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    Home » Recipes » Grill Recipes » Smoker Recipes » Pellet Smoker Butterflied Chicken Drumsticks

    Pellet Smoker Butterflied Chicken Drumsticks

    Published: Oct 19, 2022 by Jenna Passaro · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Traeger Smoked Butterflied Chicken Legs with text overlay and smoked foods blogger Jenna Passaro from Sip Bite Go

    Here’s a great party twist to smoking chicken legs! In this perfect recipe for smoked butterflied chicken legs / drumsticks, you’ll learn how to prepare, smoke, and sear chicken legs so you get the crispest, juiciest legs alive. Let’s fire up the smoker!

    Traeger Smoked Butterflied Chicken Legs BBQ rubbed Sip Bite Go
    See step by step how to butterfly chicken drumsticks for smoking on the Traeger.

    HEY FOODIES — Follow SBG for new recipes on Instagram / TikTok

    Table of Contents

    • Why Smoked Butterflied Chicken Drumsticks are so great…
    • Ingredients
    • How to make Smoked Butterflied Chicken Legs / Drumsticks
    • FAQs 
    • More Tasty Grill + Smoker Recipes
    • Meat thermometer recommendations
    • Are you a foodie, too?
    • Traeger Smoked Butterflied Chicken Legs Recipe | Sip Bite Go

    Why Smoked Butterflied Chicken Drumsticks are so great…

    • Get more flavor coverage of your favorite seasoning by butterflying them first. 
    • It’s a different cooking method that’s fun to learn. 
    • Get crispy skin because you create a larger surface area hitting the smoker when the legs are butterflied. 
    • Cooking time will be quicker than smoking whole legs that aren’t butterflied. 
    • You can be creative! I kept things pretty simple in this Sip Bite Go recipe, however, if you want to shake it up a bit, you could prepare a little brown sugar rub or chipotle marinade for the chicken legs. You can’t go wrong cooking chicken legs. Choose a rub or marinade and start smoking!
    • They kind of present similar to smoked wings.
    • Very easy to pick up and eat for a game day smoker recipe.
    Traeger Smoked Butterflied Chicken Legs Dinner with a fork Sip Bite Go
    These tasty smoked butterflied chicken legs are easy to make. 

    New to smoked food recipes and Traeger recipes? See my step by step video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page). 

    Basting Smoked Butterflied Chicken Legs with BBQ sauce while they smoke on the Traeger Sip Bite Go

    See the best game day smoker recipes…

    Ingredients

    Here’s what you need to make Smoked Butterflied Chicken Legs / Drumsticks.

    Infographic with ingredient list for smoking butterflied chicken legs on the Traeger with Jenna Passaro from Sip Bite Go
    • chicken drumsticks, aka chicken legs, bone-in with skin on or off (about 1 ½ LBs chicken drums)
    • BBQ dry rub (any chicken bbq seasoning will work, too, as much as you’d like)
    • BBQ sauce
    • cilantro, fresh chopped (optional, for serving)

    Also see how to make grilled butterfly chicken drumsticks…

    How to make Smoked Butterflied Chicken Legs / Drumsticks

    Now I’ll walk you through it…

    How to butterfly chicken legs for smoking them

    Sheet Pan with butterfly chicken legs cut in half for smoking Sip Bite Go
    1. First, find the bone of the chicken drumstick and get a pairing knife ready.
    2. Make a cut. Gently make one parallel cut down the leg, in the center, touching the bone. This first cut will help open up the chicken leg meat for the next step.
    3. Make two more cuts. One on each side of the chicken leg bone. You’ll want to use one hand to pull back the leg meat while the other hand makes the cuts.. Don’t cut all the way through the meat, that would defeat the purpose. At the end of your cuts, you should clearly see the chicken bone with chicken meat flaps on each side. On the other side, you’ll find the skin side. Smoosh the meat flat to butterfly it.

