smoked whole chicken

This smoked chicken recipe is a whole chicken coated in homemade spice rub, then slow smoked to tender juicy perfection. This is some of the best chicken I've ever eaten, it's full of flavor and couldn't be any easier to make.

Smoked Chicken

recipe chicken brine (optional but recommended)

chicken

BBQ Spice Rub

parsley

Prepare the chicken brine as directed in the brine recipe (link is in the ingredients list). Brine the chicken for 24 hours.&nbsp;

If you're short on time, you can skip brining the chicken and still have a good result.

Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees F. Load the smoker with apple wood chips or wood chips of your choice.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Tuck the wings underneath the chicken and tie up the legs with kitchen twine.

Place the chicken in a disposable aluminum pan and coat the chicken with the spice rub. Be sure to loosen the skin and rub some of the seasoning directly onto the meat underneath the skin.

Place the chicken in the smoker. Smoke for 3.5-4.5 hours or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F. You will need to replenish wood chips during the cook time, so keep an eye on your smoker.

Remove the chicken from the smoker and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Place the chicken on a platter. Garnish with parsley if desired. Carve the chicken, then serve.

This smoked chicken is made with either a brine or dry rub and is slowly cooked in a smoker or the grill. Simple and easy. Here's how.

water

Fette Sau Dry Rub

Pat the chicken dry, inside and out, with paper towels.

If brining the chicken
In a stock pot, bring the water and dry rub to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let the brine cool to room temperature, then transfer to a nonreactive container and refrigerate until chilled. Add the chicken to the cold brine and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours. Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Remove the chicken from the brine, pat it dry with paper towels, and place it on the wire rack. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 6 hours. Discard the brine.

If using just the dry rub
Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and coat the chicken lightly all over with some of the dry rub. (You may not need all the rub.)

Preheat a smoker to 225°F (107°C) or set up a grill for smoking.

Place the chicken in the smoker and let it do its thing, maintaining a smoker temperature between 200°F and 225°F (93°C and 107°C) and replenishing the wood chunks or chips as needed, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a chicken leg registers 165°F (74°C). The total smoking time should be between 3 and 5 hours. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

At this point, you can either carve the chicken into quarters or you can tear or shred the meat to make pulled chicken. Or, if you want extra-crisp skin, you can briefly roast the chicken in a 450°F (232°C) oven or prepare a grill for indirect cooking (with hot and cool sides), place the chicken over the cool side, cover the grill, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.Originally published August 16, 2015.

Step by step guide for smoked whole chicken- including times, temps, dry rub recipes and pro tips.  

Smoked Whole Chicken Recipe

olive oil

garlic,

½ red onion,

½ lemon, sliced in half to fit inside the chicken cavity

Remove Giblets and Season

Prepare Chicken: Pat dry the bird with a paper towel. Coat with olive oil then season with poultry seasoning both inside the cavity and on the outside. Try to do this at least four hours prior to smoking. The salt in the rub will go through a dry brining process, essentially using osmosis that will add flavor to the skin and help with minimizing rubber skin texture.

Prepare Smoker

Preheat Smoker to 225 - 250 degrees Fahrenheit (we use apple wood or other fruit wood).

Stuff Cavity

Stuff Chicken: Stuff the cavity of the bird with garlic cloves, onion, and lemon pieces.

Truss Bird

Tie up the wings and legs using kitchen twine to get them closer the body of the chicken so they don’t dry out.

Smoke

Smoke Chicken: Place the whole roaster chicken on the smoker, breast up. Smoke for one hour at 225 - 250 degrees.

Increase Temperature of the Grill: After one hour, increase temperature of the smoker to 350 - 375 degrees F, and continue cooking until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the bird reads between 160 - 165 degrees. This will take at least another hour depending on the size of your bird. Most likely 90 minutes 

Rest and Serve

Remove, and let sit for about 15 minutes, then slice and serve. 

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/jlaUfSYY.mp4

Smoked Whole Chicken is absolutely delicious and easy to make. We'll explain how to smoke a whole chicken on a pellet grill or other style smoker for the best chicken you will make.

Smoked Whole Chicken

Tender, juicy chicken that&#039;s rubbed with a homemade BBQ seasoning and smoked low and slow.

Tbsp BBQ Chicken Rub

Set smoker to 250 degrees F using wood of your choice. We used competition blend wood, but hickory, apple, oak, pecan and maple would be great too!

Rinse the chicken under cold water. Pat dry. Trim any excess skin or fat around neck area on in the cavity of the bird.&nbsp;

Generously rub the chicken with dry rub. Make sure you get all areas of the chicken covered with the spices. We recommend lifting the skin away from the chicken and rubbing spices under the skin to make sure the spices infuse into the chicken. You can even throw some spice in the cavity to give it even more flavor.

Place the chicken on the smoker rack and close lid. Cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. This can very by chicken size. Ours took about 3 hours and was 3.5 lbs.

A whole chicken is brined, stuffed with aromatics and then smoked at 275F until done.

