As the weather gets warmer, I find myself getting more and more drawn to recipes that remind me of spring and summer. This is one of my favorite grilled chicken leg recipes and you only need 4 ingredients to make it!
I love using indoor miniature electric grills year round. Grilling has been known for their fat-reducing capabilities and I love it even better than baked chicken. And this recipe in particular is perfect for camping or other outdoor excursions. Since the meat needs to marinate, you can simply prepare everything before you leave, and pack it in a leak-proof container and grill at your destination.
Why You'll Love These Grilled Chicken Legs
- Super Simple – The only prep work for this recipe is to create a quick, three ingredient marinade.
- Grilled to Perfection – Grilling reduces fat content, retains nutrients, and retains moisture, meaning your meat will come out perfectly tender with less risk of getting dried out.
Ingredients For Grilled Chicken Legs - Italian Salad Dressing – Which brand you use is a matter of taste. Truthfully, any Italian dressing will do the trick. You can also make your own dressing pretty easily, but since you will be using the whole bottle, I would recommend saving the hassle and picking up a bottle of your favorite.
- Onion Powder – A teaspoon of onion powder will help bring out the flavors in our chicken legs. You can swap it for dried, minced onion if needed.
- Salt – Regular table salt will work fine to season this dish.
How To Grill Chicken Legs
- In a large, freezer bag or bowl, combine salad dressing, onion powder, and salt. Add chicken legs to freezer bag and close completely. Shake to coat chicken legs.
- Leave chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
- Preheat a grill to medium heat. Grill chicken legs for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until done, flipping every 10 minutes.
Step by Step Instructions
First, mix your seasonings and salad dressing. I like to do the entirety of my prep right in a Ziploc freezer bag. It saves dishes and it gets the job done super easily. However, any container will work.
Next, add your chicken legs into the marinade. Make sure that you are using refrigerated chicken legs. If your chicken has been frozen, you will need to allow it to thaw overnight prior to marinating. Make sure that your chicken legs get a decent coating. If you are using the freezer bag method, you can simply give your bag a good shake. I prefer to place it in a second freezer bag before doing this, just to be safe. Return your chicken legs to the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours.
When you are ready to cook your meat, preheat your grill over medium heat. Don't set your grill temperature too high. High heat can cause charring on the outside and an uncooked center. Grill your chicken legs for around 30-35 minutes, flipping the chicken at least every 10 minutes. You can use an indoor griddle pan or a traditional barbecue.
Serve your grilled chicken drumsticks warm with side dishes if desired. You can also serve it with bbq sauce or any of your favorite sauces.
Cook's Tips
- When it comes to marinating your chicken, you may be inclined to believe that the longer you leave it, the more it will soak up the flavor. In fact, allowing chicken to marinate too long, especially in an acidic marinade such as ours, can create tougher, less tender meat. I would recommend somewhere between 4 and 6 hours.
- Chicken is safe to eat when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.
- This recipe creates a delicious flavor profile, however if you’re looking to add another level, you can add your favorite sauce at the end of cooking. During the final ten minutes, you will want to baste your chicken in the sauce and transfer it to indirect heat, or a cast iron skillet.
- While you're cooking the chicken make your favorite sides like my air fryer baked potato.
FAQ
At medium heat, your chicken legs should take approximately 35-45 minutes to cook, flipping every 5-10 minutes. Sometimes it will cook faster depending on the thickness of the meat.
It should take 35-45 minutes total, depending on the size of your chicken legs. Cook until they reach an internal temperature of 165.
To avoid drying out the meat, do not precook your chicken legs. If you are concerned with food safety, you can use a meat thermometer to check that it has reached an internal temperature of 165 F.
This is an easy trick to help insure the chicken gets fully cooked in most recipes, but for this one you don't need to! Just follow the recipe above and you'll be just fine!
Looking for more dinner ideas? Try these:
Asian One Pan Beef and Noodles
4 Ingredient Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Tried this Italian dressing chicken recipe and love it? Please leave me a comment and rating below. Feel free to also tag me, I love to see your creations and sharing them. For more inspiration follow us on Instagram Or like us on Facebook
Grilled Chicken Legs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bottle Italian salad dressing
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Chicken legs
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix seasonings with salad dressing.
- Coat your chicken with combined mixture and marinate for at least 4 hours.
- Grill until chicken reaches 165F
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