So I love warm, sunny weather. And I love BBQ. But oddly enough, I have yet to BBQ anything on an outdoor grill by myself. And the reason for this…I’m deathly afraid of outdoor grills! Not because these things are evil or scary, but because I’m one hot tranny mess of a klutz and I just don’t trust myself to operate an outdoor grill alone. Hence this recipe is a baked BBQ chicken recipe.
If anyone wants to come over and make this recipe on my outdoor grill, I’d be more than happy to have you! And if you’re wondering why the heck I even own an outdoor grill — my friend Matt convinced me to get one a few years ago when we had an impromptu BBQ on my deck…I haven’t used it since. 
OK, before we jump into the recipe, let’s chat briefly about the pre-cooking magic that went into this. To get uber tender and flavorful chicken legs, I soaked them in this basic brine solution for about 2 hours (note: when brining, you want enough liquid to completely cover all your meat):
- 2 quarts water
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 granulated sugar
- 4-6 cloves of garlic (smashed, to release flavor into the brine)
You can be creative with this brine by adding in any other herbs or aromatics. I kept it simple since I was going to coat these leggies in some finger-lickin’ good BBQ sauce. That said, here is the rest of the recipe. On deck for tomorrow: slow-cooked pulled pork sandwiches w/ coleslaw and sweet potato fries.
Baked BBQ chicken legs w/ potato salad
serves 4-6, depending on how hungry you are
BBQ chicken
- 2 lb chicken legs (or any other part – I just heart legs!), skin on
- 2 cups homemade BBQ sauce (more or less depending on your preference)
- Minced scallions to garnish
Potato salad
- 2 lb red potatoes, diced into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup chopped scallions
- 1 cup chopped celery heart
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup homemade honey-dill vinaigrette
Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Remove chicken legs from brine solution and pat dry; arrange in one layer on cookie sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush first layer of BBQ sauce onto chicken. Bake for 15-30 mins while basting with additional BBQ sauce. Turn chicken legs over, baste with more BBQ sauce and cook for additional 15-30 mins or until internal temperature reaches 180-degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Meanwhile, boil potatoes until fork tender, about 10-12 mins. Drain and add scallion, celery and honey-dill vinaigrette. Toss together until well incorporated; season with salt and pepper. When chicken legs are done, garnish with minced scallions.
