BBQ Chicken Legs - A Southern Soul

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There’s nothing quite like sweet, sticky homemade BBQ sauce slathered over juicy grilled chicken legs! This quick and easy-to-master recipe makes the best, most flavorful chicken you’ll ever sink your teeth into. Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs are the ultimate in summer cookout food and perfect for picnics, parties, and family gatherings.

Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs on parchment paper with serving fork.

This recipe has been in the Southern Soul recipe files for years. I originally came up with this homemade BBQ sauce recipe over 10 years ago, and it was actually kind of an afterthought when I put it on my site. Little did I know that it would become a fan favorite!

With all the love that folks have shared over these grilled chicken legs and grilled BBQ chicken thighs, I decided it was time to give this post a makeover. After all, it deserves it!

Why You Should Make These Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs…

They are easy to make and don’t need any extra time to prepare since there’s no marinating required.
Chicken legs are inexpensive, so feeding your family or a crowd won’t break your budget.
The homemade BBQ sauce is made with just a few simple ingredients and produces an amped-up flavor that’s so crazy delicious.
They are juicy, smokey, sweet, and sticky. All you need is a stack of napkins!

Ingredients and tools to make Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs

Ingredients For This Recipe

Chicken Legs
Ketchup
Lemons
Brown Sugar
Worcestershire Sauce
Dijon Mustard
Honey
Hot Sauce
Pepper
Southern Soul House Seasoning or your favorite rub

Helpful Tools To Make Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs

Using the right tools when cooking makes things easy, safe, and efficient. That goes for grilling, too. For this recipe, here are my tried and true grilling tools:

Instant Read Thermometer
Long Thongs
Silicone Basting Brush

Sauce brush with bbq sauce and chicken legs on the grill

Are BBQ Chicken Drumsticks The Same As Chicken Legs

Yes, chicken legs and chicken drumsticks generally refer to the same part of the chicken. The chicken leg consists of two parts: the thigh and the drumstick. The thigh is the upper portion, while the drumstick is the lower portion that includes the leg bone.

How To Make Homemade BBQ Sauce

You won’t believe how easy it is to make homemade BBQ sauce. With just a handful of pantry and fridge staples, you can whip up a sweet and tangy sauce that’s better than anything from the store.

To make it, grab a saucepan and add all the ingredients. Give the mixture a good whisk, then bring it to a boil. Once it starts bubbling, turn the heat down and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. That’s it! Let it cool, and your homemade BBQ sauce is ready to slather, dip, or drizzle.

These juicy chicken legs are great with the classic BBQ sauce in this recipe, but they are also amazing when grilled with Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce or Alabama White Sauce.

Grill BBQ Chicken Legs with homemade sauce and Carolina Gold Sauce.

How To Grill Chicken Legs

Preheat the grill to 400°F using a 2-zone setup (direct and indirect heat).
Season the chicken legs with my House Seasoning, or use your favorite rub or just salt and pepper. Make sure to coat all sides.
Grill over direct heat for about 30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Move to indirect heat and brush with BBQ sauce.
Baste and turn until the sauce is sticky, caramelized, and you’ve got those beautiful grill marks.

Cooking Times and Temperatures For Grilled Chicken Legs

These chicken legs take about 30 to 35 minutes to cook over direct heat and an additional 10 minutes over indirect while you are basing them with the BBQ Sauce. The chicken will be fully cooked when the internal temp reaches 165 degrees.

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving with your favorite side dishes.

Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs with sauce and lemons.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I get crispy chicken skin on BBQ chicken thighs?

The key to crispy chicken skin on BBQ chicken thighs is high, direct heat. Start by patting the skin dry with paper towels—moisture is the enemy of crispiness. Then grill the thighs skin-side down over direct heat for the first 8–10 minutes to get that golden, crispy finish. Once the skin is crisp, move them to indirect heat to finish cooking through and add your BBQ sauce. Let the sauce caramelize without burning by keeping it off the hottest part of the grill.

How can I continue to cook BBQ chicken without burning the sauce?

To prevent BBQ sauce from burning, you can apply it during the last few minutes of cooking or after the chicken is cooked through. This allows the sauce to caramelize slightly without burning.

