Smoked Chicken Legs Recipe: How to Smoke Chicken Legs

Smoked chicken legs are chicken thighs and drumsticks cooked slowly via the indirect heat of woodsmoke, infusing them with a rich, smoky flavor. Unlike chicken breasts, chicken legs benefit from a longer cook time, making smoking ideal for this part of the bird.

Determining how long to smoke chicken legs is a straightforward process that depends on the size of the legs and the temperature of your smoker, but 90 minutes is a solid estimate for a 225-degree Fahrenheit smoker. To know when it’s time to remove your chicken legs from the smoker, you’ll need a meat thermometer or a digital instant-read thermometer.

Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the leg, avoiding the bone. The ideal temperature for dark meat is 175 degrees Fahrenheit—at least ten degrees higher than what you would want for chicken breasts.

Use these tips to make the best smoked chicken drumsticks at home.

1. 1. Experiment with seasonings. You can make the spice rub for smoked chicken legs as simple or complex as you like. Pitmaster Aaron Franklin’s go-to BBQ rub is a simple blend of salt, pepper, and paprika, but feel free to get creative when building your own spice blend. For a quick glaze, brush your favorite barbecue sauce on the chicken 10 minutes before the end of cooking. (Aaron’s homemade BBQ sauce for ribs works just as well for chicken.)
2. 2. Use the right wood. Chicken is a mild protein that readily absorbs woodsmoke flavors. Whether you choose milder cherry, pecan, or applewood, or smokier hickory or mesquite, hardwood is the best wood for smoking. (Avoid softwood, which produces sap.)
3. 3. Sear for added crispiness. For crispy skin, reverse-sear the chicken legs after smoking. (If you know how to reverse-sear a steak, the method is the same.) Remove the meat from the smoker when the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit and increase the smoker’s temperature to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Return the chicken to the hot smoker and sear until crispy, about 1 minute on each side. Alternatively, crisp smoked chicken legs in a frying pan on the stovetop or under the broiler.
4. 4. Let the meat rest. While it may be tempting to dig into your hot chicken legs immediately, let the meat rest for five minutes before serving. The juices will redistribute through the meat as it rests, resulting in moist, flavorful chicken.