Melt-in-your-mouth Smoked Chicken Quarters are the best of every world. Speedy enough for dinner with the smoky flavor we crave and all the comfort of fried chicken without the frying. Plan ahead to have dinner on the table in an hour or less.
Let’s set the scene.
Cookouts with all the kids running through sprinklers. Adults indulge a little bit in while impatiently waiting while you finish smoking this chicken quarters recipe. Scrap the plate. Grab one by the end of the leg and sink your teeth right in to get a big bite of tender, juicy dark meat.
What are Chicken Quarters?
They are the backside quarter of the chicken that includes the thigh and the whole chicken legs connected together. These pieces tend to be on sale and a great buy for barbecues and cookouts as everyone gets a big piece to nosh on.
🍽️ Why This Works
Fast and Easy. With just sixty minutes in the smoker, this is a smoked meat you can serve for dinner on a weeknight without even blinking. You could even add the rub and place it in the refrigerator before work to save that time.
Tender and Moist. Dark meat leg quarters are one of the most tender and delicious cuts of meat found on a chicken. Paired with your favorite dry rub and a bit of butter and this chicken recipe is divine.
No Drying. Higher fat content of dark meat chicken keeps it from drying out in the smoker as it absorbs all of that smokiness. The higher temperature we use for smoking these also helps keep the meat from drying out while also ensuring crispy skin.
Perfect Portions. Each quarter includes a thigh, a wing, and part of the back, which it turns out is just about perfect if you plan to feed one per person. This is truly one of the handiest cuts of meat to serve at a big backyard BBQ event.
🐔 Ingredients
📝 Ingredient Notes
Chicken Leg Quarters – Pick up leg quarters at your local grocery store when they are on sale – they are perfect for feeding a crowd!
Butter – This is optional if you are dairy-free, but if you can have butter, you should use it in this recipe. It’s the perfect finishing touch.
Seasoning – We used Maui Wowee from Spiceology. Try playing around with different dry rubs; it’s a little addicting. If you have your favorite, by all means, use it!
⏲️ Equipment and Tools
Basting Brush | This handy tool is a must-have for anyone who loves smoking or grilling meat. Make sure to grab one with a long handle.
Smoker | Our favorite is the Big Green Egg, but any smoker you have will work.
Disposable Plastic Zipper Bag | Any brand will work.
Wood | Use the type of wood chips that you love or reference the Wood Smoking Cheat Sheet. We lean towards fruit woods that give off a lighter smoke with poultry. Mesquite and Hickory are very strong and robust woods.
🔥 Instructions
Step One: Place your chicken rub and chicken in a plastic zip bag such as Ziploc. Shake to coat the chicken thoroughly. Let them sit for thirty minutes while your smoker preheats to 300ºF.
Step Two: Remove the chicken from the bag. Tap off any excess rub.
Step Three: Place it in the smoker on indirect heat. You can do this in a gas grill as well if you use a smoking box and turn off the burners immediately under the chicken. If using a pellet smoker like Traeger, add the pellets to the chamber when preheating.
Step Four: When the chicken quarters are almost at temperature, place them over direct heat and sear each side for a few minutes, allowing the skin to crisp up.
Step Five: Use a basting brush to cover the chicken with melted butter to add a decadent taste. Use olive oil as a quick substitute. Add a nice barbecue sauce, if desired for extra flavor.
How Long to Smoke Chicken Leg Quarters
Smoking should take about sixty minutes or less at 300ºF. Cook the meat until the internal temperature is 165ºF. If you want, you can pull it a little bit early as long as you cover it in foil and make sure it goes up to 165ºF while it rests.
Although we highly suggest a high temp for crispy skin, going low and slow is a popular choice. To crisp up the skin at the end, fire up direct heat and cook for the final 5-10 minutes to make the skin a little crispy and crunchy.
How long to smoke chicken quarters at 225°F? About 100-120 minutes. Always gauge doneness by the internal temperature reaches 165°F degrees using a meat thermometer.
How long to smoke chicken quarters at 250°F? About 90 minutes. Always cook to internal temp reaches 165°F degrees using a meat thermometer.
❗ Recipe Tips and Tricks
Any chicken-friendly wood works wonderfully for making this smoked chicken leg quarters recipe. Try apple, pear, cherry, pecan, or maple wood. If you aren’t sure which wood is best for chicken, check out more comprehensive article on choosing the best woods for smoking.
Grill pineapple rings to serve with this chicken; it will be a great flavor complement!
Leaving the meat in the dry rub for at least thirty minutes prior to smoking gives the it time to absorb the flavor of the rub and also helps lock in moisture. This process is called dry brining.
Do not overcook the chicken. Anything hotter than an internal temperature of 165ºF may risk drying out the chicken.
🧑🍳 Leftover Storage and Reheating
Keep leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for one to two days and reheat in a skillet or microwave. Use caution when reheating with a microwave because the bone will get very hot compared to the chicken.
