How Long Does It Take To Grill Chicken Legs
Chicken is one of those special meats, that requires cooking to precise temperatures. If you leave your chicken cooking for too long, it becomes super dry and almost chalk-like and thats really unpleasant. On the contrary, if you do not leave your chicken cooking for long enough it will not reach the temperatures it needs to and it could be pretty dangerous for consumption.
So how can we know how long it takes to grill chicken legs? Take a look at the following grilling guide that will mention just how long you should cook your meat and the temperature it needs to reach in order for it to be safe for the whole family to tuck in to at the end of an evening.
The ultimate guide for cooking chicken legs!
The safest way to cook chicken legs is by using a meat thermometer probe. You should cook your chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Top tip: Make sure you pierce the flesh correctly when testing the temperature as the bones will read slightly differently to the flesh.
Top tip: Try not to pierce the skin too many times to read the temperature, as every time you do, the chicken loses some of the natural juices that keep chicken legs succulent.
If you keep your grill between 375 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and place your chicken legs on the direct heat section of the grill, it should cook within 30 to 35 minutes.
How Long Should Chicken Legs Cook On A Grill
So, how long should you cook your chicken legs on a grill? To start, you want to make sure your grill is preheated to high. Most grills will say to heat the grill to 500-600 degrees. The legs will have to cook for a long time. The rule of thumb is that the bone needs to cook until it reaches a temperature of 180 degrees. This will take between one and three hours. If your chicken legs are thicker in the middle, then you may need to cook them longer. However, there is no guarantee that this will happen. Make sure to cover the grill, to avoid flare ups. You may also need to have the grill at a lower temperature for the first half of the cooking time. This is to make sure the heat is even and the legs cook at the same rate. The longer they cook, the more the bone will shrink and be easier to remove. Keep in mind that your grill may not have the best grill grate, so you may need to adjust your cooking times. If youre unsure, its recommended that you cook the chicken at the lower temperatures until the bone is tender. You may find that you need to cook it longer at this lower temperature. This way, its less likely to flare up.
How Long To Cook Chicken Legs On Grill
For perfectly succulent bird drumstick, over cooking will char & dry the meat. You should not over cook it. If you do, you will end with dry meat instead of succulence. Chicken drum sticks are best cooked for about 25 minutes. Then, grill them for 10-15 minutes until done. This will give you succulency. But, if your chicken is overcooked, this will result in dry chicken. So, always cook your birds properly. And, remember, chicken skin is tough when it comes to grills.
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How Do You Prepare Chicken Drumsticks For Grilling
Once you have selected fresh and quality drumsticks, you need to prepare them for grilling. Among the critical steps include thawing and seasoning/ marinating.
Thaw/defrost your drumsticks
If you have your chicken drumsticks stored in a freezer, you should defrost/ thaw them until they attain room temperature. One way to defrost drumsticks is by removing them from the freezer at least 24 hours prior to cooking. Then put them in a fridge to defrost gradually.
Another technique of thawing frozen chicken drumsticks is putting them in a sealable plastic bag and submerging them in cold water until they attain room temperature. This process takes about 30 minutes.
Note: chicken should be cooked immediately or within 2 hours after attaining room temperature. Once it surpasses the above timeframe, it gets into a danger zone where dangerous bacteria start to multiply quickly.
Season/ marinate the drumsticks
While preparing your drumsticks before grilling, the second thing you should do is seasoning or marinating them. It depends on your preference. The aim is to enhance the flavor and taste of the drumsticks.
How long do you have to marinate your drumsticks? About a 30 minutes period is enough. However, other people marinate theirs overnight.
Note: it is essential to wash your chicken drumsticks before you marinate them.
The other method is simply by seasoning the drumsticks with your favorite dry rub and olive oil.
Precook your drumsticks
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Why Chicken Legs Not Drumsticks Or Thighs
Both drumsticks and thighs are fine. This recipe works with all parts of the leg because we cook to an internal temperature, not a specific time.
I decided to cook whole legs drumstick with thigh attached because theyre a heartier portion. These are sometimes referred to as chicken quarters.
