Love chicken? Then you have got to try these smoked chicken legs. Smoked to succulent, juicy perfection using an electric smoker and my homemade dry rub. It's so delicious and a recipe that is easy to follow!
If you have been following my website from the beginning then you guys will know that I love a combination of meatless and meaty recipes.
I've always wanted to smoke my own dishes instead of depending on invites from family and friends to attend their outdoor barbeques.
The thing is, living in England the weather is more wet and cold then it is sunny and dry. As a result, when warm weather or even summer arrives, it is precious so you have to grab it with both hands.
Recipe inspiration
Last Christmas I was gifted an electric smoker which I have been experimenting with a few recipes away from the website.
I wanted to be the guinea for you guys, to make sure I got it right before show casing it.
Based on feedback, you guys seem to enjoy my chicken recipes, so these one smoked chicken legs should be a summer time hit, serve with it some a drink of your choice and relax.
I will forewarn you, that it does involve some prep work and you will need 1-2 days to get the chicken ready because of the brining process and leaving the chicken to infuse the dry rub (this is optional but recommended)
What is brining?
The process of brining, just like curing, it goes back a long way. It was originally used for food preservation, before the concept of a refrigerator even came into existence.
It involves placing meat (chicken, turkey, seafood, or pork) in a large volume of salty water for a length of time.
Coarse salt is a key requirement, with additional herbs/spices, brown sugar and sometimes vinegar is used too.
Some people like to heat the brine up first of all, so the salt and sugar are dissolved then leave it to completely cool down before adding the meat.
Why brine your meat?
There's a science to it, it's called osmosis, remember from your days in the science lab?
I also feel that brining and marinating have the same end goal which is to infuse prior to cooking (I will explain more further down).
The reason why brining is recommended is simply because by placing meat in salt water, this alters the meat proteins to allow the cells to retain even more moisture.
Let's put it this way, even before the meat is cooked it starts off with a higher liquid content.
Therefore, then the meat is cooking, because it started off with additional moisture thanks to the brining progress, it won't have as much of much of a loss.
Resulting in nice, tender, juicy and flavoursome chicken, makes sense right?
How to brine the chicken
- Place all of the ingredients listed to make the brine in a large saucepan.
- Bring the water to a gentle simmer on medium heat until the coconut sugar and sea salt dissolve (this will take several minutes).
- Turn off the stove and leave the brine until completely cold (very important).
- Once the brine is cold, add the chicken legs making sure the chicken is completely submerged.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse with cold water, pat dry, ready to season.
Smoking the chicken
- Mix together the seasoning for the chicken in a small bowl then set aside, put 3 tablespoons of seasoning away separately as you will be using this to form a glaze.
- Preheat an electric smoker to 250f/120c.
- Add the wood chips (apple, hickory etc..) to the smoker box/tray.
- Coat the chicken lightly with some oil then apply the dry rub (you may find it easier to lay the seasoning on a plate/bowl and press the chicken, both sides so the seasoning sticks) , make an incision to the skin of each piece of chicken leg so you can access underneath the skin to apply some of the rub.
- Place the chicken legs inside the smoker and smoke for 2-2½ hours or until the thicker part of the chicken is 165f/75c. (you may need to replenish the wood chips during the cooking time so keep an eye on things).
- Once the chicken done, mix together the reserved 3tbsp of seasoning with melted butter to form a glaze and coat the chicken then continue to smoke for another 10-15 minutes.
Notes and tips
- Coat the chicken towards the end of the smoking period, helps to yield more moisture. This is an optional but recommended step.
- When making the seasoning, do a taste test before using it, you may want to adjust some of the herbs/spices to suit, start with ½ tbsp of salt and add more if needed.
- It's okay to add what herbs or additional spices you want to add to the brine.
- It's best to use coarse salt i.e. coarse sea salt, pink salt and so fourth.
- Make sure the chicken is cooked through, if it is your first time smoking chicken then use a thermometer to ensure its readiness.
- From a health and safety perspective, make sure the brine is completely cool before dipping the chicken into it.
- If you want to use lean cuts of meat instead i.e. breasts, go ahead and adjust accordingly.
- Use what wood chips you prefer, I used Applewood.
- Any leftover chicken can be frozen or carried over as leftovers (keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days) for meal prep.
