Are you bored of the restaurant food and want to cook good food on your own? If yes, then don’t worry there are some amazing recipes and dishes to try out. And no, they will not take up a lot of your time. Some of them include grilled fish, chicken, and other seafood, they can be spicy and delicious in simple ways.
If you want to learn about grilling chicken legs specifically in a comprehensive way this guide will help you. You can learn about the selection of the chicken legs with this. The guide also explores the proper grilling process and tips for a juicy core of the meat. It will help you with the technical aspects such as the cooking time of chicken legs, and how to tenderize it properly.
So, here’s how to grill chicken legs. Let’s get into it without further delay.
What Types of Chicken Legs to Choose for Grilling?
If you want the perfect barbecued grill chicken with the right amount of tenderness to it then you have to choose the right kind of meat. A smaller sized chicken is much better than the larger ones. You should look for the meat that ranges from 2 kg – 2.5 kg for the whole chicken. The legs of such a chicken will provide you with a good ratio between the meat bite and the bones.
Depending on how you like your grilled chicken you can also choose between skinned and skinless chicken legs. The ones with the skin will offer you a crispier, crunchier coating, the skinless is fat-free and healthier for some people. This completely depends on your taste buds and how heavy you like the meat to be.
You should split the whole leg down to drumsticks and the thigh pieces before cooking. Alternatively, you can also grill them together but that might mean longer cooking time to cook thoroughly.
How to Grill Chicken Legs – Tips and Tricks
For the juicy bbq that is cooked all the way through you also need the grill to be as hot as it can be without smoking too much. If the grill is too hot then the meat will burn before it’s cooked.
When the legs are too charred then they may lose their flavor unlike in the case of boneless steaks.
Marination
You should always season or spice your chicken 24 hours in advance if you need it to penetrate into the chicken to the maximum flavor. Although, when in a hurry you can soak it in a thick spice rub and cook right away as well.
The older the marination the chicken is kept in, the sooner it will cook and the softer it will be. If you need the right amount of sear on top of the chicken and you have not prepared the meat a day in advance then you can use a little bit of tenderizer too. This will help in cutting through the chicken legs, and making them softer rather than rubber-like when cooked on high heat.
You will be able to enjoy a smooth cooking experience if you add horizontal cuts to the chicken pieces. This allows the spice to get into the cuts and the heat to cook the thicker parts thoroughly.
Flavors to Add
You can use a mix of different spices and powders to increase the flavor of the legs in the Barbecue grill. The griller chicken is always better with some lemon juice whichever recipe you are using a small hint of acidity can elevate the flavor.
If you are going to cook them on a charcoal grill then the smokey flavor will be there in the end result. If you use electric or infrared grills then you might need to use a smokey syrup or liquid smoke to help make the chicken taste like authentic BBQ.
Perfect Sidelines for Chicken Legs
The grilled chicken can be paired with a sideline of cobbed corn like you would get it in a fancy grill and steakhouse. If you are grilling corn on a cob with the chicken then you can simply add a little bit of butter to the corn as well as the chicken to make their flavors more harmonious. Another tasteful sideline to make is garlic bread in an oven.
Clean up Process
Adding a small drizzle of oil on the chicken rather than the pan also helps in cooking the spices in an even texture. This will allow you to enjoy a delicious result without letting the meat stick to the grill and make a mess for you to clean up later.
In order to clean the grill, you can use a glass of water and a simple bristle or silicon brush to scrape off the dried burnt leftover. The grill can be rinsed with the water when still hot. This helps in removing the sticky grease and reduces the effort that you need to put into cleaning it with a scrub.
The grilled chicken can leave light marks on the grill that can be wiped with a mixture of hot water and a little bit of vinegar.
How Long Does it Take to Grill Chicken Legs?
Whenever you are grilling a chicken the cooking temp for chicken will matter a lot. The chicken legs can be cooked at 165 degrees or medium heat for 30 minutes. If you pull it out after 30 minutes the chicken feels soft and watery in the middle then you can place it back in the grill for another 5-6 minutes. Remember if the chicken is still pink then it means that your grill is not getting the right amount of heat and you need to heat it up a bit more for it to be cooked in the center.
Alternatively, to prevent this you can put small cuts into the center where the pieces are too thick. This will allow the heat to cook through from more sides and the meat will be done in time just as you expect it to be done.
The Grill
The kind of grill will matter a lot as well. You may be able to choose from a gas grill, charcoal grill, or electric one. The best ones are the ones that can be heated the most. If you want a natural gas grill that can get you good BBQs as well. The only problem will be in case you don’t have access to the natural gas source then you can not grill.
Choosing a Grill:
Gas Grill
The best gas grill will come with the ability to run on gas as well as on another fuel. For example liquid propane and natural gas. The best charcoal grill is an ideal way to go ahead with any sort of BBQ, especially chicken and seafood. The charr on the meat will be perfect and the food will taste authentic with a charcoal one.
You can use gas grills with comfort in places where there may be a ban on burning charcoal as it can be dangerous for the environment. The gas grill may require you to use some extra oil to prevent overheating and over-drying.
Charcoal Grill
In order to use charcoal grill options, you need to make sure that the room is well ventilated. Preferably you should be outdoors when using it. This is why it is preferred for family and friends to gather to use it outdoors.
Charcoal gives the best flavor and a rich sear on the chicken. If you use this one then you need to make sure that you have a fan in place that is able to send the heat through the grill in a conventional way.
Electric Grills
You can use the electric grills in places where electricity is abundant but natural fuel may not be. This will not give you the same smokey flavor and sear that is crispy. However, you will still be able to get a good amount of BBQ flavor with the option of adding liquid smoke or flavor.
Electric grills need either oil or water to produce smoke to help cook through the chicken evenly. Without these, the food may stick to the grill and then become overcooked from different areas.
Conclusion
The selection of the chicken is very essential. The right size of leg pieces and the right grill for chicken are two technical aspects that you need to make sure that you are taking care of. Grilling chicken is easy and one of the most delicious options when you are expecting guests. The chicken grill is an easily manageable tool to have in any kitchen.
If you follow the basic tips and tricks and flavor the meat according to your taste then you are in for some amazing dinners and snack times.