Buying and lighting calculator · Poultry

How much chicken thighs and drumsticks do I buy and when do I light?

Thighs and drumsticks are the juiciest part of the chicken and withstand the kamado's heat best: dark meat tolerates more temperature without drying out. They are sold loose in trays or as leg quarters (thigh and drumstick joined); a bone-in thigh weighs about 115 g and a drumstick about 105 g. According to the USDA Food Buying Guide, with bone and skin they yield between 0.49 and 0.52 lb of cooked meat per pound bought: half. For 200 g of meat on the plate, count 400 g per person. At 180 °C with the deflector they take about 50 minutes; smoked at a lower temperature, they stretch to an hour and a half. Aim for 77-79 °C in the meat and rest them for a few minutes.

How to ask for it

For 4 people: Ask for 1.75 kg of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks, all about the same size so they finish together.

With bone and skin, chicken legs yield about half: 200 g of meat on the plate comes from about 400 g raw. 77-79 °C in the meat, away from the bone.

How we calculate it

We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.

To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.

Frequently asked questions

How many chicken thighs per person?

About 400 g raw per person, which is two or three bone-in thighs or drumsticks and leaves about 200 g of meat. The USDA Food Buying Guide gives 0.52 lb of cooked meat with skin per pound of bone-in thigh and 0.49 per pound of drumstick, which is half. For boneless, skinless thighs, about 320 g: they yield 0.63 lb per pound.

How long do chicken thighs take in a kamado?

At 180 °C with the deflector, about 50 minutes. Big Green Egg gives 45 minutes at 177 °C until the meat reaches 79 °C, and AmazingRibs about 90 minutes at 135-177 °C. Lower and longer also works, but the skin comes out less crisp. Always measure: 77-79 °C in the meat, away from the bone.

What temperature are chicken thighs done at?

The safe temperature is 74 °C, but dark meat is better at 77 to 80 °C: AmazingRibs explains that the extra margin breaks down the collagen and makes the thighs juicier. Put the probe into the thickest part without touching the bone, which would read higher than the meat.

Other Poultry cuts

← All cuts

Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".