Best Grilled Chicken Legs

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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 the best grilled chicken legs recipe ever.

Pair your grilled chicken drumsticks with our foil pack grilled red potatoes, Caprese quinoa salad, and a homemade honey lavender lemonade for the ultimate summer meal.

How many times have I made these epic grilled chicken legs this year? At least 5 and it’s only May! Seriously, these scrumptious dry-rubbed grilled drumsticks are full of so much flavor, inexpensive to make, and are ready in less than 30 minutes!

What kind of chicken legs should I buy?

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 6 medium/large 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! Here’s what you’ll need for the dry rub:

garlic powder
onion powder
coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
paprika
chili powder
chipotle powder
ground cinnamon
ground mustard seed
salt
pepper

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!

Grilled Chicken Legs Tips & Tricks

How Long to Grill Chicken Legs

The number one question we see about chicken legs is: how long should I grill chicken legs on the grill? 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.

What temperature should I grill chicken legs?

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. We like to grill our chicken a little hotter than what we’d bake it at so that it gets nice and charred. There really isn’t anything better than grill marks!

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.

Are Chicken Drumsticks Healthy?

Chicken legs are high in protein but do have a little bit more fat than chicken breasts. Long story short, yes chicken drumsticks are healthy, especially when you pair them with a homemade dry rub!

Serving Suggestions

More Grilled Chicken Recipes

Watch how to make this recipe!

Recipe

Grilled Chicken Legs

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 the best grilled chicken legs recipe ever.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Author: Lee Hersh

Yield: 4 1x

Category: Grill

Method: Grill

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

1 lb. chicken legs (~6 legs)
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons coconut sugar
1 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat grill to 425ºF.
Then, prepare chicken dry rub by mixing together all of the spices in a medium bowl. You should get around 4.5 tablespoons of dry rub.
Prep chicken legs (leave the skin on) by fully coating each leg with 1-2 teaspoons of dry rub. Use your hands to rub into each part of the leg and make sure that every part is fully coated. You may have leftover dry rub. This is okay! Store it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Spray your grill grates with nonstick cooking spray and then grill chicken legs directly on the flame at 425ºF for around 15-20 minutes or until the legs have reached 165ºF internally. Rotate the legs every 5 minutes.
Remove chicken legs from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes before eating.