Smoked Whole Chicken on a Pellet Grill

Brine

orange

yellow onion

garlic

celery

peanut oil

salt

tbsp black pepper

Brine the chicken in the refrigerator for at least four hours and overnight if possible.

Roughly chop the orange, onion, celery and garlic.

Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Stuff the chicken with the orange, onion, celery and garlic.

Rub the chicken skin with peanut oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.

Tightly truss the bird with twine.

Set your pellet grill to 275F using hickory wood pellets.

Smoke the bird, breast side up, for 2.5 hours or until the breast is 165F and the thighs are 175-185F.

Smoked Spatchcock Chicken

avocado oil or olive oil

onion powder

teaspoon garlic powder

paprika

thyme

cumin

black pepper

Prepare the rub by combining the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, salt, cumin, and pepper. Set aside.

Remove the bag of giblets from the chicken (if included) and discard or reserve for another use. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Place the chicken breast-side down on a cutting board. Using kitchen shears or scissors, cut along one side of the backbone from tail to neck. Rotate the chicken 180 degrees and make another cut along the other side of the backbone. Remove the backbone and discard (or reserve for another use like soup or bone broth).

Using your hands, separate the two sides of the back and press down firmly with your palms to flatten. With the breast side facing up, tuck the wing tips up and over themselves to secure them.

Rub the skin with the oil then season the entire chicken with the rub.

Place the chicken breast side up on the grill grate over indirect heat. Cook for 45-50 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer or temperature probe inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165°F. Remove chicken to a clean platter or baking sheet. Tent loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

This smoked whole chicken is the perfect addition to any backyard barbecue. Seasoned with a blend of spices and smoked over low heat, this chicken is juicy, flavorful, and sure to be a hit with your guests. So fire up your pellet grill and get ready to enjoy some amazing smoked chicken!

Smoked Whole Chicken On A Pellet Grill

tbsp dry chicken rub,

lemons (sliced)

limes (sliced)

Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees F.

Use butcher twine to tie the legs together and tuck the tips of the chicken wings behind the shoulder joint.

Brush olive oil on the outside of the chicken.

Coat the outside of the chicken with spice rub.

Make sure the spice rub covers the entire chicken, even under the chicken legs. Add some more rub if you need to. Use your hands to push the rub into the chicken.

Place lemon and lime slices along with garlic cloves on the upright grill rack (or in the roasting pan or the cavity of the chicken).

Place chicken on the stand, in a roasting pan, or directly on the grill grate, breast side up.

Place a temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast meat and the thigh.

When the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 165 degrees F, and the internal temperature of the thigh meat reaches 175 degrees, the chicken will be cooked.

If desired, brush the whole bird with bbq sauce during the last few minutes.

Remove the chicken from the grill, slice with a sharp knife, and serve with your favorite sides.

Enjoy!

https://embed.mediavine.com/videos/jawun9awqo8d7qoigles

Our Pit Boss Smoked Whole Chicken is first dry brined and seasoned overnight to get the most flavor and crispiest skin possible.We then review step by step how to set up your Pit Boss pellet grill to perfectly smoke this whole chicken to perfection.

Pit Boss Smoked Whole Chicken

Whole Chickens

Your Favorite BBQ rub

Salt

Tbsp Fresh Course Ground Black Pepper

Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar

Tbsp Paprika

½ Tbsp Course Ground Black Pepper

½ Tbsp Chili Powder

½ Tbsp Garlic Powder

Tsp Onion Powder

¼ Tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)

clean

Clean, rinse, and pat dry the whole chickens well with paper towels.

trim

Trim any excess pieces of skin or fat off of the chickens.

Clean the Chicken

place on rack

Place the chickens on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet.

Mix together the 4 Tbsp Kosher salt and 1 Tbsp pepper, or use your favorite BBQ rub, and sprinkle generously over the tops and bottoms of each chicken. DO NOT use cooking oil to adhere or skin will not get crispy.

Refrigerate

Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4-6 hours.

Dry Brine the Chicken Overnight

Wipe

Take the chickens out of the refrigerator and wipe off any excess salt still remaining on the outside with a damp paper towel.

Mix Rub

If you only used Salt and Pepper to Dry Brine, mix the In a Pinch BBQ Rub ingredients together and apply some to all sides of the chickens. Or add a little more of your favorite BBQ rub for chicken

Remove the Next Day

Clean Firepot

Remove the fire pot from the bottom of the Pit Boss and clean out any ashes left over from the last cook. Replace it and make sure it is secured in place with the clips on either side. Also, wrap the drip tray in aluminum foil to limit cleanup needed later.

Add pellets

Add your chosen pellets to the hopper, start the Pit Boss pellet grill and put it on the &quot;Smoke&quot; setting.

Press Prime

If there are no pellets in the auger, hold the &quot;Prime&quot; button until you hear pellets begin falling in the fire pot. This will speed up the auger to prime it full of pellets before you start preheating.

