Grilled Chicken Legs

Name: Grilled Chicken Legs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 cup soy sauce; 1/3 cup granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar; 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes; 2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil; 5 pounds chicken legs or drumsticks or a combination, patted dry; Salt and black pepper

By Genevieve Ko

Updated Oct. 11, 2023

Grilled Chicken Legs — Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 35 minutes, plus grill heating time
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Rating: 4(279)
Notes: Read community notes

The best grilled chicken smells like summer. To achieve that charred aroma, you want to crisp the skin while cooking the meat through and keeping it juicy. Setting oil-slicked meat over direct, moderate heat and covering the grill prevents flare-ups, which can burn the skin before the meat loses its rawness. Because fire lends its own flavor, the chicken really doesn’t need anything more than salt and pepper, but if you want a little sweetness, savoriness and spice, you can brush on the simple soy glaze toward the end of cooking. As it heats, it caramelizes onto the skin and seeps into the meat. A final swipe of sauce over the chicken after it’s off the grill gives it a sticky shine.

Featured in: How to Make the Juiciest, Most Succulent Grilled Chicken

Learn: How to Grill

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

For the Glaze (optional)

½cup soy sauce
⅓cup granulated sugar
2tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1teaspoon red-pepper flakes

For the Chicken

2tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
5pounds chicken legs or drumsticks or a combination, patted dry
Salt and black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
If you’re making the glaze, mix the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and red-pepper flakes until the sugar dissolves. The glaze can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.
Step 2
Prepare the chicken: Rub the oil all over the chicken, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap any flaps of excess skin around the meat.
Step 3
To cook chicken on a gas grill, heat the grill to medium. When the grill is hot, turn off one burner, and clean and grease the grate. Place the chicken on the grate over the heated burners skin side down. Cover and cook, flipping once, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. If you’re not glazing the chicken, continue cooking, covered and flipping once, for 5 to 7 minutes longer. If the skin isn’t browning, turn up the heat. If flames flare up over the chicken, move the meat briefly over the unlit burner.
Step 4
If you’re glazing the chicken, brush the meat with the glaze and turn the pieces over. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, then continue brushing, turning and cooking, covered, until you have a spoonful of glaze left and the skin is burnished, 8 to 10 minutes total. A meat thermometer should register 165 degrees.
Step 5
To cook chicken on a charcoal grill, heat charcoal, then spread over two-thirds of the grate when they ash over. When you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 5 to 7 seconds, place the chicken on the grate over the coals skin side down. Cover, with the top vents halfway closed, and cook, flipping once, until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. If you’re not glazing the chicken, continue cooking, covered and flipping once, for 5 to 7 minutes longer. If you’re glazing the chicken, brush the meat with the glaze and turn the pieces over. If flames flare up over the chicken, move the meat briefly over the side without coals. Continue brushing and turning uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, until you have a spoonful of glaze left and the skin is burnished. A meat thermometer should register 165 degrees.
Step 6
Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and immediately brush with the remaining glaze.

Ratings

4 out of 5

279 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

Bob Roberts1 year ago

If you have the time, brine first. Get a big bowl, throw in the chicken and a good heap of salt and let it sit for 4-24 hours. If you do this, you will get plumper, moister and more evenly cooked chicken every time. When ready to cook, drain and then pat the chicken dry on some paper towels so that it sears on contact with your grill. If you want to up your game further, after patting the chicken dry, season with salt and pepper and layout on a cookie sheet in the fridge for an hour.

Anonymous1 year ago

Strongly advise anyone reading to cook thighs *above* 165. They are at their best nearer to 190-200 than 165. Cook these same leg thigh quarters skin side up on a low grill until the internal temp is around 170-180. The skin will have dried out quite a bit by now, enabling you to flip them over and fairly quickly, yet gently on medium-low heat, crisp up the skin. When that's done, you're going to be approaching that 190 mark and you can remove and let carryover cooking do the rest.

StuKin1 year ago

As simple and inexpensive as it gets. I make this using honey instead of sugar. I cook to 175-180℉ over indirect heat; legs have plenty of moisture to prevent drying out. At 69¢/lb.for the meat, I can afford to splurge on wine.