    Quick look at smoking butterflied chicken legs / drumsticks

    1. Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees F
    2. Butterfly chicken legs (make 3 cuts, see full description) with a paring knife. 
    3. Season both sides with dry rub. 
    4. Use a smoke temp of 250 degrees F (skin side up) for 45 minutes (cut side down) then add BBQ sauce and smoke for another 30 minutes.
    5. Flip chicken legs skin facing down and finish smoking butterflied chicken legs at 500 degrees F until done when they reached an internal temperature of 165 – 175 degrees F.
    6. Enjoy.
    Infographic demonstrating how to butterfly chicken legs and smoke them in the Traeger pellet grill with Jenna Passaro food blogger of Sip Bite Go

    Detailed recipe steps

    1. Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 250 degrees F. 
    2. Season butterflied chicken drumsticks. Sprinkle dry rub seasoning all over the chicken and rub it in with your hands.
    3. Smoke butterflied chicken legs / drumsticks with bone side (cut side) facing down, directly on the Traeger pellet grill grates. Smoke for 45 minutes FIRST (cut side down)…
    4. Brush BBQ sauce on butterflied smoker chicken legs. After you smoke them for 45 minutes, brush on BBQ sauce. (at this point of the Sip Bite Go smoked recipe demonstration, the chicken legs measured 140 degrees F internally – it doesn’t matter THAT much, but I’m just sharing incase you want to check how cooked your chicken legs are at this 45 minute mark, compared to the ones in the video). 
    5. Smoke butterflied chicken legs for an additional 30 minutes at 250 degrees F. (Check temperature to make sure they’re not “done” yet, which would be 165 degrees – 175 degrees F.)
    6. Flip over chicken (so the meaty side is facing DOWN and skin side is up). Brush the skin side with more BBQ sauce if desired.
    7. Sear smoked butterflied chicken to finish them. To do this, crank smoker up to a temperature of 500 degrees F to finish smoking butterflied chicken legs with a sear until done. They’re ready to remove from the smoker when they reach 175 degrees F as measured with an internal read thermometer.
    8. Finish smoked chicken drumsticks with a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy.
    Closeup of BBQ Seasoned Traeger Pellet Grill Smoked Butterflied Chicken Drumsticks Sip Bite Go
    The butterflied smoked chicken legs done temp is 175 degrees F.

    Also see how to grill chicken thighs and how to smoke chicken thighs…

    FAQs 

    How do you butterfly chicken legs?

    This is a simple process which will take only 15 minutes to prepare a couple of pounds of chicken legs like I did in this recipe. Start by getting a sharp knife (I used a paring knife), and gently make one cut down the leg touching the bone. Next, you’ll make two cuts. One on each side of the chicken leg bone. You’ll want to use one hand to pull back the leg meat while the other hand makes the cuts. The chicken leg will butterfly outwards on each side of the bone. Don’t cut all the way through the meat, that would defeat the purpose. At the end of your cuts, you should clearly see the chicken bone with chicken meat flaps on each side. 

    How long does it take chicken legs to smoke when butterflied?

    In this Sip Bite Go recipe, it took 90 minutes to fully smoke the chicken legs to 165 – 175 degrees F internal temperature. 

    Tongs flipping BBQ butterflied chicken legs on the Traeger Pellet Smoker Sip Bite Go

    More Tasty Grill + Smoker Recipes

    • Smoked mac and cheese
    • Smoked cream cheese
    • Smoked brisket flat
    • 321 ribs
    • Beer can chicken on the smoker
    • Smoked wings
    • Smoked tomahawk steak
    • Traeger tri tip
    • Smoked turkey breast
    • Smoked turkey legs
    • Whole smoked turkey
    • Smoked Traeger pizza
    • Smoked onion rings
    • Traeger smoked ham
    • Smoked whole chicken
    • Smoked jalapeno poppers
    • Smoked corn on the cob
    • Traeger beef ribs
    • Smoked leg of lamb
    • Smoked shrimp
    • Grilled chicken wings
    • Grilled skirt steak
    • Flank steak marinade
    • Grilled potato wedges
    • Smoked pulled pork
    • Want more? See my lineup of easy smoker recipes

    See this Traeger Flatrock grill review.

    See my favorite smoker tools and seasonings in my Amazon Storefront.

    Meat thermometer recommendations

    Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly. 

    On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:

    1. Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
    2. ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill. 

    It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature. 

    How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.

    While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!

    Are you a foodie, too?

    Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about making smoked butterflied chicken legs. 

    See how to get more smoke flavor from your favorite Traeger dishes.

