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These smoked chicken legs are juicy, tender, and practically fall off the bone. They are perfect for smoking on the pellet grill if you need to feed a crowd.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Chicken legs are an underrated tailgate food, but they are also so good for many occasions, from graduation parties to backyard cookouts.
Smoked Chicken legs are one of the most affordable meats you can serve at a cookout, along with Smoked Pork Loin. I can pick up a value pack of chicken drumsticks for around ten bucks from my local grocery store.
Looking for more tailgate recipes? Check out Best Tailgate Recipes ( Over 50 Recipes)!
How Long to Smoke Chicken Legs
Most people that don't like dark meat say its because of the texture. It can be chewy and les tender. That's why I treat drumsticks and thighs completely different than chicken breast.
I’m cooking these smoked chicken legs on a pellet grill, but this recipe will work on any grill or smoker. The key is to get the internal temp of the chicken legs up to Between 185-195 degrees F.
That may sound like a higher temperature than you’d think, but that is because there is bone and dark meat needs a higher internal temperature become tender.White meat chicken only needs to be cooked to 165 degrees F because there is less fat and connective tissue.
If you do it like this, I promise it will be tender and juicy with crispy skin. For an even faster and crispier method, try my Butterflied Chicken Legs Recipe.
Ingredients
- Meat/Protein: This recipe calls for about ten chicken legs. If you want to serve more people, double or triple the recipe as needed.
- Avocado Oil: This is a great high temp neutral oil
- BBQ dry rub: You can purchase your favorite rub or create your own blend
- baking powder This is the secret Ingredient that will help dry out the skin so it gets crispy when you cook it.
- cooking spray: This will help the chicken stay moist and crispy
For exact amounts, see the recipe card down below.
Cooking Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Remove chicken legs from the packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Season the legs on all sides, then place them on a half-sheet pan with a drying rack. Let them sit uncovered overnight or for at least a few hours.
- Preheat the grill. Preheat the pellet grill to 300 degrees F.
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and then toss it with the avocado oil. Season the chicken a second time lightly and place it on the pellet grill close to the heat source.
- Cook. Cook the chicken on a hot grill for about 90 minutes, spraying it with cooking spray every 30 minutes.
- Add your Favorite BBQ Sauce (optional). Once they reach an internal temperature between 185 and 190 degrees F, you can brush them with sauce or serve them dry.
- Serve. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Best Seasonings for Smoked Chicken Legs
You can season your Chicken Legs however you like, but here are just a few seasoning blends and dry rubs that I love and keep on hand, especially for chicken recipes.
Pellet Grill Chicken Legs Tips
Oven/Air Fryer: If you don’t want to cook these chicken legs outside, roast them in the oven or air fryer at 350 degrees F. for about 30-40 minutes until they reach an internal temp of 185 degrees F for maximum tenderness.
Season: Before cooking, I pat the chicken legs dry, season them and place them on a half sheet pan with a dry rack so the skin can tighten up overnight.
Brine: I prefer the dry brine method, seasoning the chicken legs the night before and leaving them uncovered in the fridge.
Chicken Lollipops: If you want to show off and make drumstick lollipops, I have a step-by-step post on how to trim and cook them.
Seasoning. Looking to hit your wings with some additional seasoning? Consider using your favorite spice or sweet rub, brown sugar, black pepper, garlic powder, or cayenne pepper.
Helpful cooking equipment
- Wood Pellets: I use a blend of hardwoods like hickory or oak and fruitwoods like cherry or apple. You can play with the mixture until you're happy with the flavor.
- Grills and Smokers. Whether using pellet grills, electric smokers, or a gas or charcoal grill, you will want to pull it out and dust it off for this recipe.
- Meat Thermometer. When grilling and smoking, internal temperature matters. I recommend using a digital meat thermometer.
- Tongs. A nice pair of grilling tongs will come in handy when it is time to turn your smoked chicken drumsticks on the smoker and when it is time to remove them.
- Basting Brush. A nice basting brush will be useful if you add an extra layer of flavor to your smoked chicken legs with your favorite BBQ sauce.
How to Store
Once the smoked chicken legs have cooled to room temperature, place them in an airtight resealable container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you have more than you can eat in that time, you can freeze the drumsticks in a sealed bag for up to 4 months. If the legs do get freezer burned, you can always use them to make a fantastic smoked chicken stock.
Reheat: The best method is to use the air fryer or an oven set to 350 Degrees F and cook for about 15-20 minutes until warm.
FAQs
I cook all dark meat chicken and turkey to 185 degrees F. It comes out more tender, and because of the higher fat content, it will stay juicy. Trust me on this one.
Yes, It’s the same cut of chicken, just marketed or labeled differently depending on the region.
Sure, leg quarters are just the leg and thigh of the chicken still connected. You can cut them apart and smoke them separately or leave the leg quarter whole. Depending on the size, cooking time may take 10-15 extra minutes.
You may not be familiar with the term dry brining, but it has become a popular method of preparing meat for cooking. You probably know that a wet brine is generally a mixture of salt and water. Well, with dry brining, you use the juices inside the meat. Season the meat with your favorite flavors or rubs; make sure it also includes salt, and you will be dry bringing like a pro!
Because the result is juicier, more flavorful food, and the process is much easier and less messy than wet brining. You don’t have to find a container to brine in and somewhere to store it in the fridge. Instead, you complete the brining process on a baking sheet!
Don’t forget to pin this recipe and share it with a friend who loves smoked chicken
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Smoking Chicken Legs
Equipment
- Pellet Grill or Charcoal Grill
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Chicken Legs About 10 legs
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 2 tbsp BBQ Dry Rub
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Remove chicken legs from the packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Season the legs on all sides and then place on a half sheet pan with a drying rack. Let them sit uncover overnight or at least for a few hours.
- Preheat the pellet grill to 300 degrees F.
- Pat the chicken dry and then toss with avocado oil, season the chicken a second time lightly and place on the pellet grill close to the heat source.
- Cook the chicken for about 90 minutes spraying every 30 minutes with cooking spray
- Once you reach an internal temp between 185-190 degrees you can brush them with a sauce or serve them dry.
Notes
Nutrition
Diane
The meat came out so juicy. The rub was great
Frank Campanella
Fantastic!! love to hear that!! thank you
Dan Cohen
Can you fry them after they are smoked?
Frank Campanella
yes, I actually love doing that especially with chicken wings. 350 for about 3-4 minutes until crispy then add sauce