Grilled rooster leg quarters could also be one of many easiest, down-home meals you may make. A simple marinade and easy rib goes a great distance for guaranteeing juicy, tender darkish meat with that flame-kissed taste you may solely get from a grill.
On the subject of grilling, most individuals don’t consider chicken recipes. It’s flame-kissed grilled steaks, smoked ribs, large burgers, and the all-time American basic, hot dogs.
However grilled rooster is one among life’s easy pleasures, and this low-cost reduce is ideal for throwing over a mattress of lit coals with our step-by-step information, full of suggestions and strategies. This straightforward recipe for juicy, flavorful outcomes is ideal for mixing and matching with a wide range of taste profiles, from tangy bbq, completed in sauce like our smoked chicken thighs, to a sturdy North African spice rub, herbaceous Mediterranean flavors, or vibrant Latin American seasonings. When you grasp completely grilled rooster quarters, fast and simple rooster dinners won’t ever be the identical.
The Minimize: What are rooster leg quarters
Considered one of our favourite cuts, the rooster leg quarter, is the very best of the hen. Entire rooster legs are a well-liked reduce of meat from the decrease limbs of a rooster, consisting of two essential components: the drumstick and the thigh (as we stated the very best components). The wealthy darkish meat is ideal for grilling as a result of it may well face up to the warmth whereas nonetheless remaining juicy.
This reduce is nice for a wide range of dishes, from oven-roasted rooster quarters to smoked with out drying out like a breast can. They’re additionally typically considerably cheaper than rooster breasts on the grocery retailer. This bone-in reduce is our go-to possibility for scrumptious savory dinners that the entire household loves with minimal effort.
Elements for grilled rooster legs
- Hen leg quarters – this recipe additionally works with rooster drumsticks or rooster thighs.
- Grilled chicken marinade – or your favourite bottled marinade.
- Salt and Pepper – we use Kosher salt and freshly floor black pepper when cooking.
- Spices – this recipe works with a wide range of spice blends like Girl Carnivore Over Easy for an herbaceous mix or GirlsCanGrill CK Hen rub for a BBQ taste. We use Berbere spice combine on our smoked chicken quarters and adore it on these as properly. Keep on with the blends you’re keen on to begin with and get slightly extra adventurous each time you make these.
The best way to make grilled rooster legs
Marinade the rooster
- Begin by eradicating your rooster from the bundle and patting it dry with paper towels.
- Then make the grilled rooster marinade and pour it over the legs in a big resealable bag.
- Seal the bag and chill it within the fridge for half-hour to as much as 6 hours.
Grill the Hen
- When able to cook dinner, prep your charcoal grill by constructing a 2-zone hearth. Stack lit charcoal to at least one facet of the grill. If utilizing wooden chips, add them now.
- Add the grill grate, and clear and oil it rapidly earlier than masking the grill with the lid to permit the grill to preheat. Modify your air vents to get the grill temperature to 350 to 400 levels Fahrenheit. This normally includes the vents set to completely open for a conventional kettle-style grill.
- Whereas the grill preheats, take away the rooster from the marinade.
- When the grill is scorching, place the rooster pores and skin facet up on the grill grates over oblique warmth, the cooler facet of the grill. Cowl the grill with the lid and permit the rooster to cook dinner. Rotate the rooster a couple of times, solely opening the lid as wanted, so the thighs and chicken drumsticks cook dinner evenly.
- Then, after about 20 to 25 minutes, switch the grilled rooster legs to the recent facet of the grill, straight over the recent coals, pores and skin facet down. Use lengthy tongs to rotate the rooster to keep away from flare-ups or burning whereas getting crispy pores and skin; 5 to 10 extra minutes of grilling. Hen is finished when the inner temperature reaches 165F with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest a part of the thigh; nevertheless, we wish to take our darkish meat to 175-180 F.
- Flip the rooster one remaining time to rapidly sear the bone facet for added char-grilled taste.
Relaxation and Serve
- Utilizing the grilling tongs, switch the rooster leg quarters to a serving platter or chopping board and allow them to relaxation 5 minutes earlier than serving.
Woman Carnivore Knowledgeable Recipe Suggestions
For a gasoline grill:
Preheat the gasoline grill by turning all of the burners on, cleansing and oiling the grill grate, and shutting the lid. When the grill has reached 400 levels F, flip off 2 of the three burners. Add the rooster legs to the cooler facet of the grill over and cook dinner as instructed within the recipe card.
Curious how to smoke on a gas grill? Add a smoked field stuffed with Maple, Apple or Pecan wooden chips. Keep in mind, don’t soak your wooden chips.Â
For a pellet grill:
Preheat your Traeger grill or pellet smoker to its sear setting. Enable the grill to preheat for 20 minutes. Add a smoker field stuffed with wooden chips to the grill grate for added taste. When the grill has preheated, add the rooster leg quarters to the grill and cook dinner, rotating as wanted as instructed above. Nevertheless, with no cooler facet to maneuver the meat to, watch the rooster rigorously to keep away from burning. Â
What to Serve With
The factor about excellent grilled rooster is it goes properly with your entire favourite facet dish recipes. We love pairing it with crisp cole slaw, roasted broccoli, duck fats fries, and even smoked cabbage and rajas con crema (one among our favourite low-carb dinner combos). It’s additionally nice with creamy Dutch oven mac and cheese or Mama’s mashed potatoes.
