How Long Do You Cook Chicken Leg Quarters On A Gas Grill
So, how long do you cook chicken leg quarters on a gas grill? Chicken leg quarters take around 30-35 minutes to cook on a gas grill. Chicken leg quarters have to be grilled for around 10-13 minutes on each side and overall 30-35 minutes. Leg quarters are meaty and moist. They can be eaten as roasted, baked, pressure cooked, shredded, and grilled.
The chicken leg quarters, thus grilled, are very delicious and juicy. They make a tasty addition to your meal. It’s a perfect smoky, sticky summer dinner.
If you want a change from having chicken breasts, then grilling chicken leg quarters can be a flavorful and delicious alternative. With chicken drumstick and chicken thigh intact, a leg quarter consists of higher fat content than chicken breasts. It fits right for a juicy lunch/dinner.
How do you grill leg quarters on a gas grill?
Season the leg quarters with a spice rub on both sides. Garlic salt and black pepper seasoning are some of the best seasonings for a chicken leg quarter. Then, bast in on the gas grill. You can brush on some barbeque sauce. Grill for around 30 to 35 minutes. Flip the leg every 5 to 7 minutes. Let the leg quarter’s internal temperature with the help of a meat thermometer to 165 deg F.
How long do you cook chicken leg quarters on a gas grill?
Chicken leg quarters grilling time depends on the following factors:
Size of the leg quarter- Smaller leg quarters may need lesser grilling time than medium to large chicken leg quarters. Smaller leg quarters will need around 15-20 minutes, while a medium chunky leg quarter may take 30-45 minutes. A larger leg quarter may grill as long as 40-55 minutes to evenly and thoroughly cook.
Cooking temperature: The internal temperature of the massy chicken part on the leg quarter should be about 165-170 deg F. A meat thermometer is best to check with for the precision in internal temperature. This is essential to avoid uneven cooking and the danger of any kind of food poisoning. A pink meat inside a grilled chicken need not be a point to worry as long as the internal temperature is right.
Thawing-The leg quarter should be sufficiently thawed for appropriate cooking. If it is not thawed, it will take a longer time to grill. An additional 5-7 might be needed for grilling. However, proper thawing is recommended.
Cleaned Grill- The cooking grill should be well maintained and cleaned before cooking chicken. This will increase efficiency and no burning of earlier dripped fluids that have dried out partially. An overused, clogged grill can take a longer time to grill and cook the chicken leg. Not only this, the grilling may not be even and proper.
How long do you cook chicken leg quarters on a gas grill also depends not only on gas grill brand and model, but pretty much on each individual gas grill which changes its characteristics after long use time.
Some tips for proper grilling of chicken leg quarter in a time frame of 30-35 minutes:
- The oil you grill grates by rubbing before cooking chicken. This will ensure your chicken leg from sticking to the grate and burning it while cooking and grilling it.
- Medium heat in the grill is essential to prevent the leg quarter from burning. The sauce used for basting will provide color to the leg. The proper temperature has to be maintained to avoid skin scorching on the chicken leg. When on coals, the chicken leg should be on medium heat.
- Cover the gas grill to ensure even cooking throughout. This will ensure the sealing of moisture and heat to the leg quarter. Use a foil or pan upside down if the lid is not available to give you a similar treatment.
- It is suggested to not to baste the sauce for barbequing the leg quarter till the end. Sauce comprises of some sugars that can burn the skin over the chicken leg prematurely. Therefore, it is best to save it to 5 to 8 minutes before completion. At the same time, grilling stick a dry rub or a basting vinegar based fluid while grilling to flavor the chicken leg quarter.
- The meat thermometer will ensure safer and risk-free grilling. The internal temperature checked at the chunky part of the leg quarter should be at 165 deg F. The thermometer tip should not touch the bone. However, for some meat, a thermometer may not be available. In such cases, thicker chicken meat, when cut into should ooze for clear juice and a meat that appears opaque.
Nutrition Basics
Chicken meat consists of vitamins, proteins, fat, and minerals. The fat is lower in amounts when it comes to poultry. So, chicken meat makes it a healthy addition to your meal.
