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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.

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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

Rub

  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Glaze

  • 1 cup barbecue sauce

Cook to 165°F inside (check with a thermometer).

Steps

  1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and rub it with the oil.
  2. Stir the rub ingredients together and sprinkle them all over the chicken.
  3. 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.
  4. Close the lid and heat until the grill reads about 375°F. Scrub the grates clean and oil them.
  5. Set the chicken skin side up on the cool side, away from the flames. Close the lid and cook.
  6. Turn the pieces, close the lid and cook until the chicken reads 155°F (68°C) in the thickest part.
  7. Brush the chicken all over with barbecue sauce and move it to the hot side of the grill.
  8. 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.
  9. Move the chicken to a clean platter and serve with any leftover sauce that didn't touch raw chicken.

Tip: Pour some sauce into a separate bowl for brushing so the rest of the bottle never touches the raw-chicken brush.

Tip: Thighs and drumsticks are juiciest at 175°F to 185°F, which also makes the meat pull cleanly off the bone.

Tip: Bake instead: roast at 400°F on a rack for 35 minutes, brush with sauce and roast 10 minutes more until 165°F.

Tip: Gluten-free if your barbecue sauce is.

Tip: 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).

Estimated nutrition per serving: 700 calories · protein 40 g · carbohydrates 35 g · fiber 1 g · sugars 27 g · fat 44 g (saturated 11 g) · sodium 1,800 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 9 of 9 ingredients.