Get your tastebuds ready because these chicken leg quarters are beyond amazing! This chicken is super moist and tender with its sweet-smoke flavor that is perfect for any meal. Smoking chicken quarters has never been so easy. A simple rub with an easy prep…you’ll be eating in no time flat! If you’re just beginning to venture into smoking meat, this is a hassle free and inexpensive smoker recipe to start with. It’s inexpensive, requires minimal prep, and won’t take all day to smoke. This is an easy beginner’s smoker recipe that will impress your friends and family.
Where To Purchase Fresh Chicken
Whenever I smoke meat, I’m typically a big proponent of buying meat from a butcher. But when it comes to purchasing poultry, I often buy it from my local grocery store. When it comes to beef, the cut and grade matters a lot. For chicken…well, it’s just chicken. There are three Grades of chicken, A, B, and C. The majority of the poultry you find in the grocery store will be Grade A. To be a Grade A, the total length of cuts on the breast or legs must be less than ¼" and total length of cuts everywhere else must be less than 1 ½". Grades B and C are usually processed into cut-up, chopped, or ground poultry products. So regardless where you buy the chicken quarters, they will be Grade A. A lot of people like buying it from a butcher because they know where the animal was raised and if they are organic, all-natural, or free-range.
🛒 Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll typically find 3-5 chicken quarters in a package. The spice rub I use yields just enough to cover 5 quarters. My chicken rub consists of dried herbs and spices that have a savory, yet sweet BBQ flavor. I recommend using a coarse salt, such as kosher or himalayan because it adds to the texture and enhances the flavor. I also like using fresh cracked ground black pepper for the same reasons. When it comes to the type of paprika, I love using a smoked paprika in this chicken spice rub. But I’ve also used a sweet paprika and the taste was amazing. I apply olive oil to the pieces to not only enhance the moisture, but it also helps the dry rub stick to the bird better.
Preparing The Smoker
Before placing the meat in the smoker, you need to prepare the wood and preheat the smoker. Depending on what type of smoker you plan to use will depend on how it needs to be prepared. If you’re using a gas or charcoal smoker, you’ll need to prepare the water pan and get the wood chunks or chips ready. I go into detail on how to prepare a gas smoker in my Applewood Smoked Chicken recipe. Check it out here on Step 4 – Preparing the Smoker. When smoking any type of poultry, I use a milder wood such as apple, cherry, or pecan. If you’re using a pellet smoker, just add the pellets into the chamber and let it preheat. For an electric smoker, plug it into an outlet, add the wood and let it preheat. For this chicken quarters recipe, ensure whatever smoker you use is preheated to 225°F before placing the meat in the smoker.
📋 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
While the smoker is preheating, baste the olive oil onto each piece of meat. Ensure all crevices are covered in a thin layer of oil. Next, spoon the dry rub onto each piece. You want to ensure you use a generous amount. Using your hands, spread the BBQ chicken rub over the entire leg and thigh of the chicken quarter until each piece is completely covered. When the smoker is preheated, put each piece directly onto the rack. Insert a digital meat thermometer into the meat, close the lid and let the chicken leg quarters smoke low and slow. It will take about 2-2.5 hours to smoke chicken leg quarters at 225°F. During the first 1 hour of smoking, the internal temperature of the meat will increase pretty quickly. After hour 1, it will start to slow down. It’s important to keep the digital meat thermometer inserted the entire time so you can monitor the internal temperature of the meat. Once the internal meat thermometer reaches 165°F, the chicken is done. Using tongs, remove the leg quarters and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving. These smoked chicken leg quarters are officially done and ready to enjoy! If you’re are a BBQ sauce fan like I am, consider brushing on a thin layer before serving. These are juicy, full of flavor, and perfect for any backyard barbeque. This is a low maintenance recipe that requires minimal work yet tastes like you slaved over the meal all day. A lot of smoker recipes require a good amount of preparation, time, and attention, but not these smoked leg quarters. This is an easy recipe!
Use a mild wood when smoking chicken. Apple, cherry, or pecan wood works well. If you are using a propane gas smoker, my preference is to use wood chunks over wood chips. They provide more smoke, burn longer, and provide more flavor. If you’re using a charcoal smoker, chips work best. For pellet smokers, you’re required to use pellets. For electric smokers, if they don’t come with their own specialized wood, use wood chips.The spice rub is versatile and can be used on any type of chicken when grilling. To make a smaller batch, just cut the the ingredient measurements in half. Always insert a digital thermometer into the meat at an angle. You want to ensure your temperature gauge is not touching bone. Keep the smoker temperature between 225°F and 250°F. The temperature in the smoker is going to fluctuate a bit; just ensure when making this recipe that your smoker temperature doesn’t go below 225°F and doesn’t go above 250°F.The goal is to keep as much smoke in the smoker as possible so make sure you insert the temperature gauge into the meat when you place it on the rack. That way you can monitor the internal temperature of the meat without opening the door and letting smoke out.Once the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165°F, the chicken is done and can be removed. If you want to remove the gauge and pierce a different part of the meat to check the temperature, you can. You will lose some of the internal juices when you do this, but smoked chicken is already incredibly juicy so losing a little juice won’t make a huge difference.
🍽️ More Smoker Recipes
Smoking meat is my specialty. I’ve even published a smoker cookbook with 65 easy recipes that anyone can make. But I also have a lot of my smoker recipes here on my website. The #1 fan favorite smoker recipe is my Applewood Smoked Chicken. Smoking a whole chicken is easy. Prepped with a brown sugar, smoky paprika, and garlic based rub, this recipe will blow your mind! A lot of people don’t realize that you can smoke side dishes. Smoked Macaroni and Cheese is phenomenal and requires minimal effort. And these Smoked Beans with Bacon pair amazingly well with any smoked meat.
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