Beer-Marinated BBQ Chicken Legs

Although chicken breasts are a staple in my household, using dark meat every now and then for a change is nice -  especially since dark pieces are richer in flavor and don't dry out as quickly as white meat.


Ingredients:
6- 12 chicken legs
½ cup olive oil or cooking oil
1 teaspoon salt or sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped onion
½ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
1½ cups beer
1 cup barbeque sauce

In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper.

Add oil and stir.

Add garlic and onions. Mix together well with a fork or whisk.

Slowly add beer as it will cause the mixture to foam and bubble slightly.

All I had for beer in the fridge was Angry Orchard,
but I figured the subtle apple flavor would compliment the other
spices in play. 

Lightly stir in parsley or cilantro.

Pour marinade over the chicken legs in a large zip top bag. Remove as much air as possible from the bag and seal. Turn the bag from side to side to make sure all chicken has been coated with the marinade.

Whenever I marinate meat or poultry, I usually poke a few
holes in it, so some of the marinade can get past the surface. 

Place the bag flat on a small, rimmed pan/dish and into the refrigerator. Allow to sit up to 1 hour or overnight for best results, turning the bag over every few hours to keep the chicken coated.

To bake chicken, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place chicken onto rimmed baking sheet or a oven-safe skillet coated with a bit of olive oil. (Cook's Note:  I lined my pan with foil, then oiled it, for easier cleanup.)

Bake until the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F with an instant read thermometer, about 35 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven, drain off excess liquid (if desired) and coat with BBQ sauce.

I drained most of the first cooking juice out of the pan before
adding the BBQ sauce.

A few juice bits left in pan after draining...

Add your favorite BBQ sauce

Coat legs with BBQ sauce

Ready to return to oven!

Return to oven until the chicken registers at least 165 degrees F with an instant read thermometer. 165 F is considered the minimum safe cooking temperature for poultry. 

Oh, yeah baby!  All done

Remove from oven and allow to rest about 3 minutes before serving.