Quick Look at these Traeger Smoked Chicken Legs
- Ready In: 1.5 hours
- Yield: 12 chicken legs
- Main Ingredients: chicken legs, salt, pepper, and a variety of spices!
- Dietary Info: Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
- Best For: family dinner, appetizer, game day snack
- Why You’ll Love It: If you have a smoker, you know the amazing smoky flavor that happens when you cook on it! We use our Traeger smoker all the time! These crispy chicken legs are made with a homemade dry rub that takes less than 5 minutes to make. They are a must try for dinner, backyard cookout, or game day appetizer!
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Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Chicken Legs – make sure they are fresh or fully thawed before cooking, otherwise it will affect your cook time.
- Kosher Salt + Pepper – always needed when cooking any cut of meat.
- Paprika, Turmeric, Cumin, & Coriander – warm spices that give the dry rub a wonderful depth of flavor.
- Dried Oregano – added for some of those classic, earthy flavors.
Step-by-Step: How To Smoke Chicken Legs
Step 1 – Pat chicken legs dry with paper towel.
Step 2 – Mix up the dry rub and coat the outside of the legs.
Brine or No Brine?
Using a smoked chicken brine or easy pickle brine would be great options for keeping the meat as juicy as possible, but they do require more prep time. If you have the time, great! If you don’t have the time, the dry rub included in the recipe card will still give you amazing chicken legs!
Step 3 – Smoke the chicken legs to an internal temperature of 162 degrees F.
Step 4 – Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
How Do I Get Crispy Skin On My Smoked Chicken Legs?
Smoke the chicken legs until their internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F and then remove them from the smoker. Turn up the smoker to a high heat of 500 degrees F, put the chicken legs back on to give them a quick sear on all sides. Finally, let them rest for at least 5 minutes before serving to let the juices redistribute.
Optional Step 5 – Turn up the heat and finish the chicken legs with a quick sear.
Serving Smoked Chicken Legs
There are so many different ways to serve some traditional smoked chicken legs! Enjoy as a main course by adding some side dishes to the smoker, like Smoked Asparagus, & Smoked Baked Beans. Or non-smoked side dish recipes, like Herbed Potatoes, Lemon Pasta, Deviled Egg Potato Salad, or Watermelon Mint Salad. We also love making these for Sunday game day with some homemade ranch dressing for dipping!
Smoked Chicken Legs FAQs
No, the skin does not need to be removed. It helps hold in the moisture to keep the chicken juicy and tender, plus the crispy skin is delicious!
For best results, use a sweet fruit wood, like cherry or apple but any type can be used.
Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, turn on the grill or smoker to a high heat and sear them for a few minutes. That way the skin doesn’t get soggy and gross.
Other Smoked Chicken Recipes You Might Like
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Ingredients
Dry Rub:
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
Smoked Chicken Legs:
- 12 chicken legs, fresh or thawed
Instructions
- Prep: Ensure grates are clean and preheat smoker to 225℉.
- Make Dry Rub: In a small bowl, combine ½ tablespoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon coriander, ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (if using). Set aside.
- Season Chicken: Pat 12 chicken legs dry with clean paper towel. Cover chicken legs in the dry rub, ensuring you get it into every nook and cranny.
- Smoke: Place chicken legs on the preheated smoker and close lid. Let smoke for approximately 1 hour or until chicken legs reach an internal temperature of 160℉ at the thickest part of the meat (use a meat thermometer).
- Optional Sear: Remove chicken legs from the smoker when their internal temperature reaches 160℉ and turn the smoker up to 500℉. Place chicken back on the smoker, searing each side for 1-2 minutes. Keep rotating until internal temperature reaches 165℉.
- Rest + Serve: Remove chicken from the smoker and let rest 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Searing Option: If you want to keep smoking the legs at 225 degrees F until they hit an internal temp of 165 degrees F, you can. Otherwise, pull them off when they hit 160 degrees and then turn the electric smoker way up to 400-500 degrees (or use a hot grill). Sear them on all sides, rotating every minute or two until the skin is nice and charred.
- Dry Rub Alternative: this all-purpose chicken dry rub recipe is more herby, than the one in this recipe card, if you want another option.
- When is Chicken Fully Cooked: when it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees F. Remember, chicken will also keep cooking as it rests, so don’t overcook the chicken or it will dry out.
- Wood Chips: the type of wood is your own personal preference, we tend to use sweet wood chips or wood pellets, like cherry wood or apple.
EH says
Love this recipe!
Joseph says
Turned out so moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. I folled the rub recipe, however being an avid smoker I couldn’t resist lightly smearing some american yellow mustard by rubbing into the legs before adding the rub.
I can’t say if it made a difference overall as I have not done thise recipe as per suggestion but they were a family pleaser, in fact I could have done another dozen or so and I am sure they would have gone also. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed them, Joseph! And thank you for the feedback!