Easy & Delicious Weber Kettle Grilled Pesto Chicken Leg Quarters Recipe
Are you searching for a vibrant, flavorful, and surprisingly simple chicken recipe that will impress your family and friends? Look no further than these Weber Kettle Grilled Pesto Chicken Leg Quarters. This dish takes humble chicken leg quarters and elevates them with the fresh, aromatic goodness of pesto, all cooked to perfection on the iconic Weber Kettle grill. Whether you’re a seasoned grill master or just starting, this recipe is designed for maximum flavor with minimal fuss. Get ready to transform your backyard barbecue into an Italian-inspired culinary adventure!
Why You’ll Love This Grilled Pesto Chicken Recipe
This isn’t just another grilled chicken recipe; it’s a game-changer that combines incredible taste with unmatched convenience and value. Here are three compelling reasons why this pesto chicken will become a staple in your grilling repertoire:
1. An Irresistible Fusion of Flavors
The marriage of succulent chicken and vibrant pesto is nothing short of culinary magic. While both ingredients are simple and readily available, their combination creates an explosion of Mediterranean flavors that will tantalize your taste buds. The savory, juicy chicken provides the perfect canvas for the herbaceous, garlicky, and cheesy notes of the pesto. When grilled, the pesto forms a fragrant crust, locking in moisture and infusing every bite with an exquisite Italian gourmet essence. It’s a match made in heaven that truly needs to be experienced to be believed.
2. Effortlessly Easy Preparation
Don’t let the gourmet taste fool you; preparing this dish is astonishingly simple. The process involves just a few straightforward steps: combine the chicken and pesto, grill on your trusty Weber Kettle, allow it to rest briefly, and then devour. That’s it! This recipe is ideal for busy weeknights when you crave something extraordinary without spending hours in the kitchen. The minimal effort belies the incredible outcome, ensuring you can enjoy a fantastic meal with ease. Just be warned, it’s so good you’ll want to make extra!
3. Surprisingly Economical and Budget-Friendly
It’s rare to find such a harmonious and delicious meal that is also incredibly affordable. Chicken leg quarters are one of the most budget-friendly cuts of poultry, offering a fantastic amount of meat for the price. For instance, I recently purchased 4.5 pounds of chicken leg quarters for an astounding $1.28 per pound, totaling just $5.76. With four chicken leg quarters in the package, that’s a mere $1.44 per serving. Adding approximately $1.50 per leg quarter for the pesto (whether homemade or store-bought) brings the total cost per person to a remarkable $2.94. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying and flavorful meal at such an incredible price point, making it a perfect choice for feeding a crowd without breaking the bank.
The Star Ingredients: What You’ll Need
This recipe shines with its simplicity, requiring just two main components: high-quality chicken leg quarters and fresh, flavorful pesto. While you can opt for a good store-bought pesto, making your own Pesto Genovese from scratch truly elevates the dish to another level. For a full breakdown of the exact quantities for both the chicken and the homemade pesto, please refer to the detailed recipe card at the bottom of this article.
Crafting Your Delicious Pesto Genovese
Homemade pesto is a game-changer, offering unparalleled freshness and flavor that store-bought versions often can’t match. It’s remarkably easy to make and the aroma alone is worth the effort. By making your own, you control the quality of ingredients and can adjust the flavors to your preference. For detailed instructions on how to prepare your own authentic Pesto Genovese, including all necessary ingredients and step-by-step guidance, please consult the complete recipe card below.
Grilling Your Pesto Chicken on a Weber Kettle: Step-by-Step Guide
Achieving perfectly grilled, juicy pesto chicken is easier than you think, especially with the reliable indirect heating method of a Weber Kettle. Follow these steps for a flawless cook every time.
1. Set Up Your Weber Kettle for Indirect Grilling
The key to tender, evenly cooked chicken without charring the pesto is indirect heat. Begin by filling your charcoal chimney fire starter with a sufficient amount of charcoal briquettes. Once the briquettes are glowing hot and covered in a light grey ash (this usually takes about 15-20 minutes), carefully empty them onto the center of your Weber Kettle’s charcoal grate. Using long-handled tongs, push the hot charcoal to create two equal piles on opposite sides of the kettle, leaving the center empty. This central area will be your indirect cooking zone. To maintain consistent heat throughout the cooking process, add three fresh charcoal briquettes to the top of each existing pile of hot coals. This setup ensures your chicken cooks gently and thoroughly without direct exposure to intense flame, preventing burning while promoting even doneness.
