Smoked chicken legs are one of the easiest and most flavorful meats to smoke—and they’re packed with rich, juicy flavor in every bite. These legs and quarters come out moist, tender, and loaded with smoky goodness. Plus, smoked chicken quarters are incredibly versatile—you can enjoy them as-is, shred them into sandwiches, or toss them in salads or tacos. However you serve them, they’re always a hit!
If you’ve never tried making smoked chicken quarters before, now’s the time! This cut includes both the thigh and drumstick, which means you get a generous serving of flavorful dark meat. These pieces stay wonderfully juicy on the smoker thanks to the higher fat content, and they take on that deep, earthy smoke flavor beautifully.
Using the reverse sear method or bumping up the heat at the end gives you that crave-worthy finish without drying the meat out. Whether you’re smoking with hickory, mesquite, or applewood, smoked chicken leg quarters deliver that perfect balance of savory, smoky, and succulent.
Best of all, this method is low-effort and beginner-friendly. With a basic dry rub and some time on the smoker, even a simple chicken legs recipe turns into something unforgettable!
Content Covered Here
Why We Love This Smoked Chicken Leg Quarters
- An economical meal!
Using chicken quarters is a great way to save money, especially with the cost of meat lately. - Kids love them.
The drumstick part of the quarters are very tender and juicy, and fun for kids to hold. - They’re large cuts that are easy to serve and eat.
The final presentation is so appetizing!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken leg quarters: They are sometimes labeled as a “thigh-drumstick piece.” It’s a budget-friendly cut of dark meat, with plenty of nutrients!
- Olive oil: A thick oil like olive oil helps to keep the meat moist and keeps the seasonings on the surface. Avocado and canola oil are two other good options. Flavor-infused olive oils are also perfect for this use!
- Dried poultry seasoning: Don’t hesitate to use any of your preferred rubs, blends, or mix seasonings, like a lemon pepper seasoning or zesty homemade taco seasoning for chicken! You can also use spice blends with onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and other spice rub you like.
- Smoked paprika: This spice is made from chile peppers, so it really enhances the smoky flavor in the dish. Chili powder or cayenne pepper are the two best alternatives.
Recipe Variations
- Try smoking chicken legs with a basic salt and pepper rub to let the wood flavor shine—or go bold with your favorite spice blend.
- For that satisfying bite, finish with a high-heat sear or broil to achieve crispy skin without drying out the meat.
- Use this smoked chicken legs recipe as a base for other meals—add it to pasta, wraps, or grain bowls.
- Coat the legs in a dry rub with brown sugar, smoked paprika, and garlic powder for a sweet-and-smoky profile that caramelizes as it cooks.
- Swap drumsticks or thighs if you prefer more uniform sizes—smoked chicken drumsticks are great for parties and finger foods!
- Use a pellet smoker for even temperature and hassle-free smoking—great for beginners or set-it-and-forget-it cooking.
- Brush on your favorite barbecue sauce during the last few minutes of cooking for a saucy finish with a slight glaze.
- Try hickory wood for a bold, classic smoke flavor or mix it with a fruitwood for a milder touch.
- Always season generously with kosher salt to enhance flavor and help the skin crisp up during the cook.
- To retain moisture, avoid opening the smoker too often. Keep that lid closed and let the smoke do the work!
What Are Chicken Quarters?
This term is used to describe the whole leg of the bird. This consists of a portion of the back, the thigh, and the drumstick.
They consist of entirely dark meat and connective tissue. As a result, we’re working with a little more fat that releases an abundance of flavor when slowly smoked.
If you like to use different cuts of meat like chicken breast, chicken wings or thighs, the cooking temperature and time should be altered. Or you might want to check our smoked chicken thighs on a Traeger recipe.
Equipment Used in this Recipe
- Rimmed sheet pan
- Small mixing bowl
- Apple wood pellets – or mesquite, or fruit wood pellets of choice
- Smoker – OR
- Grill – with smoke tube
- Smoke tube
- Digital cooking thermometer – for monitoring internal temperature of food
- Infrared thermometer – for monitoring grill/smoker temperature
How to Make Smoked Chicken Quarters
- Use a combination of direct and indirect heat for the best results.
