Smoked Chicken Leg Quarters

5 from 41 votes

Smoked Chicken Leg Quarters

You don't have to be a pitmaster to make smoked chicken leg quarters. It's easier than you think. Perfectly seasoned with a dry rub and smoked at a low temperature creates a tender, juicy, smoky chicken leg quarter that your whole family will love!

Prep Time10

Cook Time2 30

Total Time2 40

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 334kcal

Author: Chef Ryan Littley

Equipment

Smoker
wood chips
aluminum pan

Ingredients

4 chicken leg quarters
2 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional - more or less depending on taste
1 cup barbecue sauce optional - use your favorite brand of sauce or my semi-homemade bbq sauce.

Instructions

Add your favorite wood chips to the smoker and preheat it to 250 degrees F.
I used cherry wood, but feel free to use your favorite type of wood chip.
Add the dry rub seasonings to a small bowl and mix to fully combine.
Pat the chicken legs dry with paper towels.
Spread the dry rub generously over the chicken, making sure to season all sides of the chicken quarters for a well-balanced flavor.
To achieve the best flavor, let the seasoned chicken set for 30 minutes to give the dry rub time to penetrate the chicken and marinate it with the seasonings. This also gives the chicken time to come to room temperature prior to putting it in the smoker.
*This step gives the rub time to soak into the skin and meat, but if you're in a hurry it can be skipped.
Place the seasoned chicken in a shallow foil pan and place the pan on a shelf in the preheated smoker and cook the chicken for 2½ hours or until an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees is reached.
*Alternatively, you can place the chicken directly on the rack in the smoker, placing a drip pan on the rack below the chicken.
Slather the chicken in my semi-homemade barbecue sauce or your favorite brand of sauce.

Notes

*Other seasonings you could add are cumin, chili powder, dry oregano, ground ginger, turmeric, and coriander. You can also use your favorite seasoning blend. Cajun seasoning, Jerk seasoning, Barbecue seasoning, and Old Bay seasoning can be used instead of making your own dry rub. You can also add brown sugar to the seasonings to make a sweet rub.

For heat, cayenne pepper is usually the best way to kick up the flavor of your smoked chicken legs. But be careful because a little can go a long way.

*Use a digital meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken leg quarter to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165 degrees.

Nutrition