We smoke A LOT of whole chickens in my family of five. Recently the kids have been having royal rumbles over the chicken legs. Naturally, I took this as an opportunity to test a few batches of chicken quarters in the smoker. What you see in this recipe is the family’s new favorite.
Ingredients/equipment for Smoked Chicken Legs:
- 6 chicken leg quarter sections
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- to taste Memphis bbq rub – I’m a huge fan of pigs ass rub
Smoking Directions:
- Turn your smoker on and get it up to 300 degrees.
- Remove the chicken quarters from the package, rinse, and pat dry.
- Apply olive oil to each chicken quarter.
- Liberally cover both sides of the chicken quarter with your favorite BBQ rub. This recipe uses Pigs Ass Memphis Rub.
- By the time you prep the chicken your smoker should reach 300 degrees. Add your chicken to the smoker making sure to leave a little bit of space between each quarter.
- Allow chicken to smoke for 1.5 hours or until they reach ~150 degrees.
- Note that your chicken is not yet ready to eat. Chicken needs to be cooked to 165 degrees. However, smoked chicken notoriously creates rubbery skin. I recommend turning your smoker up to its hottest setting and allow the quarters to cook the remaining 20-30 minutes or until it reaches 165.
- [Optional] If you want really crispy skin I recommend taking your finished quarters off the smoker and searing them in a very hot cast-iron skillet.
Recipe Step By Step (How-To) Images
Traeger Smoked Chicken Leg + Thigh Quarters
No more royal rumbles over who gets the chicken legs. This smoked chicken quarter recipe gives everyone both a leg and a thigh!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