For sauces, contemplate an Alabama white sauce, your favourite bbq sauce, or a recent cilantro chimichurri or do-it-yourself chimichurri rojo.
Wine Pairing
Pair this grilled rooster leg quarters recipe with Malbec or a buttery Chardonnay.
Leftovers and Reheating
Retailer leftover rooster in an hermetic container, within the fridge, for as much as 4 days.
To reheat, preheat the broiler and place the rooster legs on a baking sheet lined with foil. Reheat, pores and skin facet up, beneath the broiler for 7 – 8 minutes till heated by way of. Alternatively, microwave briefly 30-second burst, however we discover the broiler – and even air fryer – is a superb choice to reheat the entire leg quarter whereas conserving the pores and skin good and crispy.
Recipe FAQs
It’s really useful to marinate rooster legs for no less than half-hour to permit the flavors to penetrate the meat. For a extra intense taste, you may marinate them for as much as 4 to six hours.
Arrange your grill for medium-high warmth, roughly 350-400 F, by constructing a 2-zone hearth, as we clarify within the recipe card. This temperature permits the rooster to cook dinner evenly and develop a pleasant char with out drying out.
Grilled rooster legs are accomplished when their inside temperature reaches 165°F when measured with a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest a part of the meat, being positive to not hit the bone, based on the USDA. The juices ought to run clear, and the meat ought to be opaque and not pink close to the bone. Nevertheless, for darkish meat, we like cooking it previous that each one the way in which to 177-180 levels F for succulent rooster.
Extra Grilled Hen Recipes
There’s one thing about superb grilled rooster legs which are simply finger-licking good. Have you ever mastered this but? If not, don’t fear; everybody drys out just a few items on their method to turning into an knowledgeable grill grasp! Remember to price this recipe and drop a remark under, letting us know what taste combo you employ on the very best grilled rooster legs ever.
Grilled rooster legs are the last word cookout favourite, with an ideal stability of juicy, tender meat and a pleasant smoky char on crispy pores and skin. Unlock the secrets and techniques to grilling these flavorful, crowd-pleasing delights, guaranteeing that your subsequent BBQ is finger licking good.
Marinate the rooster
-
Take away the rooster legs from the bundle and pat them dry with a paper towl.
-
Whisk the components collectively for the marinade and place the leg quarters in a big Ziplock bag.
-
Pour the marinade excessive, seal the bag, and chill within the fridge for no less than half-hour or as much as 6 hours.
Prep the Grill
-
When able to cook dinner, prep your grill for a 2-zone hearth by including charcoal in a charcoal chimney.
-
Ignite from beneath the chimney with an all-natural hearth starter and lighter.
-
When the charcoal is 70% ashed over, about 10-Quarter-hour, rigorously pour the charcoal on one facet of the grill.
-
Add the grill grate and clear and oil it.
-
Cowl the grill with the lid and open the air vents to permit the grill to preheat to 350-400 levels F.
-
In the meantime, take away the rooster from the marinade.
Grill the Hen
-
When the grill has preheated, utilizing lengthy tongs, add the rooster, pores and skin facet up, to the cooler facet of the grill.
-
Cowl the grill with the lid and permit the rooster legs to cook dinner for about 20-25 minutes, Rotating as wanted to make sure even cooking from the rooster leg to thigh.
-
Then, switch the rooster to the recent facet of the grill, pores and skin facet all the way down to sear, conserving a watchful eye and lengthy tongs to simply maneuver the rooster and keep away from flare-ups.
-
Flip the rooster pores and skin facet up when the pores and skin is crispy to get a char on the bone facet.
-
The rooster is cooked when it reaches 165 levels F with an instant-read thermometer, however we wish to take our darkish meat to 175-180.
Relaxation and Serve
-
Switch the rooster from the grill to a clear serving platter or chopping board and tent with foil to relaxation for five minutes.
-
Serve the grilled rooster legs scorching together with your favourite sauces and facet dishes.
For charcoal grills, we use Cowboy all-natural Hardwood briquets and Western Wooden Chips: hickory, apple, maple, or pecan.Â
For a gasoline grill:
Preheat the gasoline grill by turning all of the burners on, cleansing and oiling the grill grate, and shutting the lid. When the grill has reached 400 levels F, flip off 2 of the three burners. Add the rooster legs to the cooler facet of the grill over and cook dinner as instructed within the recipe card.
Curious how to smoke on a gas grill? Add a smoked field stuffed with Maple, Apple or Pecan wooden chips. Keep in mind, don’t soak your wooden chips.Â
For a pellet grill:
Preheat your Traeger grill or pellet smoker to its sear setting. Enable the grill to preheat for 20 minutes. Add a smoker field stuffed with wooden chips to the grill grate for added taste. When the grill has preheated, add the rooster leg quarters to the grill and cook dinner, rotating as wanted as instructed above. Nevertheless, with no cooler facet to maneuver the meat to, watch the rooster rigorously to keep away from burning. Â
Serving: 1g | Energy: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 32g | Fats: 34g | Saturated Fats: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 7g | Monounsaturated Fats: 15g | Trans Fats: 0.2g | Ldl cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 1312mg | Potassium: 431mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 194IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg
