Grilled Chicken Legs Quarters

Grilled Chicken leg quarters are an inexpensive under used cut of chicken for the grill. It’s a great weeknight meal as well as tailgate staple.

A lot of mixed feelings about chicken leg quarters. This post will help you change the negative feelings people may have about chicken legs quarters by just following a few important steps. This grilling recipe post is will also answer all your questions and concerns about chicken leg quarters. We’ll explain why some people hate them and some people love them. 

First step in making a great chicken recipe is coming up with a simple but tasty seasoning blend that will compliment the juicy legs and thighs.

Seasoning for Chicken Legs

Seasoning for Chicken Leg Quarters

Want to learn how to season chicken leg quarters? Put the below ingredients except the salt into a mixing bowl. Then place the chicken into the bowl and rub the ingredients into the chicken. The chicken should then go in a refrigerator for at least 4 hours up to 12 hours.

• One teaspoon garlic powder
• One teaspoon smoked paprika
• One tablespoon brown sugar
• Two tablespoons salt
• One teaspoon coriander
• One tablespoon Aleppo Pepper powder

Seasoned chicken quarters sitting on grill grates

Once you take the chicken out of the fridge it’s time to salt the chicken. Rub kosher salt into the birds before you throw them on the grill.

Should you remove the skin before grilling?

No, you should not remove the skin from chicken leg quarters before you grill. However, you do need to trim the chicken before grilling. A big piece of fatty skin that hasn’t crisped up is one of the big reasons why people don’t like quarters. Trimming will get rid of the extra fat which is people find unpleasant.

Take a sharp knife and place the chicken on a cutting board and trim some of the fatty skin that is hanging between the leg and thigh. Too much skin will cause grill flare ups and most likely will not crisp up properly.

How to grill Chicken leg quarters

• Make sure your grill grates are clean. 
• Bring your gas grill up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Place the chicken quarters over direct low heat. Leave the other burners on medium high to maintain 375 degrees Fahrenheit when the grill cover is closed.
• Grill for 10 minutes then rotate 15 degrees and grill for another 5.
• Flip chicken and grill for another 5.

Chicken Legs Quarters on a plate

How long to grill Chicken Leg Quarters?

According to the U.S Department of Agriculture the internal temp of chicken quarters should be brought up to 165 degrees. I prefer bringing the internal temperature of bone in chicken leg quarters up to 175 degrees to be certain all part of the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Why grill chicken legs a little longer than the recommended temp? That extra grill time will help ensure the chicken is completely up to temp. Another turn off of folks, is getting a little red in the chicken. Can’t blame them. Make sure chicken is cooked thru.

To achieve that internal temperature of 175 degrees Fahrenheit plan on grilling the chicken at 375 degrees F on in direct heat for 55 minutes.

Tips for a Successful Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters

• Start with a clean grill. No one wants dirty chicken.
• Do not put frozen chicken straight on the grill. Frozen Chicken will not grill evenly and produce a consistent internal temperature.
• Do not marinade the chicken with a sugar based marinade. This may cause excessive flare ups and burn your chicken. Sear Marks are good, burnt is bad.
• Watch for flare ups. Don’t wander too far away from the grill. If you see your grill temp rising quickly you might have flare ups which mean burnt chicken. Sear Marks on chicken is great but char is bad!

Plated Grilled Chicken Legs Quarters

There you have it! A great inexpensive chicken dinner that is simple and a juicy treat. If you like this grilled chicken legs quarters recipe, check out these other grilling recipes from Sear Marks!

Chicken Breast with Apple Cider Pepper Sauce

Stuffed Half Chicken with roasted cocktail tomatoes

Print Recipe

Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters

By Drew – Serves: 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 55 minutes

Grilled Chicken leg quarters are an inexpensive under used cut of chicken for the grill. It's a great weeknight meal as well as tailgate staple.

Ingredients

• Four Chicken Leg Quarters
• Three tablespoons olive oil
• One teaspoon garlic powder
• One teaspoon smoked paprika
• One tablespoon brown sugar
• Two tablespoons salt
• One teaspoon coriander
• One tablespoon Aleppo Pepper powder

Instructions

1

Mix all spices together except the salt

2

Trim the extra fat off the chicken that is between the leg and the thigh.

3

Rub olive oil onto the chicken then rub the seasoning mix into the chicken legs.

4

Make sure your grill grates are clean. 

5

Bring your gas grill up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

6

Place the chicken quarters over direct low heat. Leave the other burners on medium low to maintain 375 degrees Fahrenheit when the grill cover is closed.

7

Grill for 15 minutes with the grill lid down then rotate 15 degrees and grill for another 15 minutes.

8

Flip chicken and grill with the grill lid down for 5 minutes with the skin down.

9

Flip the chicken back and grill until you reach 175 degrees Fahrenheit.

10

Remove from grill and let sit for 10 minutes then serve.