Easy Grilled Chicken Legs
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Everyone needs an easy but great recipe for Grilled Chicken Legs, especially once summer barbecue season begins. These chicken leg quarters are seasoned with a savory blend of herbs and spices and grilled until the skin is perfectly charred and the meat is juicy, tender, and falling off the bone!
Making perfectly grilled chicken legs isn’t hard. You just need some basic ingredients and a few simple tips. Don’t worry, I have you covered!
There are really two things that you need to make amazing grilled chicken legs: a delicious spice rub and a good meat thermometer. That’s it!
I always use an instant-read thermometer when I’m grilling chicken (or making something like my Marinated Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breast ). It makes hitting the perfect internal temperature easy. The result is tender and juicy chicken every time!
I promise that once you try these grilled chicken legs, they’ll be on repeat all summer long. My whole family loves them! I actually double the dry rub recipe so I have it on hand at all times. It is great on oven-baked chicken too!
Grilling is one of my favorite ways to cook chicken, so having a few go-to recipes everyone loves makes planning dinner easy. Besides these grilled chicken legs, Chicken Spiedini, Smoked Chicken Legs, and my super simple Grilled Lollipop Lamb Chops are family favorites we make all summer long.
Why You Will Love These Grilled Chicken Legs
- This is an easy recipe that takes about 5 minutes to prep and uses basic ingredients from your pantry. No need to run to the grocery store!
- The chicken legs are done in about 30 minutes, so this works even for a busy weeknight.
- These chicken leg quarters are packed with flavor and are incredibly juicy. I am partial to the dark meat of chicken legs because they are more forgiving and are less likely to dry out.
Ingredients
- Chicken Leg Quarters with the skin on. Just pat the chicken dry with paper towels. You can easily use this recipe for grilled chicken drumsticks or thighs as well.
- Simple Dry Rub Seasonings: Brown Sugar, Garlic powder, Onion powder, Cumin, Oregano, Thyme, Red Pepper Flakes, Kosher Salt, and Black Pepper.
Recipe Variations
- You can use this recipe for breasts, thighs, drumsticks, or wings. The cooking time will need to be adjusted depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
- Add your favorite herbs or spices to the seasoning mix.
- Mix honey with a little lemon juice and brush it on the chicken during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Move the chicken legs to a portion of the grill with indirect heat so the honey doesn’t burn.
- Serve the chicken legs with your favorite BBQ sauce or even ranch dressing.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Legs
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates.
Step 1: Combine all of the seasoning ingredients in a bowl or jar and mix well.
Step 2: Sprinkle the chicken legs with the spice mix. Season chicken generously on both sides and under the skin.
Step 3:Place the chicken legs on an oiled grill and close the lid. Allow the chicken to cook for 7-9 minutes.
Step 5: Turn the chicken over and cook for 7-9 more minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature. It is done when it reaches 170F-175F. Remove the chicken from the grill and tent it with aluminum foil for 10 minutes before serving.
Cooking Tips
I follow these tips whenever I am grilling or smoking meats and poultry, even with my Smoked Turkey Legs and Smoked Prime Rib. They come out perfect every time!
- Let your chicken legs come to room temperature before grilling so they cook evenly. If the chicken is cold when you place it on the grill, the outside will cook faster than the inside and may burn before the chicken legs reach the desired internal temperature.
- Pat the chicken leg quarters dry before seasoning. This allows the skin to get nice and crisp. If the skin is too moist, it will steam and be rubbery.
- Make sure to oil the grill grates so the chicken doesn’t stick to them.
What to Serve with Grilled Chicken Legs
These grilled chicken legs are perfect for a summer dinner or backyard barbecue. Some of our favorite sides to serve with this recipe are Cranberry Orange Chutney, Zesty Italian Pasta Salad, a refreshing Watermelon and Tomato Salad, or my mom’s Italian Green Bean and Potato Salad. I also can’t resist my sweet and classic Moist Cornbread or sweet potato cornbread! These chicken leg quarters pair easily with so many recipes that it is easy to plan a delicious dinner that everyone will rave about.
Grilled Chicken Legs FAQs
Some of the most common mistakes with grilling chicken are:
1) Putting cold chicken on a hot grill can result in uneven cooking. The outside is done well before the center of the chicken is cooked.
2) Leaving the lid open the whole time. Closing the lid of your grill creates an oven-like environment that holds in the heat, so chicken cooks evenly without burning. It also traps the smoke, which creates more flavor.
3) Constantly moving or flipping the chicken. Let the chicken cook and create grill marks.
4) Not oiling the grill grates. If the chicken sticks to the grill, you’ll lose that beautiful crispy skin!
5) Not using a meat thermometer. This is a sure way to undercook or overcook your chicken legs. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temp of 165°F, but closer to 175–185°F for dark meat to get juicy, tender results.
The dry recipe on this page is excellent on grilled chicken legs, but you might also enjoy the sweet, spicy flavor of the dry rub for my smoked chicken legs recipe. It works just as well on grilled chicken as it does on smoked chicken.
If you want to try seasoning your chicken legs in a marinade, you will love my Lemon, Garlic and Herb Chicken Marinade.
You can put olive oil on the chicken legs before adding the seasoning, but it is not necessary in this recipe for grilled chicken leg quarters.
I love to get your feedback so if you tried this Grilled Chicken Leg recipe, or any other recipes on this website, please leave me a comment below. I hope you enjoy our recipes and look forward to hearing from you!
You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for more recipes your family will love!
Easy Grilled Chicken Legs
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Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Legs quarters
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Oregano dried
- 1 tsp Thyme dried
- ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- ½ tsp Black Pepper ground
Instructions
- Pre-heat the grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates.
- Combine all of the seasoning ingredients in a bowl or jar and mix well.
- Sprinkle the chicken legs with the spice mix. Season chicken generously on both sides and under the skin.
- Place the chicken legs on an oiled grill and close the lid. Allow the chicken to cook for 7-9 minutes.
- Turn the chicken over and cook for 7-9 minutes longer. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken. It is done when it reaches 170F-175F.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and tent it with aluminum foil for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can adjust the spiciness of the chicken by adding more or less of the red pepper flakes. Make the flavor profile to suit your needs.
- Place the seasoned chicken on a rack set over a baking sheet and allow it to come to room temperature before placing it on the grill. This will ensure that the chicken cooks evenly.
- Remember to season under the skin for maximum flavor.
- On an outdoor gas or charcoal grill, medium high heat is between 375F-400F degrees. To check the grill temperature you can use an oven thermometer or hold your hand about 5 inches from the grate. You should only be able to hold your hand there for 4-5 seconds.
- Oil the grates of the grill before placing the chicken on it so that it doesn’t stick. You can use vegetable oil or any other oil that has a high smoke point.
- Dark Chicken meat is much more forgiving then the white meat so it is safe to cook the chicken legs to a higher temperature. The higher temperature breaks down the connective tissue in the chicken legs making them super tender. So, although 165F degrees is a safe internal temperature for consuming chicken, the dark meat is perfectly juicy and tender when it is allowed to cook a little bit longer. I like to cook legs until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches between 170F-175F degrees and then let it rest for 10 minutes. The internal temperature will continue to climb about 5-10 degrees more during the resting period.
One of the best rubs I’ve ever had on chicken.
Made this recipe on Memorial Day for my family and they absolutely raved about it!!
That is wonderful Nina! Thank you for letting me know. It is one of my favorite grilled chicken recipes too!