More chicken recipes to try
- Brown Stew Chicken
- Jamaican Coconut Curry Chicken
- Tamarind Chicken
- Jamaican Curry Chicken
- Trinidad Stew Chicken
- Cuban Mojo Chicken
- Nutmeg Chicken (Grenadian inspired)
**Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**
Smoked Chicken Legs
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken leg quarters cleaned/washed
To make the brine
- 8 cups water (1.8 litres)
- ½ cup coarse sea salt (146g)
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar (54g) or organic raw cane sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 sprigs thyme
- 1 tbsp whole peppercorns (15g)
- 1 tsp chilli flakes (5g)
Seasoning to smoke the chicken
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika (30g)
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar (146g) or organic raw cane sugar
- 3 tsp onion powder (15g)
- 3 tsp garlic powder (15g)
- 3 tsp thyme (15g) dried
- 3 tsp oregano (15g)
- 3 tsp parsley (15g)
- 3 tsp black pepper (15g)
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper (10g) or to taste
- ½ - 1 tbsp pink salt (15g) or to taste
The glaze
- 3 tbsp of the leftover seasoning (44g) (see ingredients above)
- ¼ cup dairy free butter (54g) melted
Instructions
To make the brine
- Place all of the ingredients listed to make the brine in a large saucepan.
- Bring the water to a gentle simmer on medium heat until the coconut sugar and sea salt dissolve (this will take several minutes).
- Turn off the stove and leave the brine until completely cold (very important).
- Once the brine is cold, add the chicken legs making sure the chicken is completely submerged.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse with cold water, pat dry, ready to season.
To smoke the chicken legs
- Mix together the seasoning for the chicken in a small bowl then set aside, put 3 tablespoons of seasoning away separately as you will be using this to form a glaze.
- Preheat an electric smoker to 250f/120c.
- Add the wood chips (apple, hickory etc..) to the smoker box/tray.
- Coat the chicken lightly with some oil then apply the dry rub (you may find it easier to lay the seasoning on a plate/bowl and press the chicken, both sides so the seasoning sticks) , make an incision to the skin of each piece of chicken leg so you can access underneath the skin to apply some of the rub.
- Place the chicken legs inside the smoker and smoke for 2-2½ hours or until the thicker part of the chicken is 165f/75c. (you may need to replenish the wood chips during the cooking time so keep an eye on things).
- Once the chicken done, mix together the reserved 3tbsp of seasoning with melted butter to form a glaze and coat the chicken then continue to smoke for another 10-15 minutes.
- Serve accordingly.
Notes
- Coat the chicken towards the end of the smoking period, helps to yield more moisture. This is an optional but recommended step.
- When making the seasoning, do a taste test before using it, you may want to adjust some of the herbs/spices to suit, start with ½ tbsp of salt and add more if needed.
- It's okay to add what herbs or additional spices you want to add to the brine.
- It's best to use coarse salt i.e. coarse sea salt, pink salt and so fourth.
- Make sure the chicken is cooked through, if it is your first time smoking chicken then use a thermometer to ensure its readiness.
- From a health and safety perspective, make sure the brine is completely cool before dipping the chicken into it.
- If you want to use lean cuts of meat instead i.e. breasts, go ahead and adjust accordingly.
- Use what wood chips you prefer, I used Applewood.
- Any leftover chicken can be frozen or carried over as leftovers (keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days) for meal prep.
Thanks for the tips on coating! I will try this for our next family dinner.
You are welcome and enjoy!
That dry rub sounds fantastic! Going to have to share this recipe with my dad. He loves using his smoker. 🙂
Thanks Carrie. I'm sure your dad will enjoy it!
This looks great. We have a smoker but don't use it nearly enough! Time to dig it out and have a go.
Thanks Helen. Do give it a try!
Gave my brother an electric smoker for his birthday and I am looking for interesting recipes to give him also. Think he will appreciate this one. Thanks
You are welcome
I gave my brother an electric smoker for his birthday and I am collecting recipes to give him also. Think he will appreciate this one. Thanks!
The smoked chicken turned out perfectly! It was so delicious. I paired it with Jasmine rice and a garden salad. I'm adding this recipe to our monthly meal plan.
Glad you enjoyed it Denay