Smoked Chicken Legs

Summer is calling, and my Smoked Chicken Legs is a delicious way to celebrate the season. Smoky, juicy, and tender, seasoned with a simple dry rub that makes the dark meat of these smoked chicken drumsticks irresistibly delicious.

You don’t have to be a grill master to make my smoked chicken legs. I used an electric smoker to make my chicken drumstick recipe, but you can use a charcoal grill or pellet smoker to add delicious smoky flavor to chicken quarters, wings, thighs, or a whole chicken. 

I used cherry wood for my chicken leg recipe, but you can use your favorite wood chips or wood chunks to make this simple recipe. This simple recipe using a spice rub that will compliment the smokiness of the chicken will be a great option for any event.

If you love chicken legs, you have to try my Baked Chicken Legs recipe.

Ingredients to make Smoked Chicken Legs

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Smoked Chicken Legs. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

Made with simple ingredients

• chicken legs
• kosher salt
• smoked paprika
• cumin
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• black pepper
• cayenne pepper (optional)

Can I use other spices in my dry rub?

Yes, you can. The key to making delicious smoked chicken that you and your family will love is to use seasonings that you enjoy eating. Changing up the spices in this simple dry rub is easy and definitely something you can do each time you prepare smoked chicken.

Other seasonings you could add are cumin, chili powder, dry oregano, ground ginger, turmeric, and coriander. You can also use your favorite seasoning blend. Cajun seasoning, Jerk seasoning, Barbecue seasoning, and Old Bay seasoning can be used instead of making your own dry rub. You can also add brown sugar to the seasonings to make a sweet rub.

For heat, cayenne pepper is usually the best way to kick up the flavor of your smoked chicken legs. But be careful because a little can go a long way.

How to make Smoked Chicken Legs

Add your favorite wood chips to the smoker and preheat it to 250 degrees F.

• Add the seasonings to a small bowl
• Mix seasonings thoroughly to fully combine.

• Pat the chicken legs dry with a paper towel.
• Spread the dry rub generously over the chicken, making sure to season all sides of the chicken leg for a well-balanced flavor.

For maximum flavor, let the seasoned chicken set for 30 minutes to give the seasonings time to penetrate the chicken and marinate it with the flavors. This also gives the chicken legs time to come to room temperature prior to putting it in the smoker. *This step gives the rub time to soak into the skin and meat, but if you’re in a hurry, it can be skipped.

• Place the seasoned chicken in a shallow foil pan and place the pan on a smoker rack in the preheated smoker and cook the chicken legs for 90 minutes or until an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees is reached. *Alternatively, you can place the chicken directly on the rack in the smoker, placing a drip pan on the rack below the chicken.

For extra crispy legs, sear in the oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

*Use a digital meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the drumstick to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken legs is at least 165 degrees.

Making delicious smoked chicken legs for your friends and family couldn’t be easier, and my easily adaptable dry rub lets you adjust the flavors to suit your taste, making chicken your whole family will love.

The smoking process adds a lot of flavor to the meat, but you can’t beat a good barbecue sauce. Using your favorite barbecue sauce and adding a few ingredients allows you to create your own signature bbq sauce, elevating the chicken legs to the next level of deliciousness.

Use a basting brush to coat your crispy chicken legs with the bbq sauce and serve with your favorite side dishes.

Recipe FAQ’S

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These are the products I use to smoke chicken.

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