Butterflied Chicken Legs
Butterflied Chicken Legs are the way to go for grilling chicken legs. Split the meat for a quicker cooking time and more surface area for the dry rub and bbq sauce. It’s a win-win.
Honey Garlic Smoked Fried Drumsticks have been our go-to recipe for chicken legs but these BBQ Chicken drumsticks are in the running for our new favorite.
Smoky drumsticks coated in our sweet and tangy bbq sauce makes a great dinner for any night of the week. Serve these BBQ Butterflied Chicken Legs up with Southern Potato Salad and Grilled Creamed Corn for a family favorite dinner.
Ingredients Needed For Butterflied Chicken Legs
- Chicken Legs ~ Drumsticks
- Olive Oil
- Sweet Garlic and Onion Rub
- Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce
Step By Step Directions
STEP 1 Remove chicken from the packaging and pat dry with paper towels.
STEP 2 Butterfly the Drumsticks: Using a sharp knife, make a cut down the length of the chicken leg against the bone, cutting through the tendons.
Pull the meat away from the bone, flattening it out.
STEP 3 Spray both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with rub.
STEP 4 Prepare a grill fire to 350° using hickory or pecan for smoke flavor.
STEP 5 Grill chicken over indirect fire with the grill closed about 8 – 10 minutes.
STEP 6 Flip the chicken and baste with bbq sauce. Continue to cook another 5 minutes with the grill closed.
STEP 7 Flip the chicken again, basting with BBQ sauce in a thick layer.
Continue to cook another 5 – 10 minutes until chicken reaches 175- 180° using a digital meat thermometer.
STEP 8 Remove from grill and serve immediately.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover bbq drumsticks wrapped in plastic wrap or in a zip top bag in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Reheat on a lined baking pan in a 350° oven for 10- 12 minutes or until heated through. Brush with additional sauce if desired.
More Grilled Chicken Recipes to Try
- Hot Honey Boneless Wings are made with chicken thighs and coated in a sweet and spicy honey sauce that will be the hit of any party or tailgating event.
- Grilled Half Chicken is an easy recipe where a whole chicken is split in half, brined and then coated with a simple dry rub for a flavorful chicken dinner that is satisfying and delicious.
- Coca- Cola Chicken is a favorite for busy weeknights. Tender and juicy chicken tenders with a delicious sauce made from with a classic Coke.
- We love this Chicken Brine for any whole chicken or chicken pieces. It makes the chicken extra juicy and adds delicious flavor.
Do you call these drumsticks or chicken legs? We’ve always called them chicken legs but it seems that the actual chicken leg refers to the drumstick and thigh all together. Either way, BBQ chicken is delicious.
We came across the idea to make butterflied chicken drumsticks on instagram where this idea seems to have really caught on. It’s a great method and we will definitely make these again.
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Butterflied Chicken Legs
Ingredients
- 8-9 chicken drumsticks
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Sweet Garlic and Onion Rub
- 1/ cup Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce
Instructions
- Prepare a grill fire to 350° using hickory or pecan for smoke flavor.
- Remove chicken from the packaging and pat dry with paper towels.
- Butterfly the Drumsticks: Using a sharp knife, make a cut down the length of the chicken leg against the bone, cutting through the tendons. Pull the meat away from the bone, flattening it out.
- Spray or brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic and onion rub.
- Grill chicken over indirect fire with the grill closed about 8 – 10 minutes.
- Flip the chicken again, basting with BBQ sauce in a thick layer. Continue to cook another 10- 15 minutes until chicken reaches 175- 180° using a digital meat thermometer.
- Remove from the grill and serve immediately.
