Pellet Grill Chicken Legs
- Mix the dry rub ingredients together.
- Season the chicken legs with the dry rub.
- Turn on your pellet grill and set the temperature to 375F.
- Place the legs on the grill and let them cook for 15 minutes.
- Flip the legs over and cook for another 15 minutes or until an internal temperature of 180-185F is reached.
- Lightly coat the wings with barbecue sauce and serve!
Can Drumsticks Be A Little Pink
Drumsticks can be a little pink, but that doesnt mean they cant be a fun and stylish addition to any outfit. If youre looking for something to add a little pizzazz to your appearance, consider buying some drumsticks. There are many different colors and styles available, so its sure to be just what you need!
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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Seasoning Smoked Chicken Legs
When it comes to quality smoked chicken legs and smoked chicken drumsticks, keeping it simple is the key to success.
The goal here is to allow the smoked chicken meat to do most of the talking our spices and herbs are to help support and enhance this flavor, not mask it.
Before sprinkling with your meat rub of choice, drizzle the chicken legs with olive oil to help prevent the skin turning leathery and tough, instead making it nice and crispy to bite into.
The oil also helps the seasoning by acting as a binder, allowing the rubs to stick to the meat better without falling off.
Grilled Chicken Legs In The Oven
Yes! These can be made in the oven too!
Follow all the instructions, but preheat your oven to 425 before you start prepping your chicken.
Bake on a foil lined sheet for 35 minutes, flipping the chicken once in the middle of baking. Make sure that your chicken registers 165 degrees in multiple places deep into the drum stick .
Top with BBQ sauce and enjoy!
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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.
How To Grill Chicken Legs 101
Grilled chicken legs can be intimidating, but I promise they are not! First, we have an amazing dry rub that has the most amazing flavor. Then, we grill our chicken legs over direct, medium-high heat and we rotate every 4-5 minutes until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. . Then take them off the grill and let them rest thats it!
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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.
Grill Chicken Legs On Medium Turning Frequently
Start by putting the thickest side of the chicken legs down on the grill first. Then leave them alone for about 5-7 minutes. The chicken will start to release from the grill and will easily be turned with tongs. After the 5-7 minutes, give the chicken a ¼ turn for another 5 minutes. You will continue turning every 5 minutes for a total of about 30-35 minutes, or until the internal temperature registers at 165° 185° on an instant read food thermometer.
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How Long To Cook Drumsticks On The Grill
Time to cook chicken legs is a little fuzzier than the temperature of done chicken. Since you have a lot of factors affecting cook time like size of chicken and exact temperature of the grill, its best to check the internal temperature.
If youre looking for an approximate time, it will take 30-35 minutes to cook chicken legs on the grill. You should turn chicken legs a quarter of the way every 4-5 minutes when cooking over direct heat. And once the chicken is over indirect heat, youll just need to turn it once.
Top Your Grilled Chicken Legs With Bbq Sauce
After you pull take these chicken legs off the grill you can top them with my amazing BBQ Sauce. This homemade BBQ sauce comes together very easily while your chicken is on the grill and is perfect to top this chicken leg recipe. With just a few simple ingredients and 15 minutes of simmering, you have the best bbq sauce.
While my BBQ Sauce recipe is my favorite, the tomato in it easily spikes heartburn for me, making me so happy I have Omeprazole ODT on hand.
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Can You Overcook Chicken Legs
Some say yes, while others say no. Heres a look at the evidence:
Some experts argue that chicken legs can be overcooked and can cause serious problems. The key to avoiding this is to pay attention to how theyre cooked over-cooked legs will be tough and rubbery, while undercooked ones will be dry and inedible.
Overcooking is also a risk if left unchecked, as it can create conditions where bacteria grows rapidly and starts to spoil the meat. This can lead to food poisoning, so its important to take care when cooking poultry.
How Often Do You Flip Chicken Legs On The Grill
With a little practice, flipping chicken legs can be a breeze. Not only are they easy to cook, but theyre also difficult to fail at. But even if you dont have all the perfect tips and tricks for flipping chicken legs on the grill, its still worth trying out some different techniques. One way to try this is by using a heatproof skillet or griddle. These devices help keep your skin from getting burned and make flippingChicken legs much easier.
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How Long To Cook Chicken Legs On Grill
Answer
Grill chicken legs for the perfect, juicy, cooked-to- perfection every time with the following tips:
How Long Does It Take To Cook Large Chicken Legs On The Grill
Cooking large chicken legs on the grill can take anywhere from minutes to hours, but the final outcome will be a delicious and juicy chicken leg. To make sure your cooking process is as efficient as possible, follow these tips: 1. Preheat your grill before beginning. This will help ensure that your chicken legs cook evenly and without any flare-ups. 2.
Use a large skillet or Dutch oven to cook the chicken legs. This will help avoid them from becoming dry or overcooked. 3. Try not to overcrowd your grill. This will allow the chicken legs to cook evenly and slowly over time. 4. Be patient when cooking the chicken legs. Do not try to speed up the process by using too many ingredients or cooking in too high of a temperature range. 5.