Albie1 year ago

Since I have an abundant supply of fresh herbs, I like to loosen the skin of the legs and slip the younger, softer branches of tarragon, rosemary, marjoram, etc., under the skin. Just did this over the Memorial Day weekend with superb results. I also endorse the recommendation to allow the legs, particularly the thighs, to reach temperatures well above 160 deg. tep at which collagen breaks down. Well worth the wait.

APS1 year ago

I’m in the same boat as Chris Haines. Confused. Does ‘Place the chicken on the grate over the heated burners skin side down’ mean the grate over the burner that’s still on or the burner you just recently turned off? I mean, they’re both ‘heated.’

Annie H1 year ago

We do our legs in the convection oven. Pat dry; salt and pepper. On 400° w convection for 25 mins. Turn over and give another 10 mins. Let sit for 10 mins. Perfect every time. We sometimes use lemon pepper.

Squirrel Butler1 year ago

That's exactly what it says. It's pretty clear. The chicken cooks over the burners that are lit, and you only move the chicken to the unlit burner if you're having trouble with flare-ups. I'm not saying those instructions are right or wrong in terms of cooking the chicken, as I haven't yet made it. I'm saying that's what the recipe clearly says to do.

Sandra1 year ago

Easy peasy and very delicious. The glaze has just the right kick. This chicken was a big hit at my Memorial Day table.

Kris1 year ago

Didn't get to brine this, as Bob recommended, but it was still really delicious!

Squirrel Butler4 weeks ago

Completely agree with this comment. Pretty much every credible source (Spruce Eats, America's Test Kitchen, Epicurious, etc.) says to cook dark meat to at least 175 or higher to let the connective tissue break down and make the chicken tender

whitney1 week ago

Tried this recipe twice. They were good, not great, and the active cooking time because of the grill was not worth the fuss. I get way crispier skin and better flavor rendering down on the stove then finishing in the oven.

Woody4 weeks ago

we need to remind everyone use a cooking thermometer chicken especially CHICKEN 180 degrees or better none of the recipes mention about food safety

Diana10 months ago

Didn't have dry mustard. I used Dijon with a splash of olive oil and made a paste for the rub. As others had mentioned the potential for blandness, I added a pinch of Harissa and a hint of sumac. A keeper!

HanTran11 months ago

skin side down over a gas burner for 6 to 7 minutes will be a flame up disaster.

Wheatpennymama11 months ago

This is excellent! I have become a confidant griller of chicken. My son loves it. Agree that you can go to a higher temp and it will be delicious and well cooked.

Alan C Brownmd1 year ago

Chicken grilled over coals on a weber ALWAYS FLARES UP AND BURNS even if the grill is closed. I always grill chicken indirectly over a drip pan. The result is the same and I don’t like burned chicken skin. That is advice from an eye surgeon so listen up!

Squirrel Butler4 weeks ago

Since it's 'advice from an eye surgeon', shouldn't you be saying "Look here!" rather than "listen up!". That sounds more like an ENT's area of expertise....

eric1 year ago

Easy and quick. Glaze is subtle but worthwhile

Sam1 year ago

Good recipe, lots of gas grill clean up for me afterwards as a result of the glaze.

Meg1 year ago

Grilled on our Traeger set to 325°. Took them off at 160° per recipe. Perfectly cooked all the way to the bone but the skin was not remotely crispy. Maybe our Traeger is a humid environment?

J Crowley1 year ago

The only way to get skin on bone in chicken here in flyover country is to buy a whole chicken. It would be nice if there were instructions for breasts and wings, not just legs.

warren in ca1 year ago

There’s nothing hard about grilling chicken if you set up for two zones. Light half your burners (or put coals on one side of a kettle) and brown the skin over the hot burners, then move to the “cool” area and cook until you reach desired temps. After a few tries I learned to dial my six burner Weber into 400 degrees every time.

mama1 year ago

Step 3 advises to move the chicken to the unlit burner area if there are flareups. So apparently cooking occurs over the LIT burners.

Mike S1 year ago

I enjoy all the NYT recipes, plus the comments. My (propane) grill gets lots of use, but has hot spots and not-so hot spots. . Since my wife insists on white meat and I must have dark, after 20+ years of use, I think I've got it figured out. A ginandtonic in hand helps.

Annie H1 year ago

APS1 year ago

Private notes are only visible to you.