Barbecue Chicken · Grilled
Grilled Barbecue Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks
Bone-in chicken cooked gently over indirect heat so it's juicy all the way through, then glazed and charred over the flames at the end so the sauce never burns.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 1 hr 5 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Medium
Ingredients
- Chicken
- 3 lb bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks, skin-on, a mix is fine
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Swaps for vegetable oil
Instead of vegetable oil
- Another neutral oil: The same amount. No difference.
- Melted butter: The same amount. Richer, buttery flavor; cakes are a little less moist and firmer once cool.
- Light olive oil: The same amount. "Light" olive oil tastes mild.
- Rub
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Swaps for brown sugar
Instead of brown sugar
- White sugar + molasses: 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp molasses (light) or 2 tbsp (dark). The same as store-bought.
- White sugar: The same amount. Crisper, paler cookies with less caramel flavor.
- Light and dark brown sugar: The same amount, either way. Dark brown sugar tastes stronger and makes bakes a bit darker and moister.
- 2 tsp kosher salt
Swaps for kosher salt
Instead of salt
- Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
- Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
Swaps for smoked paprika
Instead of paprika
- Sweet paprika + a pinch of chipotle or cumin: The same amount of paprika, plus a pinch. Some smokiness without the full smoked flavor; chipotle adds heat.
- Chipotle powder: About ¼ the amount. Smoky and much hotter.
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Swaps for garlic powder
Instead of garlic
- Fresh garlic: 1 clove for each ⅛ tsp powder, minced fine. Sharper and stronger.
- Granulated garlic: About twice as much as the powder. The same flavor in coarser grains, which blend better into rubs.
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Glaze
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.
Cook to 165°F inside (check with a thermometer).
Steps
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and rub it with the oil.
- Stir the rub ingredients together and sprinkle them all over the chicken.
- Set up the grill for two zones: on a gas grill, turn half the burners to medium-high and leave the rest off. On a charcoal grill, pile the hot coals on one side.
- Close the lid and heat until the grill reads about 375°F. Scrub the grates clean and oil them.375°F⏱ Heat grill: 10 min
- Set the chicken skin side up on the cool side, away from the flames. Close the lid and cook.⏱ Indirect cook: 20 min
- Turn the pieces, close the lid and cook until the chicken reads 155°F (68°C) in the thickest part.⏱ Indirect cook: 15 min
- Brush the chicken all over with barbecue sauce and move it to the hot side of the grill.
- Grill, turning and brushing with more sauce every couple of minutes, until the sauce is sticky and charred in spots and the chicken reads 165°F (74°C) near the bone.165°F⏱ Glaze: 6 min
- Move the chicken to a clean platter and serve with any leftover sauce that didn't touch raw chicken.
Tips
- Pour some sauce into a separate bowl for brushing so the rest of the bottle never touches the raw-chicken brush.
- Thighs and drumsticks are juiciest at 175°F to 185°F, which also makes the meat pull cleanly off the bone.
- Bake instead: roast at 400°F on a rack for 35 minutes, brush with sauce and roast 10 minutes more until 165°F.
- Gluten-free if your barbecue sauce is.
- Use a separate cutting board for raw poultry, and wash hands, boards and knives in hot soapy water after handling it. Don't rinse raw chicken; it only spreads germs around the sink.
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours, up to 3 days. Reheat until hot all the way through (165°F).
How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage.
Quick answers
- What can I swap?
- Instead of vegetable oil: Another neutral oil, the same amount.
- Instead of brown sugar: White sugar + molasses.
Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 700 2,930 kJ
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbohydrates
- 35 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugars
- 27 g
- Fat
- 44 g
- Saturated fat
- 11 g
- Sodium
- 1,800 mg
Whole recipe, 4 servings: about 2,800 calories.
Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 9 of 9 ingredients.
How we estimate
We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 4 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.
Estimated cost
About $1.65 a serving
About $6.65 for the recipe as written (4 servings).
Estimate; prices vary by store and region. U.S. average prices for September 2026 from BLS Average Price Data and USDA ERS Purchase to Plate prices updated with the BLS Consumer Price Index. Priced: 4 of 9 ingredients, 98% by weight.
How we estimate
Each measured ingredient is weighed as in the nutrition estimate and priced at the U.S. average: BLS's average price where BLS publishes one, else USDA ERS's Purchase to Plate price for 2017-18 raised to September 2026 with the CPI for that food group. Whole packages, store brands, sales and regions all change the real cost: treat it as a ballpark.
- bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks $5.20 BLS
- barbecue sauce $1.30 ERS
- vegetable oil $0.10 ERS
- brown sugar $0.05 ERS
Not priced (no official average price we can match, so not in the total): kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper.
More dishes for less: cheap eats.
Goes well with
Picked by our pairing rules: the same kind of kitchen, room in the oven and on the stove, ready in time, and a balance of starch, vegetables and richness.
- Side Extra-Crispy Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes 1 hr 10 min The oven and stove are free while the grill does the main. Ready in 1 hr 10 min, inside the main's 1 hr 5 min. Brings the starch the barbecue chicken doesn't have.
- Side Boiled Corn on the Cob with Herb Butter 25 min Both American. The oven and stove are free while the grill does the main. Ready in 25 min, inside the main's 1 hr 5 min.
- Dessert Cinnamon Apple Galette 3 hr 5 min Light and fruity after a rich main. Make it ahead, so it's ready when dinner is.
Keep this one
Sign in to save recipes into your own collections, log the days you cook them and keep private notes, like "use less sugar next time". Only you see them.
Sign in to saveNo password: we email you a code.
Gear for this recipe
-
See price on Amazon: Charcoal or gas grill (opens Amazon)
Charcoal or gas grill
A lidded grill with two heat zones cooks the chicken through without burning the sauce.
Suggested: Weber
-
See price on Amazon: Instant-read thermometer (opens Amazon)
Instant-read thermometer
Grill heat varies a lot; temperature is the only sure test.
Suggested: ThermoWorks
- See price on Amazon: Locking tongs (opens Amazon)
- See price on Amazon: Pastry brush (opens Amazon)
- See price on Amazon: Nesting mixing bowls (opens Amazon)
- See price on Amazon: Measuring cups and spoons (opens Amazon)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Brands are suggestions; any similar item works.
Cleanup score 4/5 (easy cleanup): 2 things to wash, grill grates, mixing bowl.
Reviews (0)
No reviews yet. Made it? Tell us how it went.
simmerbee.com/r/barbecue-chicken-grilledSimmerbee