Reheat chicken quarters skin side up on the grill. Flip it for a few minutes at the end of the cooking time so that the skin crisps back up. No mess in the kitchen and crispy skin for the double win!
If you don’t plan to serve the leftover chicken in whole pieces, you can pull it off the bone, dice it up and save it for use in other recipes or even making it into a sandwich.
Make a quick chicken sandwich with the leftover meat by throwing it in the skillet, heating it through, adding provolone cheese, dressing it with BBQ sauce, and serving it on a bun. mmmm….now, I am hungry!
Meal Prep
Smoked dark-meat chicken is perfect for chicken chili! Pull and dice your leftovers and then store them in one-cup portions to use later in recipes. Place each one-cup portion in a freezer-quality plastic zipper bag.
Label each bag with the date, contents, and quantity. Then place all of those in a larger bag or a large plastic container. You can either refrigerate this meat for two days or freeze it for up to three months and use it later in chili, enchiladas, quesadillas, tacos, salads, or sandwiches.
Additions and Substitutions
You can make this same recipe with bone-in thighs, chicken halves, chicken breast quarters, or even chicken drumsticks. You will need to adjust the cooking time according to the type of meat you are smoking. So, definitely look for what is on sale at the grocery store and adapt it with this recipe. We grill leg quarters a lot through the summer as they go on sale often.
If you don’t have the very addicting Maui Wowee spice rub, you can make your own all-purpose rub or use your favorite mix.
If you love BBQ sauce, you can add your favorite sauce to this chicken and enjoy! One of our favorites is the Sweet Baby Ray’s sauces. Just baste it on with a basting brush every four or five minutes during the last fifteen minutes of smoking the meat.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these amazing smoked chicken quarter recipe with everything you love! You can serve grilled bourbon baked beans, smoked baked potatoes, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese, Smoked Mac and Cheese, Grilled Broccolini {15 Minutes}, or anything else you like.
If you enjoy dipping sauces, you can serve this chicken with ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, your favorite BBQ sauce, or a simple teriyaki.
Yummy Smoked Chicken Recipes
❓ Recipe FAQ
300ºF indirect heat is the best temperature for a quick smoke and crispy skin. While you can try the low and slow method at lower temperatures, your skin won’t crisp up, and the chicken will take up to three hours to smoke properly.
Yes. Although you can freeze them whole and thaw them in the refrigerator, it would be better to pull and dice the chicken before freezing it in air-tight containers. Reheated chicken must reach 165ºF and should only be reheated once.
No. Skin down is not a good idea because the skin will stick to the grate of your grill or smoker. If you enjoy the skin, this will be disappointing.
This yummy chicken goes with almost any side you can think of! From traditional mashed potatoes to crispy fried plantains, from grilled broccolini to a fresh, crisp salad, whatever you think of for a side dish will work.
165ºF. Chicken should always be cooked to this temperature for food safety. Use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness. We like these wifi instant-read thermometers when smoking for the ultimate convenience.
The chicken leg quarter consists of a thigh, a wing, and a segment of the back. You can also buy mixed quarters, which will include breast quarters. A breast quarter will consist of the breast, wing, and also part of the back.
Take note of the higher temp that we are smoking these quarters at this time. This allows the heat to dry out any excess moisture that could be remaining. This is why you technically “CAN” smoke at 225, the low and slow technique for crispy chicken skin isn’t ideal.
1. Start by putting all of your charcoal on one side of the grill to create 2 zone heating. One is a direct heat (the one with the charcoal) and indirect heat (the one that is void of charcoal) and light the coals.
2. Soak the wood chips for 30 minutes so they give off the smoke rather than just burn.
3. Using a small aluminum pan, fill it with a half cup of water and put it in the over the coals. Once the grill is heated to the 300°F (or desired temp) simply move the water pan to the lowest area you can in the grill to help the chicken from drying out. Place the chicken farthest away from the coals for a true indirect heat source.
4. Add the wood chips to the charcoal and smoke the chicken until the internal temp is 165°F in the thigh area.
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Smoked Chicken Quarters
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Quarters
- Dry Rub we used Spiceology Maui Wowee
- 4 tbsp Butter melted
Instructions
- Heat up the smoker to 300 degrees over indirect heat.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and packaging. Pat dry with paper towels. Using a gallon Ziploc bag, toss the quarters with your favorite rub and allow it to sit for 30 minutes before putting on the smoker.
- Smoking at 300 degrees allows the fat to render and help crisp up the skin. It should take about 60 minutes for it to reach an internal temperature of 165° F.
- When the chicken is almost at temperature, place them over direct heat and sear each side for a few minutes, allowing the skin to crisp up. Brush with melted butter to add an amazing richness.
- Remove from the smoker and allow them to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