It is abundant in iron, Vitamin-B groups, copper, iron, and zinc, along with other nutrients. Chicken is linked in minimizing the risk of type-2 diabetes, obesity, overweight and cardiovascular conditions. These nutrients are sustained with an appropriate grilling time of 30-35 minutes.
According to Nutrition & Dietetics Academy, chicken leg quarters comprise of dark meat. This meat is more tasty and tender as compared to white meat.
Grilling this tender meat at the right time gives you flavorful and juicy chicken meat to savor. The fat and calorie count varies in the two. A chicken breast of 4oz. Comprises of total fat of 3g and calorie count of 130.
Simultaneously, a chicken leg quarter provides a total fat of 4.5g and a calorie count of 140 calories. A chicken leg quarter, when grilled, can become an essential addition to a balanced diet.
Why should you cook the chicken leg quarters to this time while grilling it?
The primary benefit of grilling chicken to this time is to sustain nutrition. Secondly, it gives a risk-free consumption of chicken leg quarter to food poisoning. If there are any pathogenic bacteria present within the chicken leg meat, this time ensures the killing of the bacteria. This is the appropriate time for even cooking and absorption of seasoning and to provide flavor to the leg meat.
Which type of chicken leg quarters is best to grill at this time?
Hormone-free, natural, and organic are different chicken leg quarters that can be grilled. You can examine any of the types; however, they should be contamination free. Frozen chicken legs should be thawed first before grilling to comply with cooking within 30-45 minutes.
Precautions for grilling chicken leg quarters
- While grilling chicken leg quarters, ensure no fat drips on the grill and burns. This is because the emerging smoke shall expose the chicken legs to added chemicals, referred to as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This can be hazardous to health as they are carcinogenic.
- Maintain the time to 30-45 minutes of grilling, based on the size of the chicken leg. Do not over or undercook the chicken leg.
- Foil line the grill encompassing some holes for grill heat.
- Grill and cook at low temperature.
- Prevent meat charring.
- Temperature – A chicken leg quarter ought to be cooked at around 450-degree temperature for appropriate cooking. The heat should be just right for the chicken leg to cook and not burn or skin scorch.
- Marinate the chicken leg beforehand to limit the cooking time.
- Clean the grill properly to ensure proper cooking within this time and to improve the efficiency of grilling/cooking.
Let’s review - how long do you cook chicken leg quarters on a gas grill?
A chicken leg quarter will grill appropriately at around 30-45 minutes, as mentioned above. So, cooking appropriately means examining the chicken leg skin down initially. This will enable crisping out of the chicken leg nicely. Let it grill for about 3-5 minutes this side.
Flip post this time. With the other side up, the skin side will examine right without become over crispy. Based on how thick the chicken legs are, you can cook them for 7 more minutes on this side.
Cook it until the chicken leg’s internal temperature is noted to be 165 deg F. Having a meat thermometer becomes essential to note the internal temperature as it will be a precise recording. This will avoid any overcooking or uneven cooking of the chicken leg.
Summary
- Grilling a chicken leg quarter takes about 30-45 minutes on a gas grill for appropriate cooking.
- Follow the above tips to have an even and thorough cooking of chicken leg quarter in this time frame.
- The time of grilling depends on the size of the chicken leg, grill, frozen or thawed chicken leg, and other aspects.
- The chicken leg quarter’s internal temperature should be at 165 deg F for risk-free grilling and cooking.
- The temperature should be checked at the thickest point of the chicken leg with a meat thermometer.
- Your grill and its maintenance make a difference in the grilling and cooking time.
Conclusion
How long do you cook chicken leg quarters on a gas grill? The grilling/cooking of a chicken leg takes about 30-45 minutes on average. However, it differs with size, portion, grill maintenance, and whether the chicken leg quarter is thawed. By following specific tips, as mentioned above, you can grill and cook the chicken leg quarter efficiently and appropriately.
This will eventually result in a flavorful, juicy, and tasty chicken leg sustained in its nutritional values. Get your lean protein in the most effective way through a cooked chicken leg on a gas grill.
Here are official US government guidelines for cooking chicken.