2. Prepare the Chicken for Maximum Flavor Infusion
For the best results, allow your chicken leg quarters to come to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before grilling. This helps ensure more even cooking. Pat the chicken dry thoroughly with paper towels; this step is crucial for achieving crispy skin. Next, using your fingers, gently and carefully separate the skin from the chicken meat, creating a pocket without tearing the skin. This pocket is where the magic happens! Spoon a generous amount of pesto directly under the skin, pushing it as far back as possible. This technique infuses the meat with flavor and keeps it incredibly moist during grilling. Finally, use a tablespoon to spread an additional layer of pesto evenly over the top of the entire chicken leg quarter, ensuring it’s completely covered. This double application of pesto guarantees maximum flavor penetration.
3. The Grilling Process
Carefully place the prepared chicken leg quarters in the center of the Weber Kettle grill grate, directly over the indirect heat zone (where there are no coals beneath). Close the lid immediately to allow the indirect heat to circulate effectively. Grill the chicken for approximately 40 minutes. The exact cooking time can vary slightly depending on the size of your chicken leg quarters and the consistency of your grill’s temperature. It’s crucial to monitor the internal temperature using a reliable meat thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding the bone. The chicken is fully cooked and safe to eat when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius). Throughout the grilling process, if you notice the charcoal briquettes burning down and the temperature dropping, add a few more to each pile to maintain consistent heat.
4. Resting and Serving Your Masterpiece
Once the chicken has reached the target internal temperature of 165°F, remove the leg quarters from the grill and place them on a clean plate or cutting board. It’s essential to let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into it. This resting period allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, ensuring every bite is tender and incredibly moist. Skipping this step often results in dry chicken, as the juices will simply run out when you cut it. After resting, you can cut each chicken leg quarter between the drumstick and the thigh if desired, or serve them whole. Serve immediately with your favorite side dishes for a truly memorable meal.
Creative Variations & Smart Substitutions
While this recipe for pesto chicken leg quarters is fantastic as is, it’s also incredibly versatile. Don’t hesitate to experiment with these ideas to tailor the dish to your preferences or what you have on hand.
Explore Other Chicken Cuts or Poultry
The beauty of this pesto recipe is its adaptability to virtually any cut of chicken or even other types of poultry. Whether you prefer boneless, skinless chicken breasts, succulent thighs, or even a whole chicken, the method of applying pesto under the skin works wonders. For breasts and thighs, cooking times will be shorter, so always rely on your meat thermometer. This recipe also shines with a whole Cornish game hen, which grills beautifully with the pesto, offering a slightly more elegant presentation for a special occasion.
Opt for Quality Store-Bought Pesto
On those particularly busy weeknights when time is of the essence, there’s no shame in reaching for a jar of good quality pesto from your local grocery store. Many brands offer surprisingly delicious jarred pestos that capture the fresh flavors you crave. Head to the pasta or Italian food section, pick a brand you trust, and simply open the jar and follow the rest of the recipe. This is truly why this dish can be dubbed “The Easiest” – gourmet taste doesn’t always require hours of homemade effort!
Infuse Smoky Flavors with Wood Chips
If you’re looking to add another layer of complexity and depth to your pesto chicken, consider introducing some smoky flavor. Before placing your chicken on the grill, add a handful of small wood chunks or wood chips (soaked in water for at least 30 minutes) directly on top of your hot charcoal piles. The soaked wood will smolder, producing a gentle smoke that imparts a subtle, earthy flavor to your chicken, enhancing the overall barbecue experience. Hickory, apple, or cherry wood chips are excellent choices that complement chicken beautifully.
Expert Tips & Tricks for Perfect Pesto Chicken
Mastering the grill often comes down to a few clever techniques and tools. These tips will help you achieve the best possible results with your Weber Kettle grilled pesto chicken:
Enhance Your Grill Setup with a Hinged Grate
Investing in a Weber Kettle hinged grilling grate is a true game-changer for indirect cooking. This specially designed grate features hinged sections on both sides that lift up, allowing you to easily add more charcoal briquettes or soaked wood chips as needed during a longer cook. This eliminates the hassle of lifting off the entire hot grill grate, making temperature management and fuel replenishment much simpler and safer.
