Mesquite Smoked Turkish Chicken Leg Quarters are not only moist and tender but the crispy chicken skin makes for a memorable bite! Mesquite Smoked on a gas grill, the chicken’s rub is a must-make with turmeric, cumin, garlic, cinnamon and clove in addition to the Jack Daniel’s Chicken Rub. Learn the trick to developing crispy chicken skin.

This recipe was originally published on GrillingGrandma.com

SERVINGS:5

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Equipment: Gas grill, 2 cups Western Mesquite BBQ Smoking Chips, smoker box or perforated foil packet, grill gloves, grill tongs, meat thermometer, 1 medium to large bowl for tossing chicken in spice blend

Ingredients

5 chicken leg quarters, a 4 pound package 

3 tablespoons Jack Daniel’s Chicken Rub

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground clove 

2 tablespoons avocado oil or lemon olive oil 

Optional: Vegetables for you drip tray such as carrots, potatoes, onions, celery (Note: the vegetables have to be turned one time and do not cook as long as the chicken.)

Instructions

PREPARE CHICKEN LEG QUARTERS

1. In a large bowl, whisk the dry spices with the baking powder to combine
2. Place the chicken in the bowl, cover with the lid, and turn over the bowl a few times to coat chicken in Turkish Rub.

AIR DRY THE CHICKEN

1. After the chicken is coated in the Turkish Rub place on a rack. 
2. The rack of chicken can be refrigerated for 2 to 6 hours or even overnight. 
3. After the air drying time is over allow the chicken to come close to room temperature on the counter, about 40 minutes. 

PREPARE THE GRILL

1. Fill a smoker box with 2 cups Western Mesquite BBQ Smoking Chips, and securely position over a hot burner, about 400°F. Close the grill’s lid.
2. Once the smoking chips have begun to smoke, lower the temperature in the grill to 275°F indirect heat. For my grill, I turn the 2 left burners off and the one right burner on medium-low to achieve a 275°F indirect cooking zone
   

SMOKE THE CHICKEN LEG QUARTERS

1. Brush the grill with oil. Smoke the chicken over indirect heat for 40 minutes, turning chicken over after 20 minutes. Smoke chicken leg quarters until the internal temperature is around 155°F. 
2. Remove the partially cooked chicken from the grill.
3. Increase the heat to 400°F direct cooking. 

CRISP THE CHICKEN LEG QUARTERS

Bring the grill temperature to 400°F to 425°F direct heat. Return the chicken leg quarters to the grates, and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the grill once the internal temperature registers 175°F-185°F. 

SERVE THE CHICKEN LEG QUARTERS

Place the chicken drumsticks on top of a pan of grilled roasted vegetables. Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices. 

Chef Notes:

For a Sweet-Kick: Right before serving I have been known to drizzle the chicken with hot honey and lime juice!

To Baste or Not: Many backyard grillers think they need to glaze the skin several times during the cook. I say STOP! We are trying to extract liquid from the skin to create a crunch! Moisture will make the chicken rubbery. That's why I drizzle hot honey and lime juice on the chicken at the moment I am going to serve. 

Keep It Crispy: Sometimes we wrap BBQ proteins in foil but this is not one of them. Since wrapping hot meat in foil creates steam and steam creates moisture please do not let steam touch your crispy chicken skin.