When grilling the chicken, using a combination of these two types of heat gives you an incredibly juicy and perfectly cooked chicken.
Start the cooking process over direct heat to get a nice sear, and then finish with indirect heat for the final portion of cooking time to finish cooking all the way through without burning the outside and drying out the middle. You can use pellet smokers or electric smokers.
Learn to make this homemade bbq sauce easy no-cook for your next cookout!
- Use an internal wired or wireless thermometer.
Every time you open the door to the grill or smoker to check the temperature, you’re releasing that hard-found heat and smoke. Doing this over and over again makes cooking take longer!
That’s why we recommend using an internal wired or wireless thermometer or digital meat thermometer that can give you constant readings of the internal temperature of the meat.
Not only that, but many of these also give you the ambient temperature of the grill itself so you know when you need to adjust!
- Finish cooking in the oven if necessary.
The smoked chicken leg quarters finish cooking on high heat, to crisp up the skin.
If you’re using a traditional smoker instead of a Traeger or other grill, you’ll need to use an oven for this step.
Take the pieces out of the smoker after about an hour of smoking. or when the internal temperature at the thickened portion of the thigh reaches 150ºF. Transfer them to an oven or grill heated to 350ºF to continue.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
For extra flavor and juiciness, dry brine your smoked chicken legs a few hours (or overnight) before smoking. Just season them with salt and let them rest uncovered in the fridge—this helps the skin dry out for better crisping while locking in all that tasty moisture during the cook!
Serving Suggestions
Calico beans with bacon is a unique side dish, smoky beef and bacon recipe that matches all of the flavors we use in smoking chicken quarters. If you really want to stick to that BBQ theme, this is the side to choose! You can also grill some corn cob to pair with this.
With such a rich, meaty spread, something that’s refreshing and light is needed — crunchy cabbage and cucumber slaw or pressure cook broccoli is perfect!
But we’ll rarely put on a barbecue without serving up some mac and cheese! And if we’re already smoking chicken leg quarters, then why not easy smoked mac and cheese too? It’s a really tasty take on an everyday recipe!
Recipe FAQs
When smoking chicken leg quarter pieces, the smoker should be preheated to 225ºF. After an hour of cooking, increase the heat to 350ºF. Using both temperatures, it takes roughly 1 hour and 45 minutes to bring the meat to a safe internal temperature of 165°F.
We use apple or mesquite wood chips for smoking chicken on a pellet grill.
While fruit woods like cherry, maple, and apple lend a sweet flavor, mesquite lends a stronger, earthier lighter smoke flavor. Either tastes fabulous with dark thigh and leg meat.
To find the internal temperature, insert the thermometer at the thickest portion of the leg while avoiding the bone. This is usually somewhere in the thigh.
Leftover chicken quarters can be refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
To reheat, place on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 350ºF until warmed through — between 15 and 20 minutes.
If desired, you can reheat in a baking dish with a bit of liquid (such as broth or stock) to help prevent it from drying out. In this case, give it a final 5-minute broil to help the skin crisp up.
More Meaty Recipes To Love…
If you tried this smoked chicken quarters recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Smoked Chicken Legs
Equipment
- rimmed sheet pan
- small mixing bowl
- apple wood pellets - or mesquite, or fruit wood pellets of choice
- smoker - OR
- grill - with smoke tube
- smoke tube
- digital cooking thermometer - for monitoring internal temperature of food
- Infrared thermometer - for monitoring grill/smoker temperature
Ingredients
- 6 chicken leg quarters
- 3 tablespoons olive oil avocado, canola oil, and flavor-infused olive oil are other good options
- 2 tablespoons dried poultry seasoning
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika chili powder or cayenne pepper are the two best alternatives
Instructions
- Arrange chicken quarters in a single layer on a shallow platter or rimmed sheet pan. Brush or rub each piece with olive oil.