Pick whichever piece you like. It all works.
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Can You Cook Chicken At 160 Degrees
Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Brush a large roasting tin all over with butter and smear some over the skin of the chicken. Cook for 30 mins more, then remove the chicken and potatoes from the pan. Cover the chicken loosely with foil and leave to rest on a plate for at least 10 mins before carving.
How Long Do You Grill Chicken Drumsticks On A Gas Grill
You can preheat the gas grill for medium high heat, which will allow you to cook the drumstick meat without overcooking it. Then, you need to lower the temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, so the meat will cook evenly. After cooking the whole chicken, turn the oven to 350 degrees F. and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the broiler and let the rest of it cool down. Serve with rice and salad. This recipe is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken. Make sure to remove the bones and skin before serving. If you dont want to make the rice, just add some cooked rice to this dish. You could even add a little bit of chicken broth to it to thicken it up.
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Where Is The Best Place To Put A Meat Thermometer In A Chicken
The best place to insert a probe into a whole chicken is deep into the breast. Using the length of the probe, measure three quarters along the breast, marking on the probe with your fingers. Keeping your fingers marked on the probe, insert the probe through the front of the breast. Avoid touching any bones.
Why This Recipe Works
- This is one of my go-to easy dinner recipes that my kids love. They are so easy to make, they are off the grill in 30 minutes.
- They are an inexpensive recipe to make thats always a hit!
- Perfectly crispy skin! Dont forget to pat the legs to dry them before putting the rub on. This gets you that crispy skin.
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How Long To Grill Bbq Chicken Leg Quarters
Cooking time may vary depending on the size of your chicken legs and the temperature of your grill. Factors, such as whether you are using a charcoal or a gas grill could affect how long it takes for your meat to be finished.
Generally, it will take about 40-60 minutes. The key is to cook your chicken leg quarters over the most direct heat on your grill.
Any chicken you cook should have the internal temperature reach 165 degrees F before removing it from the grill. It is also important to let your chicken rest for 5 minutes before digging in. If you do not have an instant read meat thermometer, another way to tell if the chicken is done is whether or not the juices run clear when you cut into the meat.
The Best Bbq Chicken Drumsticks
When grilling, I like to keep it simple. You dont need fancy wood chips, sugary BBQ sauce or an expensive smoker grill. In fact, I love the basic Weber charcoal grill for the best smoky BBQ flavor.
For this recipe, heres all you need:
Thats it!
Ok, youll probably also want to plan making a side dish to go with your chicken. Some of our favorite sides for grilling are:
Or, simply cut up and grill any veggies you have on hand! For these pictures we sliced up some heirloom tomatoes and grilled some green beans along with the chicken.
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Bbq Chicken Legs On Charcoal Grill
Some of the best BBQ chicken legs are cooked on a charcoal grill. The charcoal provides a smoky flavor that really brings out the flavor of the chicken. When grilling chicken legs on a charcoal grill, be sure to cook them over indirect heat so they dont burn. Youll want to cook the chicken legs for about 30 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
This recipe for barbecued chicken legs has six servings. Dark-meat cuts such as drumsticks and thighs can be used to cook the chicken slowly over indirect heat at the best barbecued chicken recipe. If you like your barbecue sauce, you can substitute it for any other type of barbecue sauce.
Why Does Chicken Turn Pink When Cooked
Pigment in the bone marrow can color the surrounding tissue and make the bones themselves look very dark. Hemoglobin in the muscles can likewise react with air during cooking to give the meat a pinkish color even after cooking. The chickens feed and whether its been frozen can also affect the final color.
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Is It Better To Bake Chicken Thighs At 350 Or 400
Flip chicken on the grill a few times per week and youll have perfect chicken every time. But, if youre flip-flopping your chicken all the time, your bird will be tough and unappetizing.
Heres why: Chickens develop an immunity to heat by living in cold climates. So, if you flip them more than once a week, theyll become immune to the virus that causes their feathers to fall out.
And thats not all: Flipping your chicken also leaves them open to bacteria and fungus growth, which can make them sick or even cause death.
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.
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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.
Is There A Difference Between Chicken Legs
There is a lot of debate over whether chicken legs and chicken thighs are the same. This debate has led to the naming of chicken legs as thigh and chicken thighs as leg. In general, chicken legs are referred to as chicken thighs, as the thigh of a chicken is actually what we refer to as legs. But it is still debatable if chicken legs and chicken thighs are the same. There are a lot of benefits to chicken legs and chicken thighs, but there are also a lot of differences between chicken legs and chicken thighs. The first difference is in cooking. The thigh is typically thicker and harder to cook than the leg. In general, chicken legs take longer to cook than chicken thighs. The second difference is in appearance. Chicken legs have white meat, while chicken thighs have dark meat. The final difference is in taste. Chicken legs have a strong, clean taste, while chicken thighs have a stronger, gamier taste. However, there is one common benefit to chicken legs and chicken thighs, and that is their ability to be used as food. Chicken thighs and chicken legs can both be cooked as food.
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How Long Do Chicken Legs Take To Grill On A Gas Grill
It takes about 20 minutes to grill chicken legs on a gas grill. First, preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Then, season your chicken legs with salt and pepper. Place the chicken legs on the grill and cook for about 20 minutes, flipping them once during cooking. The skin should be crispy and the meat should be cooked through when the chicken legs are done grilling.
How Do You Know When Chicken Legs Are Done On The Grill
If you are cooking chickens legs over the fire and need to see if they are done, simply pore to their bones with kitchen tongs. Their juices will run clearly. This is a great way to know if the chicken is cooked. You can also use a thermometer to test for internal temperature. Chicken legs are best cooked until the juices start to run.
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How To Grill The Chicken Drumsticks:
- Gas grill: Preheat the grill to medium-high heat . Place the chicken legs on the grill. Flip about every 5 minutes with lid closed until internal temp of 180°F-185°F degrees. About 30-35 minutes.
- Charcoal grill: Create two zones by pushing your charcoal to one side. This area will be your direct heat grilling zone and the other side will be the indirect heat area. Grilling the chicken drumsticks over the direct heat and using the other side for any flare-ups or for smaller drumsticks that cook faster.
- Brush with sauce: Once the chicken internal temperature reaches 180°F-185°F degrees. Brush with more Vietnamese sweet bbq chili sauce and continue grilling a few minutes more. Rest for 5-10 minutes and serve!
TIP: Per USDA, the safe minimum cooked chicken temperature should be 165°F . However, for tender, fall off the bone juicy chicken drumsticks on the grill, you want them to reach 180°F-185°F degrees. Use a meat methometer and dont guess from the outside.
Chicken To Rinse Or Not To Rinse
To rinse or not to rinse, that is the question. It has been ingrained in many of us to rinse our raw chicken. I will call it the Julia Child effect. For many years I watched her carefully wash her chickens as did much of America.
But the FDA has for years advised against rinsing poultry before cooking it. When you rinse raw chicken, the bacteria that is present on the surface of the poultry can spread to everything thats nearby, sink, counter surfaces, kitchen utensils, other foods or you. SO for good food safety, it is a definite no to rinsing.
So what about getting bacteria off the surface of the chicken? First, you can not rinse it to sterile. That is not happening. Second, properly cooked chicken will kill any bacteria. So no problem there.
Last, does rinsing chicken with skin make it cook crispier? Cooks Illustrated says no. If you want to get rid of the juices on the meat, pat it dry with a paper towel instead of rinsing it.
So I’m mending my ways and suggest you do, too.
Let’s be safe out there.
DrDan
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Can You Overcook Chicken Thighs
The chicken breasts should be grilled for about 10 minutes total, with the breasts being flipped halfway through, to get lovely sear marks on both sides of the chicken breasts. 6. Using a cooking thermometer or an iGrill, check the internal temperature of the chicken. 165°F internal temperature should be reached before removing from the grill and allowing it to cool completely.
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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!
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