The Best BBQ Chicken Legs Recipe
This is my sweet and tangy BBQ chicken legs recipe. These are truly finger-licking good drumsticks! They are easy to make and are so moist everyone will be asking for another one or two. Have you tried my Baked Chicken Legs Recipe? It’s all about saving money on groceries, right?
I’m a firm believer that everyone needs to have their own best BBQ chicken legs recipe that they love! This is mine.
Items You May Need In The Kitchen
Best BBQ Chicken Legs Recipe
I like to say that this is the best BBQ chicken legs recipe because it’s so simple and tastes delicious. When I think of cooking for my family, I don’t think that it should be incredibly hard. Give these chicken legs a try and watch your whole family enjoy them.
How to Make the Best BBQ Chicken Legs Recipe
When it comes down to it, most people enjoy a good home-cooked meal. I want to walk you through how to make the best BBQ chicken legs recipe so that you can enjoy a nice dinner with your family, tonight.
Step One
I wash my chicken legs before I cook them, it’s how I roll. I use a colander to make it easy. Please note, I bleach my sink after rinsing them.
Step Two
I used a 9 by 13-inch pan and lined it with aluminum foil to make cleanup a little easier. You’ll want to spray the foil with some vegetable spray before you place the chicken legs in the pan.
I used an Enamelware Baking Pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the meat. Or you can just spray vegetable spray on them. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and onion powder, if you like a little onion flavor.
Step Three
Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes uncovered.
Step Four
After 25 minutes brush the BBQ sauce on the meat and return the pan to the oven. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the sauce starts to sizzle and look charred.
Step Five
Use a meat thermometer to ensure the thickest part of the leg is registering 160 to 165 degrees. It will go up about 5 degrees once you let the meat sit on the counter after baking for 5-6 minutes or so.
The cooking time will depend on how big or small your chicken legs are.
Is it Bad to Wash Chicken Before Cooking It?
There is a potential for getting campylobacter bacteria if you wash your chicken before you cook it. The idea is that the campylobacter cells can splash up from rinsing the raw chicken under your tap water.
It doesn’t take much to spread the bacteria via hands, countertops, or cooking utensils to cause food poisoning. Whatever you do, make sure you wash anything you think that the chicken bacteria has touched.
How Long Can I Keep the Raw Chicken in the Refrigerator?
Here again, according to the USDA, raw poultry, whether it’s a whole chicken, breast, thigh, leg pieces, or ground chicken, keep the chicken in the refrigerator only 1-2 days maximum to be safe.
Most of the time, when I cook this meal, it doesn’t even last on the kitchen table. It gets eaten up so quickly, which is why I don’t have to worry too much about how long it will stay in the fridge.
How Long Will Cooked Chicken Stay Good in the Fridge?
According to the USDA, cooked chicken is safe to store in your refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container. If you plan on keeping it for a longer time, you will want to put it in the freezer.
Even when stored in the fridge, the cooked chicken needs to be properly covered. You don’t want to leave chicken uncovered in the fridge because it can easily dry out.
Can I Freeze These?
Yes, you can freeze the chicken. I store mine in quart-size baggies and thaw them in the frig for lunch the next day. It will keep for about three months.
Keep in mind that the key to freezing anything is to make sure they are in proper airtight containers. If the air reaches the food, then it can easily become freezer burnt.
Can I Grill These on the BBQ?
Yes, you can grill them. Follow the instructions until you get to step three. Heat your grill to 350 degrees. Place the vegetable-sprayed chicken legs on the barbecue, keep the lid closed and bake for about 10-15 minutes.
Then turn the legs and cook on the other side for another 10-15 minutes.
Brush the BBQ sauce on the legs at this point. The baking time will depend on how thick your legs are. Be sure and use a meat thermometer, once the temp hits 165 degrees, they are done.
Can I Change Up the Sauce?
If you are just not feeling the BBQ sauce is right for you, you can easily add your own sauce to these chicken legs. You would just keep the same cooking times and change up what sauce you add to it.
I just love cooking chicken legs this way. I think you’ll love it too. It’s super easy and worth the wait.
BBQ Chicken Legs Recipe
- 12 chicken legs
- 1/2-1 cup barbecue sauce, homemade or store-bought
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- pepper
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 9 by 13-inch pan with foil and spray with vegetable oil. Place the chicken legs on top of the greased foil. Drizzle the olive oil over the meat. Or you can just spray vegetable spray on them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes uncovered. After 25 minutes brush the BBQ sauce on the meat and return the pan to the oven. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the sauce starts to sizzle and look charred. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the thickest part of the leg is registering 160 to 165 degrees. It will go up about 5 degrees once you let the meat sit on the counter after baking for 5-6 minutes or so. The cooking time will depend on how big or small your chicken legs are.
Linda’s Homemade Barbecue Sauce
- 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1-1/2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
-
Combine the ingredients as listed into a blender and mix until thoroughly combined. I have made this barbecue sauce for years. It will keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. It's perfect served or baked with all meats.
Final Word
I really hope you try making my BBQ chicken legs recipe. It’s so inexpensive to make and it can bake while you fold the laundry.
Do you love cooking from scratch as much as I do? Let’s keep teaching our family these simple recipes to cut our grocery bill big time.
Thanks for being prepared for the unexpected. May God bless this world, Linda
Linda, Linda, Linda,
BBQ is done on a BBQ pit, not an oven. While your recipe is probably very tasty, and I will try it, that would be baked chicken with BBQ sauce, it would not be considered BBQ here in Texas. LOL!!!!
Hi Harry, oh my gosh, now I have the giggles! You and I both know Texans are the best cooks! I still remember when my grandparents died (Arlington, TX) and their church served us the best food EVER before and after the funeral. They know how to cook! I love your comment as always! Linda