Grilled Chicken Legs

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These Grilled Chicken Legs are absolutely delicious and so easy to cook on the grill. With tender, juicy meat and a deep, grilled flavor, these chicken drumsticks are perfect for cookouts!

tongs holding Grilled Chicken Leg

Grilled Chicken Drumsticks

You’ll love how easy it is to make chicken legs on the grill. You can season them to your liking, and they cook up with so much flavor. And it’s a great way to cook for a crowd! Just add a pound of drumsticks to the grill and watch the delicious grill marks appear. You can serve them as is or top with seasonings or dips and sauces. They’re a hit every time!

Grilled Chicken Legs on a platter

The key here is to cook the chicken legs evenly on all sides. Watch the heat, as all grills heat up differently. Simply turn down the heat if the chicken starts to burn before it is done cooking. And you may need switch the positions of the chicken legs so each piece of chicken gets cooked the same amount. As long as you keep an eye on the chicken, it’s easy to make grilled chicken drumsticks that taste just like summer!

tongs holding seasoned Grilled Chicken Legs

Love easy chicken dishes? Check out these other drumstick recipes: Baked Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks, Pan Fried Chicken Drumsticks, and Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Drumsticks.

Grilled Chicken Legs with delicious grill marks

How To Grill Chicken Legs

You can preheat the grill while seasoning the chicken. Turn the heat to high and close the lid of the grill.

Lay chicken legs out in a shallow pan to season. Drizzle on olive oil and seasonings. Flip drumsticks over and season again. Rub the seasonings and oil onto chicken to be sure it distributes evenly.

flame Grilled Chicken Legs

It’s time to add the drumsticks to the grill. Turn the heat down to medium or medium low depending on how hot your grill gets. Use BBQ tongs to place the drumsticks on grill.

Close the grill lid and let the chicken cook for 5 minutes. At this point, flip the chicken over to get grill marks on all sides.

chicken drumsticks on grill

Reduce heat to low and close lid for another 5 minutes of cooking. Continue checking and rotating the chicken legs every 5 minutes until you reach about 25 minutes total.

Note- after about 20 minutes of cooking, you can begin checking chicken for doneness. Drumsticks should reach 180 degrees on meat thermometer. Be sure to check a few of the chicken pieces.

Once the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the grill and turn off the heat. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before enjoying.

chicken legs cooking on grill

Cooking Tips

  • You can use any seasonings you like on chicken
  • Adding olive oil helps the chicken to not stick to the grill
  • Be sure to keep the grill lid closed while the chicken is cooking
  • Watch the heat… if the chicken is burning, turn it down. If the chicken isn’t cooking, turn it up.
  • If some drumsticks are cooking faster than others, you can always switch the position of the chicken legs on the grill

grill opened to show chicken drumsticks cooking

How Long To Grill Chicken Legs

Chicken drumsticks will typically take between 20 and 25 minutes to cook on the grill. Be sure to check a few of the chicken legs with a meat thermometer. It should read at least 180 degrees.

bbq tongs holding grilled piece of chicken

What To Serve With Grilled Chicken Drumsticks

You can serve a variety of grilled chicken so people can pick light or dark meat. Try these recipes: Tender Instant Pot Chicken Gizzards, Instant Pot Bone-In Chicken Thighs, and Air Fryer Bone-In Chicken Breast.

easy cookout meal of Grilled Chicken Legs

And how about some classic cookout-style desserts to finish off the meal? Check out these party favorites: Microwave Rice Krispie Treats, Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake, or S’mores In The Microwave. A delicious variety!

grill cooking chicken legs

More Chicken Recipes To Try

Instant Pot Chicken Wings

Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks

Easy Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken Wings

Air Fryer Chicken Tenders No Breading

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Grilled Chicken Legs

These Grilled Chicken Legs are absolutely delicious and so easy to cook on the grill. With tender, juicy meat and a deep, grilled flavor, these chicken drumsticks are perfect for cookouts!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
cooling time5 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Chicken, Dinner, Grilling
Keyword: Grilled Chicken Legs
Cooking Method: Grill
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 263kcal

Recipe Video

Ingredients

  • 12 chicken drumsticks
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt divided between drumsticks
  • 1/2 tsp pepper divided between drumsticks
  • 1 tsp garlic powder divided between drumsticks

Recommended Kitchen Tools (click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe)

  • Grill

Instructions

  • You can preheat the grill while seasoning the chicken. Turn the heat to high and close the lid of the grill.
  • Lay chicken legs out in a shallow pan to season. Drizzle on olive oil and seasonings. Flip drumsticks over and season again. Rub the seasonings and oil onto chicken to be sure it distributes evenly.
  • It's time to add the drumsticks to the grill. Turn the heat down to medium or medium low depending on how hot your grill gets. Use BBQ tongs to place the drumsticks on grill.
  • Close the grill lid and let the chicken cook for 5 minutes.
  • At this point, flip the chicken over to get grill marks on all sides. Reduce heat to low and close lid for another 5 minutes of cooking.
  • Continue checking and rotating the chicken legs every 5 minutes until you reach about 25 minutes total.
  • Note- after about 20 minutes of cooking, you can begin checking chicken for doneness. Drumsticks should reach 180 degrees on meat thermometer. Be sure to check a few of the chicken pieces.
  • Once the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the grill and turn off the heat. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before enjoying.

Notes

  • You can use any seasonings you like on chicken
  • Adding olive oil helps the chicken to not stick to the grill
  • Be sure to keep the grill lid closed while the chicken is cooking
  • Watch the heat... if the chicken is burning, turn it down. If the chicken isn't cooking, turn it up.
  • If some drumsticks are cooking faster than others, you can always switch the position of the chicken legs on the grill
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Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 545mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 71IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
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