Chicken legs seasoned with a simple, sweet, and savory BBQ rub, then grilled to juicy, tender perfection. Once you sink your teeth into these, you’ll see why they’re called the Best Damn Grilled Chicken Legs!
Our recipes for Best Damn Air Fryer Chicken Legs and Best Damn Oven Baked Chicken Legs are both extremely popular. Now, we take the drumsticks out to the grill with this easy recipe.
Why I love this recipe?
Chicken legs are quite possibly one of my favorite foods to make on the grill. They’re so awesome with that flame-kissed, smokey goodness that grilling offers. And there’s something so satisfying about watching them get those grill marks and char, while the skin gets nice and crispy, then devouring them right down to the bone. Now that’s some good stuff!
Chicken legs are also one of the most affordable pieces of chicken you can buy. Sometimes a big package of fresh chicken drumsticks are only a few dollars and are more than enough to feed a small crowd. They’re easy to find, require little prep, and as you’ll see with this recipe – super easy to cook just right.
Ingredients
We’ll season our chicken legs with a nice and simple spice rub made from very common pantry ingredients. These ingredients work together to give the chicken legs a great sweet and savory BBQ flavor, while working so well with the natural flavor of the chicken. No one part of the flavor profile is overwhelming, rather, it’s the combination of all the flavors that provide that awesome deliciousness. The ingredients you’ll need for the spice rub are:
- Brown sugar
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Ground mustard
- Smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
- Ground cayenne (optional, but highly suggested)
The brown sugar works to give provide a sweetness and help caramelize and crisp the skin. The onion and garlic powder provide the savory flavors, the ground mustard, black pepper and smoked paprika help bring everything to life and give the rub a nice vibrance. The cayenne turns things up a notch just a bit. It’s not overwhelming at all, but rather, provides more full flavor.
Easy Preparation
For this recipe, we’ll use 8 chicken legs (drumsticks). Simply mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl or zip-top bag, coat the chicken with vegetable oil, and apply the seasoning rub. You can add the chicken directly to the zip-top bag and shake them around, or just do it all on large plate or platter. Now they’re ready for the grill!
Pro Tip: Start with a hot, clean grill.
One of the keys to successful grilling is to have a good, clean grill that’s rubbed down with oil. This is called seasoning the grill.
After brushing the grill clean, roll up a couple of paper towels. Pour about ½ cup of vegetable into a small bowl. Hold the paper towels with tongs and brush the grill, coating the grates with a thin layer of oil.
Finally, preheat your grill with the lid closed for at least 5 minutes. You want those grates to be good and hot!
Grilling the Chicken Legs
PLace the chicken legs on the grill, spaced apart so not touching, 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°(F) on an instant-read food thermometer.
Chicken legs can be overcooked!
One of the great things about chicken legs is that they are very forgiving when cooking. White meat needs to be cooked to no higher than 165°F. Dark meat, like drumsticks, can go up to 185°F and actually be better!
Goes Great With…
Country Creamy Coleslaw: A natural pairing for grilled foods of any kind, this coleslaw is sure to please at your next cookout!
Easy Instant Pot Potato Salad: Another staple of cookout faire, use your Instant Pot pressure cooker to make the most delicious potato salad.
Let rest before serving
When your chicken legs are done, remove from the grill and let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. This allows for all the natural juices to redistribute and will be so mouthwatering and juicy when you’re ready to dig in.
Storage and Reheating
Store the cooked chicken legs in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
To reheat, you have a few options…
MIcrowave: reheat the chicken legs in the microwave in 1-minute intervals until heated through – usually about 2-4 minutes.
Air fryer: Use your air fryer to reheat the chicken legs by setting the appliance to 325°F for about 5 minutes or until heated through.
Grill: Preheat your grill to medium heat, then place the chicken drumsticks on the grill for about 5-10 minutes, turning occasionally until they are heated through and have crisp skin.
Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F, arrange the drumsticks on a baking sheet, and heat for about 10-15 minutes or until thoroughly warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answer is simple – yes! You can even triple with no issues.
The cayenne will indeed provide some zip to the flavor profile, but is hardly considered hot in such a small amount. It really helps to bring the other flavors to life. You can absolutely cut it back to ⅛ teaspoon if extra sensitive.
Smoked paprika has a very unique flavor that is so wonderful in this BBQ dry rub. If you don’t already have some in your pantry, definitely pick some up. But if you only have regular paprika, use it and bump up the onion and garlic by ½ teaspoon each for additional flavor boost.
Recipe
Best Damn Grilled Chicken Legs
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
Description
Sweet and savory BBQ grilled chicken legs. Seasoned to perfection with a simple mix of ingredients and slow grilled to juicy and tender goodness.
Ingredients
- 8 chicken legs (drumsticks)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbs vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Coat chicken legs with oil and rub seasoning mixture all over chicken legs.
- Make sure grill grate is clean and well oiled and set to medium heat with lid closed for 5 minutes.
- When grill is hot, add chicken legs. Turn legs every 5 minutes for a total of 30-35 minutes or until internal temp 165°(F) – 185°(F).
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Mark J Grzywa says
Absolutely delicious!
KristenL says
These are delicious! Seasoning is a perfect blend of sweet with heat from the cayenne pepper. I’ve made them twice just this weekend!
Melody Gibbs says
Hi Jason, Making these again today. They are always a hit. Wondering if I could make these up prior to cooking (a few hours) I just wanted ease in the kitchen and not worry about getting things ready when it was time to eat.
Thank you for a great recipe!!
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Melody!! So basically, you can make them ahead of time, just be careful not to overcook, even though chicken legs have a lot of wiggle room with that. Then just throw them in the grill on low until heated through. They’re always going to be best made and eaten right away, but they’ll still be good.
peggy J stivason says
Hey Jason , Making this ..this evening. Love the combination spices . I’m sure it will be a hit . Thanks Jason
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome! Hope you enjoy them, Peggy!
Cindy Balsinger says
Strictly followed the recipe and it is flavorful and impressive. Can’t go wrong serving to family or guests.
Kim says
These chicken legs were FANTASTIC!! Delicious!! Will definitely make again!
Bethany Brandvold says
Absolutely Love the pork chop and chicken leg recipe! We grill it up once a week. Need try some of the other recipes
Katie says
This has become my go-to recipe for chicken legs – and they are always a hit! Super simple and delicious!
Rita DelPercio says
Jason this recipe sounds so good. Can I use the air fryer???
RecipeTeacher says
Hi Rita! I’ve actually got a recipe specifically for the air fryer…
https://recipeteacher.com/best-damn-air-fryer-chicken-legs/