Grilled Chicken Legs

Name: Grilled Chicken Legs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar (packed); 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; ¼ teaspoon ground mustard; 2 pounds chicken legs; 1/2 cup bbq sauce; 2 Tablespoons water

JUMP TO RECIPE

Juicy, tender Grilled Chicken Legs have the perfect amount of flavor and smokiness. The caramelized bbq sauce takes the flavor over the top!

AN AFFORDABLE GRILLED DINNER

I love a good Grilled Chicken Leg. This recipe is not only super simple to make, but it is easy on the wallet and that is always a nice thing (especially with the way these meat prices are breaking the bank these days!) These Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs go with just about any side dish too. They’re very versatile and everyone loves them! Plus, you can make extra easily so you can just pull the meat off and use it in salads or wraps later on. Great for meal prepping!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Do Grilled Chicken Legs dry out easily?

Since these chicken legs are made of dark meat, they don’t dry out as easily as white meat would. It’s also worth mentioning that I cooked these chicken legs a little longer than what it would take for the internal meat to reach 165°F. I do this because I like the meat a little more, but if you just want to cook them until they reach that internal temperature, use a thermometer and adjust the cooking time as you see fit.

Do I have to marinate the chicken?

Dry marinating the chicken isn’t absolutely necessary if you don’t have the time for it. But if you do, marinating the chicken definitely makes it more flavorful. You can use your favorite store-bought rub in place of the one provided in the recipe if desired.

Can I use chicken breasts or chicken thighs?

Yes, you’ll just need to adjust your cooking time until the internal temperature reaches at least 165F degrees.

What do I do if the chicken is cooking too fast?

Sometimes grilling makes people nervous because they don’t grill often or it feels like the temperature can get out of control super quickly. So I have a little tip I want to share to help if you find your chicken is cooking too fast and you’re afraid it’ll burn. I like to keep one side of the grill the “cool side”- meaning I won’t turn on the gas on that side of the grill. That way, if I see the meat is cooking too fast, I can immediately shift it over to the cool side of the grill so I can get the heat turned down to prevent that meat from burning.
If you have a charcoal grill, you can still do this by keeping the briquettes to one side of the grill and this will create a cooler space on the other side if you need it.

Is it safe to add the bbq sauce while chicken is still on the grill?

This can cause some apprehension for some people when making some Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs because sometimes when you’re adding the sauce, you may see a flare up (this is because of the sugar in BBQ sauce). This usually happens if you have slathered a bit too much bbq sauce on the chicken and some drips off.
Don’t worry! If this happens to you, move the meat to the cool side of the grill for a minute to let the excess sauce start to stick to the meat, then you can move it back over the heat on the grill grates. This is a fairly quick process and if you are concerned at all, you can always add the BBQ sauce onto the chicken after it has finished cooking.

What’s the best way to store leftover Grilled Chicken Legs?

I like to store leftover chicken legs in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You could freeze any leftovers in a freezer safe container and they’ll keep for about 3 months in the freezer.

How do you reheat Grilled Chicken Legs?

To keep your chicken nice and moist so you can reheat them easily without drying them out, I like to make a little foil packet and add a splash of water with the chicken. Then pop the foil pack on a baking sheet and reheat it in the oven until warmed through again.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

light brown sugar – if you don’t like the additional sweetness, you can leave this out.
garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, ground mustard – this is my personal favorite seasoning for these. You can use your own favorite seasoning blend or use a store-bought seasoning.
chicken legs – I have only made this with raw chicken legs not frozen. You could use frozen but I would recommend allowing them to fully thaw in the refrigerator then patting them dry.
bbq sauce – store-bought or homemade BBQ sauce.
water – this just thins the BBQ sauce out a bit so it is easier to spread.

Chicken legs, bbq sauce, water, ground dry mustard, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, light brown sugar, onion powder, and salt.

HOW TO MAKE GRILLED CHICKEN LEGS

In a small bowl, add the light brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and ground mustard and stir together well. In a large bowl, add the chicken legs then sprinkle on the spices and stir to coat all the chicken legs in the spices. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to marinate (note: if you are in a time crunch, you can certainly cook them right away without marinating).

A bowl of chicken seasoning and a bowl of seasoned chicken.

In a separate bowl, stir together the bbq sauce and water until combined. Set aside. Clean and oil the grates on your grill then preheat the grill to medium heat (about 350F degrees). Place the chicken legs on to the grill, close the lid and allow them cook, turning every few minutes until an internal temperature reaches about 130-140°F. Time will vary depending on the size of the chicken legs, but this should take about 15-20 minutes. Note: keep an eye on the temperature of your grill. If it starts getting too hot, open the grill lid and turn down the heat.

A bowl of watered down bbq sauce and seasoned raw chicken on a grill.

Take the BBQ sauce and baste the legs on both sides and continue to cook until an internal temperature reaches at least 165°F about another 10 minutes or until your desired doneness (180-190°F results in fall-off-the-bone meat). I like to rotate the legs every minute or so and baste with the bbq sauce each time so the sauce will caramelize.

Grilled chicken legs on a grill and a basting brush basting bbq sauce on grilled chicken.

Once they reach an internal temperature of 165F degrees, they are done. I look to cook mine a little past 165F since I like them super tender and I like the skin to get darker and a bit crispier.