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BBQ Chicken Legs

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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.
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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 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 grill chicken legs, 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
  • Worchestershire 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:

Sauce brush with bbq sauce and chicken legs on the grill

How To Make Homemade BBQ Sauce

Making homemade BBQ sauce is super simple! All of the ingredients are pantry and fridge staples and when simmered together make an incredible sauce that will become a family favorite.

All that’s needed to make BBQ Sauce is one pot and about 10 minutes of time. Add all the ingredients to the pot and whisk them together. Bring the sauce up to a boil then reduce and simmer for 15 minutes. Let the sauce cool and you are ready to serve.

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

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

How To Grill Chicken Legs

  • Preheat the grill, either gas or charcoal for 2-zone (direct and indirect) grilling. The grill should be around 400 degrees.
  • Season the chicken legs with my homemade House Seasoning. You can also use your favorite rub or salt and pepper. The key here is to make sure you season all sides of the chicken.
  • Place the chicken legs on the direct heat side of the grill. Cook them, turning about every 5 minutes for about 30 minutes until the internal temp reaches 160 degrees.
  • Move the chicken legs to the indirect heat side of the grill and slather on the BBQ sauce. Turn and baste the chicken until the sauce gets thick, sticky, and caramelized.

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 reached 165 degrees.

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs with sauce and lemons.

What To Serve With Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs

chicken legs on grill with sauce
4.75 from 4 votes

Homemade BBQ Sauce (Easy And Delicious)

Author: Donya Mullins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Print Pin Rate
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.
chicken legs on grill with sauce
Did you make my Homemade BBQ Sauce (Easy And Delicious)?I’d love to see! Share on Instagram, tag @asouthernsoul, and use the hashtag #asouthernsoul!
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Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs with 2 images for Pinterest.
Donya with A Southern Soul

Meet A Southern Soul

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

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    • Donya

      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

  2. go k bbq

    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

    • Donya

      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

    • Donya

      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