Ever wonder how to grill chicken legs? Look no further because these are the BEST grilled chicken legs in all the land.
We’ll teach you how to make the most amazing chicken dry rub and give you a step-by-step tutorial for this grilled chicken legs recipe.
Delicious Chicken Legs on the Grill
Grilling chicken legs is one of our go-to summer meals because they’re easy and delicious. Seriously, these scrumptious grilled chicken legs are full of so much flavor all thanks to our homemade chicken dry rub.
We love how inexpensive chicken legs are and how easy they are to flavor up. The bone makes them super moist and flavorful. Plus, a little bit of char from the grill makes these the ultimate Spring/Summer meal that the entire family will love.
Pair your grilled chicken drumsticks with our foil pack grilled potatoes, Caprese quinoa salad, and a homemade honey lavender lemonade for the ultimate summer meal.
PS: try our baked chicken legs or smoked chicken legs for more chicken leg recipes!
What kind of chicken legs should I buy for grilling?
We always recommend going organic/all-natural and free-range when possible. Yes, they cost a little bit more, but I promise you the flavor and texture will make up for it! Plus, in general, chicken legs are one of the more inexpensive parts of the chicken (in comparison to the breast), so going organic isn’t actually that bad cost-wise.
Some of our favorite humane chicken brands include…
This grilled chicken leg recipe calls for 1 lb. of chicken legs and you will likely get around 4-6 medium chicken legs per pound. As always, you can double or even triple this recipe easily by multiplying it by 2 or 3.
Best Homemade Dry Rub for Chicken Legs
We’ve paired our favorite dry rub from Fit Foodie Finds with this recipe to create the ultimate crunchy, flavorful, and delicious grilled chicken leg recipe and we highly suggest following the recipe to a tee! If you have our chicken seasoning on hand, you can use that too.
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- paprika
- chili powder
- chipotle powder
- ground cinnamon
- ground mustard seed
- salt
- pepper
Want to add more heat? Add in a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Why make your own dry rub?
What we love about making our own dry rub at home is that there are no additives. You can also monitor the amount of salt, spice, and sweetness your rub has, which is great for so many reasons. One thing I recommend with this rub is making a double or triple batch of it to have on hands at all times!
If you aren’t feeling a dry rub, you can try our grilled chicken marinade instead.
Grilled Chicken Legs FAQ
While it will take around 15-20 minutes, the magic number is actually in the temperature of the chicken. You know your grilled chicken drumsticks are fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
Set your grill to around 425ºF. If your grill goes up or down a few degrees, don’t worry! That’s just the nature of grilling. Just make sure that you watch your chicken legs and rotate them every 5 minutes so that they don’t burn. You are cooking them on direct flames, after all.
Long story short, yes chicken drumsticks are healthy, especially when you pair them with a homemade dry rub!
Both types of grill will work for chicken legs. A gas grill is easier for managing heat, but a charcoal grill adds great grilling flavor.
We found that by grilling your chicken legs over direct heat and a medium/high temperature will get them nice and crispy on the outside and super moist on the inside.
Serving Suggestions
In addition to rubbing your chicken legs with bbq sauce, we’re sharing some more serving suggestions below!
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
