!#8# How Long Do You Cook Chicken Legs on the Grill?

!±8± How Long Do You Cook Chicken Legs on the Grill?

Chicken legs cooked to perfection under the grill provide a succulent and delicious treat if cooked well. However, it is easy to overcook and indeed under-cook them using the intense heat produced through grilling. We all understand the importance of cooking chicken correctly and importantly, thoroughly. Therefore we need to ensure that our cooking using the grill is sustained enough to ensure total cooking of the chicken without burning them.

So how long do you cook chicken legs on the grill for?

Well, given my comments above and the fact that chicken legs themselves can be quite thick especially around the thigh area we need to ensure that we cook them properly. My advice when grilling is to first place them in a hot oven before transferring to the grill pan. If you are cooking four for example, simply place them into an appropriately sized baking tray and bake in a medium oven for around 40 minutes (turning once halfway through cooking) loosely covered with tin foil. Do not forget to check the chicken once finished to make sure that it is cooked through thoroughly. Skewer the deepest part of the thigh and look at the juices, they should be clear and not pink. If they require more cooking simply place back in the oven and give them a further 4 minutes each side.

This will ensure that your chicken legs are first cooked through before transferring to the grill to 'crisp up'. In effect all you are doing is grilling the skin, the chicken itself has already been cooked through. Set your grill to a medium high setting and place your pre cooked chicken legs under (ensuring they are not too close to the heat source). Simply allow the chicken skin to crisp up turning once after 4 minutes.

If for any reason you do not have use of an oven then you can still cook the chicken legs under the grill but emphasis needs to be placed upon the need to ensure they are properly cooked through. Use a low grill setting and give plenty of room from the heat source to the chicken legs and cook for 25-30 minutes turning in 10 minute intervals to ensure thoroughly cooked. Again, check the thickest part of the thigh before finishing to ensure that the juices run clear.