bbq sauce, or any store-bought Whole30 compatible BBQ Sauce. To keep this recipe Keto/Low Carb, choose a sugar free BBQ sauce.
- BBQ Spice Blend: Smoked paprika, onion powder, chili powder, salt, pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper .
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Seasoned And Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
You can double this recipe if you have a larger contact grill. Mine is the smallest one that fits neatly under my range hood to allow for the smoke to be sucked out of the kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 1 TBS garlic infused olive oil*
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions:
1. Rinse the chicken legs and pat dry with paper towels. Place the oil, salt, pepper, and herbs on a plate. Put the legs in the wet rub and turn to coat. Dont be afraid to get your hands in there to press the mixture into the skin of the meat. Put this aside to sit for 60 to 90 minutes.
2. Preheat your GF contact grill to high with the top closed. This takes approximately 5 minutes.
3. When the grill is hot, place the drums on the grill alternating the fat and thin portions. In other words, lay them head to toe, side by side so they will fit. Close the top. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Grill and rotate/change position every 5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 170°F at the thickest portion. The heftiest pieces may take 20 minutes. You will know when the legs are cooked through when the skin side up is bubbling upon opening the grill.
4. Remove the drumsticks to a clean cutting board and allow them to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve with plenty of napkins as these are best eaten by hand.
Why You Will Love These Chicken Drumsticks:
- They only require 5 minutes of prep. Add some oil, rub in the spices and you are set for the grill. Making these grilled chicken drumsticks will not take much of your time at all.
- Super simple to make and so flavorful. The only requirement when making these is to flip every 5 minutes or so. That is it. For that little amount of work, the tender, delicious chicken is so worth it!
- Chicken legs are a great source of iron and zinc and other essential nutrients. Dark chicken meat is often deemed unhealthy, but it is not at all. Chicken legs contain higher quantities of B vitamins, iron and zinc. The fat content is slightly higher, but fat is not the enemy it once was and the fats are healthier than other fat sources.
- Great for meal prep.You can season and prep the chicken drumsticks up to 24 hours in advance and then toss them on the grill when ready. You can then set it aside wrapped in the fridge for a great protein for much of the week!
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How Long Does It Take To Grill Drumsticks And Thighs
Directions. Preheat grill to medium-high 400 degrees F. Place legs on grill for 5 minutes. Turn and continue grilling and turning every 5 minutes for about 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 185 degrees F.
Pro Tips For Grilling Chicken Drumsticks
For perfectly succulent chicken drumsticks, a grilling time between 25-30 minutes is ideal for almost any recipe. Overcooking can char and dry your meat, but you want to make sure you dont undercook poultry either. Keep your grill around 300-400°F and make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165°F.
There are several ways to cook the perfect chicken drumsticks on the grill:
Place drumsticks in foil or plastic wrap and warm them at room temperature before grilling.
As you preheat your grill, coat the grill grates with oil to prevent your chicken from sticking. Keep that oil handy! Youll need it later.
Split your grill into two temperature zones, with one side at high heat and the other at medium.
Start grilling with high heat to get crispy skin. Finish over medium heat until the chickens internal temperature reaches 165°F. This Char-Broil Instant Read Digital Thermometer will help.
Turn your grilled chicken over once to keep the skin an even, crispy golden-brown.
Spice up your drumsticks with rubs, marinades, glazes and sauces. Marinate your drumsticks for several hours before cooking. Add spices before they hit the grill and glazes and sauces shortly before theyre finished. Every master grillers toolbox is incomplete without a Basting Brush to help you spread an even glaze.
Remove your chicken from the grill onto a warm plate and let your drumsticks sit for three to five minutes before serving.
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What Is A Chicken Drumstick
You may have heard of them referred to as chicken legs, but this is only partially correct. The leg is made up of two different parts: the thigh and the drumstick.
The drumstick is the lower portion of the leg, the part between the knee and foot. Think of it as the calf muscle of the chicken. Unlike other animals that are all white or dark meat, chickens have a mixture of both. That is one reason chickens are so versatile in the culinary world.
What Temperature Do You Grill Chicken At
Using an instant read meat thermometer is a sure fire way to know if the chicken has cooked to the FDA-approved internal temperature of 165 degrees F. You can take the chicken off the grill once it reaches 160 degrees F or so, as the temperature will continue to rise slightly even after it is removed from heat.
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Internal Temp Of Chicken Drumsticks
The most important part of getting a nice juicy, fall off the bone chicken is the internal temperature!
You need to reach an internal temp of 185 degrees F for drumsticks. Use a meat thermometer for this to get it right! I have one of these.
Optional: Add BBQ sauce and continue grilling chicken for an additional few minutes.
Now that you know how long to grill chicken legs its time to serve up and chow down! #yum!
Click here for Beer Can Chicken!
Healthy Keto Chicken Drumsticks
If youre following the Keto diet or trying to eat low carb with more healthy fats, these grilled chicken drumsticks are for you! Drumsticks are the perfect Keto protein, as the dark meat has more fat than other parts of the chicken.
In addition, the fat helps to keep the chicken from drying out on the grill. You get perfectly grilled and charred chicken skin with tender and juicy meat grilling perfection!
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Chicken Thighs Vs Chicken Legs
While the term chicken leg is regularly used interchangeably with the term drumstick, technically the leg can refer to the full leg quarter, consisting of both the thigh and drumstick. For the purposes of this post, if were talking about a chicken leg, were talking about a chicken drumstick, and vice versa.
How To Grill Chicken Legs
Mix Seasoning In a small bowl mix together all of the seasoning in ingredients and place aside.
Prep Chicken Legs Pat chicken legs off with a paper towel and then place in a resealable plastic bag. Add olive oil to bag and toss to coat. Pour in seasoning mixture into bag and toss chicken legs until completely coated.
