Smoked Chicken Leg Quarters

With this easy-to-follow smoked chicken leg quarters for the pellet grill, you serve them perfectly tasting over and over again.

I have used this recipe on chicken leg quarters and also on chicken thighs and they both came out perfect.

The mistake you should try to avoid is smoking the chicken with the skin side up. This way you will end up with soggy skin.

By smoking the chicken quarter with the skin down all the fat and seasoning will penetrate and the end result will be a taste full piece of chicken with a crispy skin.

Chicken Leg Quarter Seasoning.

The seasoning I use for smoked chicken quarters on the pellet grill is very simple yet tastes great.

• 1 Cup Olive oil
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 1 tbsp lemon pepper
• 1 tbsp onion
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp sea salt

The next step is to mix all the ingredients in the olive oil. I usually let this sit for about 10 minutes to give the flavors to get into the mixture.

Now rub the chicken leg quarters with the olive oil – seasoning mixture and don’t forget to rub it under the skin as much as you can to add even more flavor.

After this, I like to let them sit for at least one hour, and if I have time, I prefer to leave them overnight in the refrigerator.

Skin Up Or Skin Down

This is an ongoing discussion and here I add my personal opinion.

I cook chicken leg quarters on the pellet grill with the skin down. My reasoning and experience are that the fat that will be rendered will ensure that the skin will be crispy. In my experience, the skin gets soggy when you cook with the skin up.

Wood Pellet Flavor For Chicken

As you can read in my wood pellet flavor guide I prefer to use Cherry because of the subtle flavor. If you like a stronger one I suggest Hickory. If you like something sweeter you can use Apple, Peach, or even Maple.

Internal Temperature For Smoke Chicken Leg Quarters

There are guidelines for internal temperatures and the doneness temperature for chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Just realize that sometimes the temperature closer to a bone is lower. That is why I advise using a handheld thermometer and checking multiple parts of the chicken quarter’s temperature.

Smoked Chicken Leg Quarters On A Pellet Grill – My Opinion

I think that most people like to eat pellet smoked chicken leg quarters because of the combination of white and brown meat in them.

This first of all add more flavor and also prevents them from drying out on the smoker.

Chicken leg quarters are in many cases very affordable and regularly on sale in my local supermarket. This makes them the perfect chicken meat to have in the freezer and buy in bulk.

It is also one of the easy pellet grill recipes you can have.

Smoking gives a lot of extra flavor compared to grilling or baking in the oven. It also keeps the heat out of your house in the hot summer months and can be part of a backyard BBQ party.

Although some people search specific brand names such as Traeger. Pit Boss or others. This recipe can be used on any pellet grill brand.

Did you know that you can use baking soda to make these smoked chicken quarters even more tender than they are already? You can read all about it on this page.

Robert Chill

Robert Chill loves to cook on pellet grills and uses all types of recipes and techniques to cook some awesome food. With his experience, he is able to share many reviews, tips, and ideas on how to buy a pellet grill. You can read more about him here