    Connect…

    • Instagram / TikTok / YouTube
    • Browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collection
    Traeger Smoked Butterflied Chicken Legs BBQ rubbed Sip Bite Go

    Traeger Smoked Butterflied Chicken Legs Recipe | Sip Bite Go

    Here’s a great party twist to smoking chicken legs! In this perfect recipe for smoked butterflied chicken legs / drumsticks, you’ll learn how to prepare, smoke, and sear chicken legs so you get the crispest, juiciest legs alive. Let’s fire up the smoker! | sipbitego.com
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course, Main Dish
    Cuisine: American, BBQ
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories: 650kcal
    Author: Jenna Passaro

    Equipment

    • Traeger Mesquite Pellets
    • Traeger Pellet Grill Ironwood 650
    • Meater Plus Thermometer

    Ingredients

    • 8 pieces chicken drumsticks aka chicken legs, bone-in with skin on or off (about 1 ½ LBs chicken drums)
    • 2 tbsp BBQ dry rub any chicken bbq seasoning will work, too, as much as you’d like
    • ½ cup BBQ sauce
    • 1 tsp cilantro fresh chopped (optional, for serving)

    Instructions

    How to butterfly chicken legs for smoking

    • First, find the bone of the chicken drumstick and get a pairing knife ready.
    • Make a cut. Gently make one parallel cut down the leg, in the center, touching the bone. This first cut will help open up the chicken leg meat for the next step.
    • Make two more cuts. One on each side of the chicken leg bone. You’ll want to use one hand to pull back the leg meat while the other hand makes the cuts.. Don’t cut all the way through the meat, that would defeat the purpose. At the end of your cuts, you should clearly see the chicken bone with chicken meat flaps on each side. On the other side, you’ll find the skin side. Smoosh the meat flat to butterfly it.

    How to smoke butterflied chicken drumsticks

    • Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 250 degrees F.
    • Season butterflied chicken drumsticks. Sprinkle dry rub seasoning all over the chicken and rub it in with your hands.
    • Smoke butterflied chicken legs / drumsticks with bone side (cut side) facing down, directly on the Traeger pellet grill grates.
    • Brush BBQ sauce on butterflied smoker chicken legs. Smoke for 45 minutes then brush on BBQ sauce.
      (at this point of the Sip Bite Go smoked recipe demonstration, the chicken legs measured 140 degrees F internally – it doesn’t matter THAT much, but I’m just sharing incase you want to check how cooked your chicken legs are at this 45 minute mark, compared to the ones in the video).
    • Smoke butterflied chicken legs for an additional 30 minutes at 250 degrees F. (Check temperature to make sure they’re not “done” yet, which would be 165 degrees – 175 degrees F.)
    • Flip over chicken (so the meaty side is facing DOWN). Brush the skin side with more BBQ sauce if desired.
    • Sear smoked butterflied chicken to finish them. To do this, crank smoker up to a temperature of 500 degrees F to finish smoking butterflied chicken legs with a sear until done.
      They’re ready to remove from the smoker when they reach ~175 degrees F as measured with an internal read thermometer.
    • Finish smoked chicken drumsticks with a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy.

    Video

    Notes

    See the recipe: https://sipbitego.com/smoked-butterflied-chicken-legs
    Watch the full-length YouTube recipe video for smoked butterflied chicken Legs on Sip Bite Go’s YouTube channel.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 650kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 279mg | Sodium: 1055mg | Potassium: 943mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 692IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 201mg | Iron: 8mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SipBiteGo or tag #sipbitego!
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    jenna passaro food blogger from Portland Oregon

    Hey, I’m Jenna Passaro.

    I develop easy recipes that can transform your kitchen into a restaurant – and you into a true home chef.

      

    Where to start?

    Learn the secrets to smoking tasty Traeger recipes and making pizza at home. And cook amazing tri tip steak dinners.

    Or, fall in love with something new to cook with your air fryer, pellet smoker, BBQ grill, sous vide cooker, and more…

    You’ll notice, I kind of geek out over new cooking trends and tools!

    Instagram me @sipbitego & chef hubs @handmodelpatrick

    My story. Growing up, I didn’t learn to cook.

    (I was actually banned from cooking for years)

    And then in my 20’s I didn’t have to cook because my job as an event planner involved a lot of travel and it was easier to eat out. At the time, I was 100% positive that restaurant food would always taste better than cooking at home, and there was nothing I could do about it.

    Until I fell in love with a chef. He would come over and cook me delicious meals right in my own kitchen. My mind was blown.

    Since then, I’ve been on a mission to figure out easy ways to make restaurant style food at home and share it here on Sip Bite Go.

    Love to eat out and travel? I can totally relate. See my guide on where to eat in Portland, OR.

    jenna passaro the home chef's sous vide cookbook

    Never in a million years did I imagine I’d ditch the 9-5 lifestyle in my late 20’s, move across the country on a whim, start a new life, start a food blog, and write a book.

    But here I am!

    See my book on Amazon: The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

     

       

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