BBQ Chicken Legs Recipe
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BBQ chicken legs bring back memories of my childhood for sure. They were the star attraction in one of my Granddaddy’s favorite meals. So, you know my Grandmother prepared them fairly often for him. And even more recently, I’ve learned that they are one of my husband’s favorites, too.
I knew grilled chicken legs were my one of my son’s favorites, but I didn’t know they were my husband’s, too.
Although I’m still wondering how I could have been married to my husband nearly 19 years and not have known how much he loved BBQ chicken legs.
How is that possible?
It truly makes me wonder what else I don’t know about his likes and dislikes.
For instance, just last summer after we had a bumper crop of cilantro that I put in just about every dish possible and then some, my husband casually mentioned to me that he doesn’t like cilantro.
You could have knocked me over with a feather.
Here I’d thought he absolutely loved cilantro since he didn’t say a word when I planted five cilantro plants during the spring and then filled his plate with it all summer long.
I guess he loves me more than he hates cilantro.
Anyway, these BBQ chicken legs really couldn’t be simpler to make.
You can either begin with my simple recipe for grilled chicken legs or just toss them into a skillet and bake them in the oven. When they are almost done, I coat them with a generous bit of Mama’s Coca Cola BBQ Sauce and pop them back into the oven to finish baking.
They should also be done when the juices run clear when the chicken has been pierced with a sharp knife.
Here’s my recipe for BBQ Chicken Legs that I hope you love as much as my husband does.
BBQ Chicken Legs Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 chicken legs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped onion
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Place chicken legs into a large zip top plastic bag. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, mix together olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic, and onion. Pour over chicken and seal zip top bag, taking care to remove as much air as possible.
- Move chicken around in the zip top bag to ensure all chicken is well coated. Place on a small, rimmed baking sheet or inside of a casserole dish and into the refrigerator to marinate for at least one hour to overnight.
- To bake chicken, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken onto rimmed baking sheet or a skillet coated with a bit of olive oil. Bake until the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F with an instant read thermometer, about 30-35 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and coat with BBQ sauce. Return to oven until the chicken registers 165 degrees F with an instant read thermometer.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest about 3 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xoxo
Thanks for the recipe – I am going to try it tonight.
And my husband also hates cilantro!
My own husband just looked over onto my laptop and saw the photos and said…hmm, those look good! 🙂
LOL! It gets the same reaction from my husband, too! 🙂
HOLY COW!! These look absolutely finger-licking good!!! omg, i could reach through my screen right now!
My tummy is yearning for this! There is NOTHING better than barbecued chicken and yours looks so mouthwatering, Robyn. Great recipe!
Love a good BBQ recipe, especially ones that are easy like this!
How long would you cook these if you were making a TON? Like 120 legs?
Hey Jessie,
Too many variables can come into play with that number of chicken legs for an exact time, so I’d be focus on reaching the appropriate temperature of 165 degrees F. The base cooking time varies from 40-45 minutes when baked or grilled at 350 degrees F, so you’ll want to start there and add time as needed to reach the appropriate temp. Sorry I couldn’t be any more specific.
Gotta love an easy-to-make BBQ recipe! Just looking at this recipe reminds me of summer!
We’re in Florida this week, so I’m most definitely feeling the summer vibes!
These sound soooo good, Robyn! We are big BBQ fans around here!
I love this! BBQ chicken is perfect comfort food!
I am starving and wish I could eat my screen right now – gorgeous recipe!
Thanks so much, Liz.