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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?
What Seasoning To Use On Smoked Chicken Legs
After drizzling a light amount of olive oil on the chicken, sprinkle with your favorite rub or seasoning combination. Some pros will instruct you to use a binding agent such as mustard to help the seasoning adhere to the chicken drumsticks, but weve found for this recipe that the olive oil works wonderfully for a nice light, crispy skin texture.
For the best smoked chicken legs, we recommend a mild, salt-forward rub to get the most flavor out of your finished drumsticks.
A quick, simple rub of salt, pepper, paprika, and dry mustard will do the trick, but there are thousands of rubs you can buy that are specifically formulated for Chicken Drumsticks. Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter to get our famous Kickin Cilantro Lime dry rub recipe delivered straight to your inbox!
Be sure to check out our other rub recipes for a variety of suggestions!
In the end, this site is all about learning. So, make sure to try new things to find what kind of rub you prefer most on your smoked chicken legs.
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How To Make These Grilled Chicken Drumsticks:
Start by preparing the chicken drumsticks. Pat them dry to start. Add the oil by brushing evenly over all of the drumsticks, on all sides. Mix the salt, pepper and spices together and then rub all over the chicken, including under the skin for optimal flavor.
Preheat your grill while the chicken sits allowing it to come to room temperature if you allow it to sit in the fridge until ready to cook.
Once grill is preheated to around 400°F to 450°F, clean and oil it so the chicken drumsticks don’t stick.
Place the chicken on the oiled grill and allow to cook for about 25 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes. Cook to internal temperature of about 185°F.
Set the grilled drumsticks on a warm plate and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving with all of your favorite sides.
Grilled Chicken Legs Start With Chicken Rub
If you are new to grilling chicken, you might think that you just throw some BBQ sauce on them and pop them on the grill.
Guys, we dont want to do that. Not only will it make your grill a total mess, it wont create the maximum flavor in these bbq chicken legs.
Start with a great chicken rub. Rub that all over your chicken legs, and then throw them on the grill. Making your own chicken rub is simple, takes only five minutes, and adds so much flavor to this recipe.
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Best Damn Grilled Chicken Legs
Chicken legs seasoned with a simple, sweet and savory BBQ rub, then grilled to juicy tender perfection. Once you sink your teeth into these, youll see why theyre called the Best Damn Grilled Chicken Legs!
Chicken legs are quite possibly one of my favorite foods to make on the grill. Theyre so perfect for the flame kissed, smokey goodness that grilling offers. And theres something so satisfying about watching them get those awesome grill marks and char, the skin getting nice and crispy, and then devouring them right down to the bone. No thats some good stuff!
How To Serve Smoked Chicken Legs
Serve your delicious smoked chicken legs with some chopped carrots and/or celery on the side. If youd like, you can offer your guests ranch or bleu cheese to dip their smoked chicken drumsticks in. But the flavor of your smoked chicken drumsticks will be so great that they probably wont want to put any ranch on them anyway!
Garnish with finely chopped parsley or green onion depending on your preferred flavors and enjoy being the new undisputed Master of Smoking Chicken Legs in your family or friend group!
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How To Grill Bbq Chicken Legs
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.
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Smoked Chicken Legs Recipes
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Are you looking for a recipe for smoked chicken legs?
Well youve come to the right place!
In this TheGrillingDad.com guide, youll learn:
- Ingredients youll need
- Seasoning for smoked chicken legs
- Step by step guide to cooking smoked chicken drumsticks
Who doesnt love a good BBQ smoked chicken drumstick? This recipe keeps it simple so youll have smoky, tasty smoked chicken legs that cook beautifully without much effort on your part. How cool is that?
So grab your tongs and a cold beverage of your choice, and lets get started on some delicious smoked chicken drumsticks.
Sauce The Legs And Serve
The chicken will be delicious right of the grill with tender, juicy meat and delightfully crispy skin.
If you want you can add a little sauce to the chicken during the last minute or two of cooking. Dont add the sauce too early or else it will probably scorch at the high temperatures we are using.
For this batch of legs I used a commercial sweet chili sauce. I also love using our Award Winning BBQ Sauce and a Buffalo style sauce like I used for these Buffalo Grilled Drumsticks.
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Grilled Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
Follow the recipe, and Ill teach you the simple steps to making your own grilled chicken drumsticks at home. Hey Grill Hey is dedicated to help you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a backyard BBQ hero. You can find more of my smoking and grilling recipes and videos on , , or our .
Heres hoping you loved this chicken legs recipe. Its kid-friendly and makes for the easiest weekday dinner. They were a huge hit in our family and Im sure theyll do the same for yours.
Quick note: This post was originally published in July 2019. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Grilled Barbecued Chicken Legs
A crowd family pleasing recipe. The secret to amazing grilled barbecued chicken legs is in the brine and par-roasting method. Never overcook or burn chicken legs again!
Prep time:4 Hours
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- Ingredients for Grilled Barbecue Chicken Legs:
- Approximately 8 cups brine
- 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
Directions
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