- To a small bowl, add poultry seasoning and paprika, then stir with a spoon to combine. Sprinkle seasoning evenly over each piece of chicken. Cover the platter/pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- When you’re ready to cook, preheat smoker or grill to 225ºF. If using an internal temperature probe, insert it into the thickest part of a chicken leg, avoiding the bone.
- Smoke for 1 hour, turning pieces over after 30 minutes. Cook until internal temperature reaches 150ºF.
- *If using a stand-alone smoker, transfer smoked chicken quarters to a 350°F. grill or oven to finish cooking and crisp the skin.Increase grill temperature (or preheat oven) to 350ºF.
- Move chicken pieces from lower rack of grill to top rack of grill. Alternatively, turn off burners on one side and place the chicken there, so it cooks over indirect heat. Cook until the internal temperature at the thickest portion of a leg reaches 165ºF, about 30-45 minutes. **Be sure the probe of the thermometer isn't touching a bone.
- Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- What is the smoker’s temperature for smoking seasoned chicken quarters? When smoking chicken leg quarter pieces, the smoker should be preheated to 225ºF. After an hour of cooking, increase the heat to 350ºF. Using both temperatures, it takes roughly 1 hour and 45 minutes to bring the meat to a safe internal temperature of 165°F.
- What is the best wood flavor or type of wood chips for smoking white meat?
We use apple or mesquite wood chips for smoking chicken on a pellet grill.
While fruit woods like cherry, maple, and apple lend a sweet flavor, mesquite lends a stronger, earthier lighter smoke flavor. Either tastes fabulous with dark thigh and leg meat. - Where do you put the meat thermometer in a chicken leg quarter? To find the internal temperature, insert the thermometer at the thickest portion of the leg while avoiding the bone. This is usually somewhere in the thigh.
- Can I store leftovers?
Leftover chicken quarters can be refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
To reheat, place on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 350ºF until warmed through — between 15 and 20 minutes.
If desired, you can reheat in a baking dish with a bit of liquid (such as broth or stock) to help prevent it from drying out. In this case, give it a final 5-minute broil to help the skin crisp up.
- Try smoking chicken legs with a basic salt and pepper rub to let the wood flavor shine—or go bold with your favorite spice blend.
- For that satisfying bite, finish with a high-heat sear or broil to achieve crispy skin without drying out the meat.
- Use this smoked chicken legs recipe as a base for other meals—add it to pasta, wraps, or grain bowls.
- Coat the legs in a dry rub with brown sugar, smoked paprika, and garlic powder for a sweet-and-smoky profile that caramelizes as it cooks.
- Swap drumsticks or thighs if you prefer more uniform sizes—smoked chicken drumsticks are great for parties and finger foods!
- Use a pellet smoker for even temperature and hassle-free smoking—great for beginners or set-it-and-forget-it cooking.
- Brush on your favorite barbecue sauce during the last few minutes of cooking for a saucy finish with a slight glaze.
- Try hickory wood for a bold, classic smoke flavor or mix it with a fruitwood for a milder touch.
- Always season generously with kosher salt to enhance flavor and help the skin crisp up during the cook.
- To retain moisture, avoid opening the smoker too often. Keep that lid closed and let the smoke do the work!
- For extra flavor and juiciness, dry brine your smoked chicken legs a few hours (or overnight) before smoking. Just season them with salt and let them rest uncovered in the fridge—this helps the skin dry out for better crisping while locking in all that tasty moisture during the cook!
- Leftover smoked chicken quarters can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- To reheat, place on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 350ºF until warmed through — between 15 and 20 minutes.
- If desired, you can reheat in a baking dish with a bit of liquid (such as broth or stock) to help prevent it from drying out. In this case, give it a final 5-minute broil to help the skin crisp up.
Nutrition
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email below, and we'll send the recipe straight to your inbox.
Previous
Saif says
I love the presentation of the smoked chicken quarters. It looks and taste delicious. The smoked paprika definitely makes it better.
Jacqueline says
The paprika really does make all the difference