Smoked Chicken Drumsticks

Smoked chicken legs on Traeger with BBQ sauce are great. Left whole or butterflied chicken legs are a healthy dinner and easy to eat with a smoky flavor. A protein packed low fat healthy meal that can be paired with just about any side dish.

My girls love chicken legs for dinner. I love how inexpensive they are, low in fat and packed with protein too. You don’t need a sauce but adding barbecue or teriyaki sauce to the top makes them extra yummy. Just one easy smoker recipe on our site. (affiliate links present)

Smoked Chicken Legs Recipe

Here we are sharing whole drumsticks and the timing for them. If you want altered versions like lollipop chicken drumsticks there would only be a few minutes difference. Possibly the same if they are large or you enjoy a deeper smoke or browning on the outside. These are fun for kiddos because the shape is a bit different.

Legs and drumsticks are the same thing, you may call them one more than the other. There is quite a big difference in the size you might find. We always buy organic poultry for the health benefits and they are always of small to medium sizes. I always suggest no bigger than medium or the timing will be much longer and the texture isn’t great.

Depending on how large your grill is you could make quite a few at a time. It really doesn’t matter how many you make as long as the heat is even and they aren’t overlapping on the grate. You want the smoke flavor to really soak into each piece the whole time.

Ingredients

• 8-10 chicken legs defrosted
• 1 tsp salt and pepper are basic seasonings but you can add your favorites
• 1 c barbecue sauce is optional but a must for us

You can make the best chicken leg recipes like this with your favorite sauce really, or just enjoy as is right when they are done. You can wait until they are done to sauce or brush some on during the last 30 minutes or so so it kinda’ bakes on and gets thicker. I share two methods below, low and slow vs. quick. Lower temperatures are always best.

How to Smoke Chicken Drumsticks

• Salt and pepper chicken legs as well as any other seasonings to coat that you wish.
• Fill smoker with pellets and set to proper temperature.
• Place chicken legs on smoker and close the lid, do not lift the entire time for the best results so meat can soak in the flavors of the wood chips or pellets.
• Spread BBQ sauce on closer to the end just to add flavor. It will caramelize a bit with your juicy meat which is great.
• Remove when internal temperature reaches 165° using a digital thermometer. Test removed from the heat source placed into the thickest portion near the end.
  • Quick Smoke: Set temperature to 350°. Place on smoker.◦ Spread BBQ Sauce on, flip and rub on other side.◦ Smoke for 30 minutes.

How Long to Smoke Chicken Legs at 250

I would leave 2 hours aside to get this done ideally. You can do it a bit faster if you increase from 250 to 350 degrees but honestly when it comes to Traeger recipes it is best to take your time. Up to you but that is my 2 cents and we have been doing this a really long time so that should count for something. 😉

This is how to cook smoked chicken leg quarters too. Since they are larger with the thigh attached of course you will need to increase the timing. Closer to 3 hours vs. 2 at the lower temp. would be more accurate but still an amazing meal.

Should you smoke drumsticks wet or dry?

When smoking drumsticks, both wet and dry methods can be effective, and the choice depends on your preference, we like our dry rub for chicken wings. We already talked about different sauces too but I add that near the end. You could make your own blend with brown sugar, ketchup, smoked paprika, etc….or just use bottled! You can make it spicy with red pepper flakes or leave mild. A sweet and savory choice.

For the latter you will want to make sure that you dry the outside with paper towels well. Then rub with olive oil and roll into your rub allowing the excess to fall off. You can come up with your own blend, use ours, or buy a bottled bbq rub online. Any of these will create a killer flavor but you won’t get super crispy skin when smoked.

FAQ

Once you fall in love with these you might want another idea in regards to dark meat. We have also made smoked chicken thighs that were marinated first and out of this world. My family typically just peels the skin back so we don’t care about crisping, rather we want as tender as possible.

If y’all are the same I would leave the skin on for cooking, and keeping moist, use lower temps for longer and enjoy the tenderest meat you’ll ever try.

What to do with leftovers

If you don’t finish all the meat save it in the fridge once it has cooled. There are tons of great Leftover Smoked Chicken Recipes to make the next day with it. Give it a whirl and let us know if you add a sauce we hadn’t thought of that we might enjoy. 😉