Master the Pesto Placement Under the Skin
Getting pesto thoroughly distributed under the chicken skin is crucial for maximum flavor and moisture. If you find it challenging to reach all the way to the back of the chicken leg quarter with just your fingers, try using the back of a small teaspoon. The spoon can gently lift the skin further away from the meat without tearing it, creating more space. Then, use the spoon to meticulously spread the pesto into those hard-to-reach pockets, ensuring every part of the meat gets a generous coating.
Maintain Moisture with an Aluminum Drip Pan
To keep your pesto chicken exceptionally moist and prevent potential flare-ups from dripping fat, place a disposable aluminum pan on the charcoal grate in the center, directly under where the chicken will sit. Fill this pan with about an inch of water. The water will create a humid environment inside the grill, helping to keep the chicken tender and juicy. Additionally, the drip pan will catch any fat or grease that renders off the chicken during grilling, preventing it from hitting the hot coals and causing unwanted flames that could burn your delicious pesto.
Don’t Skip the Resting Phase
As reiterated in the grilling steps, allowing your chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes after it comes off the grill is a non-negotiable step for juicy, tender results. During grilling, the muscle fibers contract and push the juices to the center of the meat. Resting allows these fibers to relax and the juices to redistribute throughout the entire piece of chicken. Cutting too soon will cause all those precious juices to run out onto your plate, leaving you with drier meat. Patience is a virtue when it comes to perfect poultry!
Perfect Pairings and Serving Suggestions
This grilled pesto chicken is a star on its own, but it also pairs wonderfully with a variety of side dishes. Consider serving it alongside a fresh Caprese salad, roasted asparagus, grilled corn on the cob, a simple pasta salad, or some crusty artisanal bread to soak up any leftover pesto. For a complete meal, a light or medium-bodied white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio would complement the flavors beautifully.
Grilled Pesto Chicken Leg Quarters
2
people
10 minutes
40 minutes
Equipment
-
1 Weber Kettle Grill
-
1 Charcoal Chimney Fire Starter
-
1 BBQ Tongs
Ingredients
-
1
leg quarter
chicken -
¼
cup
pesto,
recipe below
Ingredients For Pesto Genovese
-
3
cups
3 ounces whole basil leaves -
½
cup
olive oil -
½
cup
Parmigiano-Reggiano,
or parmesan cheese -
¼
cup
pine nuts -
2
cloves
of garlic,
finely chopped -
Pinch
of salt to taste
Directions For Making Pesto Genovese
-
Place the basil Parmigiano-Reggiano, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor. With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil and process until smooth. Season with salt.
Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
-
Set up your Weber Kettle for indirect smoking – Fill your charcoal chimney fire starter with charcoal briquettes, and when ready, empty the chimney in the center of the charcoal grate. With tongs, move the charcoal to both sides of the Weber Kettle, creating two equal piles. Add three more charcoal briquets to each pile.
-
Bring the chicken leg quarter to room temperature – Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel. With your fingers, carefully separate the skin from the chicken without tearing the skin. Place as much pesto under the skin as will fit. With a tablespoon, completely cover the chicken leg quarter with pesto.
-
Place the chicken leg quarter on the Weber Kettle grill grate – Place the chicken leg quarter in the center of the Weber Kettle grill grate and close the lid. Grill over the indirect heat for 40 minutes depending on the size of your chicken leg quarter, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees. Be sure to add more charcoal briquets to both piles if necessary, as the charcoal coals burn down.
-
Remove the chicken leg quarters – Place the chicken leg quarters on a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut the chicken leg quarter between the drumstick and the thigh and serve.
Nutrition
Serving:
2
people
Calories:
822
kcal
Carbohydrates:
7
g
Protein:
14
g
Fat:
84
g
Saturated Fat:
14
g
Polyunsaturated Fat:
12
g
Monounsaturated Fat:
45
g
Cholesterol:
20
mg
Sodium:
718
mg
Potassium:
244
mg
Fiber:
2
g
Sugar:
2
g
Vitamin A:
2724
IU
Vitamin C:
8
mg
Calcium:
418
mg
Iron:
3
mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Additional Info
BBQ
Tried this recipe?
Mention @drizzlemeskinny or tag #drizzlemeskinny!
We hope this comprehensive guide inspires you to fire up your Weber Kettle and create some truly unforgettable pesto chicken. The combination of succulent chicken, aromatic pesto, and the unique smoky flavor imparted by grilling makes this dish a standout. It’s proof that simple ingredients, prepared with care, can yield extraordinary results. Enjoy the process, savor the flavors, and share this delicious meal with those you love. Happy grilling!