Grill Place chicken legs on grill over direct heat thats been preheated to 350 degrees F. Grill for 30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature 165 degrees F. I actually prefer my chicken legs about 180-190 degrees so they fall off the bone and theres no bloody spots around the bone.
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Are Grilled Chicken Drumsticks Healthy
Short answer yes. Chicken is a protein powerhouse . With the skin on, grilled chicken drumsticks still have the lowest fat content of any cut of chicken, and grilling allows you to eliminate a bit more fat, because anything rendered drips away from the meat.
And even with the added brown sugar for the dry rub, grilled chicken drumsticks are still pretty darn low carb .
How Do You Grill Chicken Without Burning It
5 Pro Tips for Grilled Chicken
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When Is The Chicken Done
Minimum safe internal temperature for chicken is 165° and it should be cooked to at least that. Although, bone-in chicken legs, thighs, and leg quarters are not like the lean chicken breast and it will not dry out as easily if cooked over recommended temperature. You also run a good chance of chicken legs being under-done if cooked only to 165°.
Personally, I cook my chicken legs to 175°-180° internal temperature.
Major Factors To Consider When Barbecue Chicken
Chefs and other experts in grilling would readily concur as to how long it would take to grill a chicken. They would all say that you need to consider two things to get the right time for grilling chicken. First, they would tell you that you need to consider the size and weight of the chicken piece. Second, they would advise you to consider the grills temperature.
Of course, the more bones a chicken piece has, the longer it would take to grill. Take, for example, the thigh part and the drumstick. These two chicken parts got the most prominent bones. Thus, these two parts would take longer to grill than the other parts of the chicken. On the other hand, the temperature will factor in how long it would take to grill a chicken perfectly. It will help remember that the lower the temperature, the longer it would take to grill a chicken.
Chicken, when perfectly grilled, is one of the most satisfying food you can ever have in this life. It tastes better when grilled. So, if you are grilling a chicken, and you keep on looking on your timer while asking yourself whether its time to remove the chicken from the grill, then you need to read on.
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Final Thoughts On Grilling Chicken
Chicken is on the top of the list for lean cuts for a good reason it tastes great, cooks fast, and is very affordable. There are almost endless ways to prepare chicken, but one of the most popular is to grill it.
Everyone loves BBQ chicken, but most make quite a few mistakes trying to grill the perfect piece. For me, a properly cooked piece of chicken is easy to pull off! Its juicy, packed with flavor, and doesnt dry out.
A perfectly grilled piece of chicken will be well-rounded on all fronts.
However, grilling chicken can be tricky. Many amateur grillers find that its pretty easy to dry out the chicken and make it taste like charcoal briquettes, or not cook it all the way through.
There is more to grilling chicken than just slapping it on the grill and letting it cook until the outside is brown.
The best part of grilling perfect chicken is that it isnt a difficult task. It requires only a bit of preparation and patience once it hits the grill.
Be sure to use fresh chicken, and you can always opt for chicken thighs if you are looking for more flavor than white meat can offer.
Take a deep breath, relax and get ready to knock out some grilled chicken meals using our advice and tips. Happy grilling!
How To Grill Drumsticks
Your ingredients are whatever you want them to be.
We like serving ours with asparagus, but you can serve them with any side you wish. Most importantly, whats the chicken drumstick grill time?
You can spice your drummies with salt and pepper, or get creative with garlic salt, cayenne pepper or one of our favorites, Stubbs Rub.
Lets get to it. How long do you grill chicken drumsticks? Whats a good internal temp of chicken drumsticks? How long to grill chicken legs?
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Bbq Chicken Drumsticks Recipe Ingredients
Be sure to check the printable recipe card below for full ingredients and their exact quantities.
- Chicken Legs: When grilling chicken legs or drumsticks, I prefer skin-on chicken. The skin protects the chicken resulting in tasty and moist meat Im also a big fan of dark meat chicken pieces. They are flavorful, succulent and juicy. For this recipe you can use chicken thighs, chicken quarters or chicken wings.
- Dry Rub: Instead of a marinade, this recipe uses simple spices that you probably already have in your pantry. Ground cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, sea salt or Kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- Oil: I use olive oil but you can use avocado or vegetable oil.
- Barbecue Sauce: You can use your favorite bbq sauce .
Do You Grill Chicken Skin
Some people do, and some people dont. Its a matter of personal preference.
Some people believe that cooking the chicken skin-side down first will help to render the fat and keep the chicken from sticking to the grill. Others believe that cooking the chicken skin-side down will prevent the chicken from crisping up properly. You may choose whatever approach you think is best for you.
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Time For Grilled Chicken
Grill Chicken leg pieces require roughly 35to45 minutes to barbecue. They demand 30to35 minutes over immediate warmth and an extra 5to10 minutes beyond backhanded heat to set the BBQ seasoning and arrive at 175° Fahrenheit inside warmth.
Whatever youre barbecuing or smoking meat, remember that Cook to temperature and not to duration. Put resources into a decent, solid meat thermometer and check the internal temperature more than watching the timer. Its critical to cook the chicken to 165 ° Fahrenheit because this is the secure inner warmth for grilled drumsticks.
I generally focus on 175 ° Fahrenheit when barbecuing chicken leg pieces since they have more vital connective tissue, and the meat will tumble off the bone if you cook them to more crucial warmth.
Do You Grill Chicken Skin Side Up Or Down
Season the chicken skin with salt and grill skin-side down over moderately-low heat until the fat has rendered and the skin is nice and crisp. Keep the heat lowif it gets too high, the fat will sear and not cook slowly and melt away. Flip the chicken and grill for a few minutes skin-side up until cooked through.
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