What To Serve With Grilled BBQ Chicken

Easy Pasta Shells And Cheese
Marinated Tomatoes: Quick And Healthy
Mom’s Macaroni Salad
Simple Green Bean Salad

Homemade BBQ Sauce (Easy And Delicious)

5 from 6 reviews Author: Donya Mullins Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Calories: 3178kcal Print Pin Rate SaveSaved! In just minutes, you can make rich, tangy homemade BBQ Sauce with just the right amount of sweetness and heat! This made-from-scratch sauce is great slathered on chicken, pork, or beef, plus it's great as a dip for fries, onion rings, and veggies.

Ingredients

▢ 8 – 10 chicken legs

BBQ Sauce

▢ 2 cups ketchup
▢ ¼ cup lemon juice
▢ ¼ cup brown sugar
▢ ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
▢ 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
▢ 3 tablespoon honey
▢ 1 tablespoon Texas Pete
▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper

Chicken Seasoning

▢ 1 tablespoon House Seasoning or your favorite barbecue rub

Instructions

BBQ Sauce

▢ Add all ingredients to a sauce pan and bring up to a boil.
▢ Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.
▢ Let cool slightly then transfer to a clean jar. Will keep in the fridge for about 3 weeks.

Notes

Nutritional values provided are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used.

Nutrition

Calories: 3178kcal · Carbohydrates: 259g · Protein: 176g · Fat: 166g · Saturated Fat: 45g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 35g · Monounsaturated Fat: 69g · Trans Fat: 1g · Cholesterol: 958mg · Sodium: 6462mg · Potassium: 4218mg · Fiber: 3g · Sugar: 216g · Vitamin A: 3495IU · Vitamin C: 55mg · Calcium: 315mg · Iron: 14mg

Did you make this?I’d love to see! Share on Instagram, tag @asouthernsoul, and use the hashtag #asouthernsoul! Tag on Insta Leave a Rating

Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs with 2 images for Pinterest.

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16 Comments

I’m planning on making this on the coming weekend. But I don’t know what Texas Pete is and is there an equilevant available in Washington state?
Reply
1. Hi Donna. It’s a hot sauce made that we Southerns love. Just use which ever brand of hot sauce you like. Enjoy! ~Donya
  Reply
This is the best bbq chicken recipe! The sauce has become my go to recipe for chicken and pork.
Reply
1. Amazing! Thank you for your kind review. I love this bbq sauce on just about anything! ~Donya
  Reply
How would you fix the chicken legs if a grill was not available?
Reply
1. Hey there Pam! Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, that’s a great question! If you don’t have a grill available, I would recommend using the Air Fryer to cook your chicken legs. I will put the link to my Air Fryer Chicken Leg post below in this comment. After the chicken legs are done cooking in the Air Fryer, you can slather this delicious BBQ sauce all over and then enjoy! I hope this helps, let me know how everything turns out! ~Donya
  Reply
It is possible to find authentic Korean barbecue in a variety of places. Los Angeles is home to numerous restaurants that serve Korean bulgogi and Korean barbecue. It is also possible to eat a variety of Korean hot pots. These are generally served with rice. There are many choices in the Korean barbecue section. There are numerous places to choose from if you’re searching for the finest Korean barbecue. The Korean BBQ is available at a Korean restaurant.
Reply
1. Hey there! You know, I’ve never tried traditional Korean BBQ, but after reading this it is safe to say you’ve convinced me! Thank you so much sharing, I hope you’ll give these good ‘ole southern BBQ Chicken Legs a chance as well, I promise you won’t regret it! ~Donya
  Reply
Can you use chicken breasts with this recipe?
Reply
1. Hey there Christine! Good question! You can use this recipe with any cut of chicken, you just have to make sure the meat is fully cooked and breasts will take a little longer than legs. You’re chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees, so cook for about 10-15 minutes and then add the BBQ sauce. Hope this helps, let me know how it turns out! Best, ~Donya
  Reply
Hello. Can you season the chicken the night before with the house season?
Reply
1. You sure can! That will give it more flavor. Let mw know how things turn out. Happy 4th of July! ~Donya
  Reply
Looks great going to try this weekend Diane
Reply
1. Hey Diane! Thanks so much for your rating, let me know how it goes when you try it! Hope you like it! ~Donya
  Reply
This recipe has been a family favorite for years! We love the sauce.
Reply
Love your sauce for the leg quarters. Thanks!
Reply

Author Donya Mullins

Hey, there! I’m Donya and welcome to A Southern Soul. I love to cook and entertain with easy to make recipes and simple ideas that make people feel special. Read More