Let Run

Once the Pit boss begins to produce thick white smoke, let it run for about 5-7 minutes until the smoke turns more of a clearish blue color. This means the fire rod has fully heated up to burn the pellets more cleanly.

Preheat

Next, set the temperature to preheat the Pit Boss pellet grill to 350°F. We will drop this temperature before we start cooking.

Water Pan

Fill an aluminum pan with water pan if you want to add extra moisture, and place it on the far left side of the Pit Boss pellet grill. Place a disposable bucket liner in the grease bucket as well if you want to limit cleanup later.

Set Temperature

Once the Pit Boss has come up to 350°F, drop the temperature on the control panel to 325° and clean the grill grates with a good grill brush and close the lid.

Start the Pit Boss Pellet Grill

Place Chicken

Position your seasoned whole chickens on the grates breasts up and the legs pointing to the hotter RIGHT side of the grill.

Insert Probe

Place an internal temperature probe if you have one into the center of one of the breasts, and another one, if you have one, into the middle of one of the thighs.

Close Lid

Close the lid.  Rotate occasionally for even cooking.

Remove

When the internal temperature of the breasts has reached 165°F, and the internal temperature of the thighs hits 175°F, carefully remove the chickens from the Pit Boss.

Smoking the Whole Chicken on the Pit Boss Pellet Grill

Rest

Let the chickens rest for 15-20 minutes before carving to allow the juices to distribute.

Carve

Rest and Carve

Your summer barbecues aren’t complete without this easy smoked whole chicken! Prepared with a simple yet flavorful spice rub, this chicken is smoked to perfection for the most succulent, tender and moist meat. Plus, this smoked chicken takes 10 minutes of hands-on preparation time, and you can smoke one or multiple chickens at a time.

chicken (about 4-5 pounds, innards removed)

lime

chili powder

brown sugar

garlic powder

pepper

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

cayenne pepper

mustard powder

BBQ sauce (optional)

To dry brine for crisp skin, pat the chicken dry with paper towels, and then generously sprinkle with salt and rub into the skin. Stuff the chicken cavity with the lime wedges and use kitchen or butcher twine to tie the legs to keep them tight. Place the chicken in the refrigerator uncovered for at least four hours, though overnight is ideal. Do not wipe off the salt after brining.

Prepare the smoker according to the manufacturer’s directions, fill the water pan and set the temperature to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. As the smoker heats, make the spice rub by simply stirring together the chili powder, brown sugar, garlic powder, black pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, ground cumin and mustard powder.

Rub the spice mixture all over the skin. Gently lift the skin and rub some spices directly onto the meat as well. Place the chicken in the smoker with the breast-side up and thighs closest to the heat source. If possible, try to tuck in the wing tips.

Close the smoker and smoke the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees. Replenish the wood if necessary while cooking. Open the smoker, brush the skin with olive oil and BBQ sauce if desired and crank up the heat to 350 degrees to finish cooking. The chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees in the thickest part of the breast meat and 175 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh meat. Make sure the thermometer does not touch the bone.

Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes to allow the juices to settle and then carve with a sharp knife. If desired, serve with additional BBQ sauce. Enjoy!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/OaHlOuIy.mp4

smoked-whole-chicken-video.mp4

This Smoked Whole Chicken is a juicy, delicious, and affordable way to make a dinner for your entire family. Better than any rotisserie chicken you’ll buy at the grocer, smoking your own whole chicken simply can’t be beat.

2-3 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Signature Sweet Rub

Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F.

Drizzle chicken with olive oil and season on all sides with the sweet rub. I don&#x27;t recommend rubbing in your seasoning because it will just pull back on the skin and your seasoning will chunk.

Use butcher twine to tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulder joint.

Place your chicken directly on the grill grates on your smoker. Close the lid and smoke for 3 1/2 - 4 hours. Breasts should be about 160-165 degrees F. The thighs should be about 170-175 degrees F.

Baste with your favorite BBQ sauce during the last 30 minutes of cooking (this is optional). Also, if you want crispy skin on your chicken, increase the heat on your smoker for the final 8-10 degrees (aim for 375-400 degrees).

Once the chicken has reached the correct internal temperature, remove it from the grill, slice, and serve.

This home-style smoked whole chicken is flavorful, juicy, tender, and better than rotisserie chicken that you can buy!

cooking oil

garlic (click for recipe))

BBQ rub (optional)

Remove the giblets, bring the chicken to room temperature and pat dry with paper towels.

Spray or drizzle the chicken with oil, then season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder from all sides including the cavity. If using a BBQ rub, apply an even coating of the rub.

Truss the legs with kitchen twine and tuck the wings' tips underneath/behind the back of the bird.

Prep the Chicken:

Preheat the smoker to 275°F.

Place the chicken on your smoker breast side up, and cook for about 2 hours.

After the first 45 minutes, check on the chicken, and give it a spray of cooking oil or butter to help the skin crisp up.

After 1.5 hours, rotate the chicken so that it cooks evenly and give it another spray or coating or cooking oil or butter. Check the temperature at this stage, it should read around 140°F for the breast, and around 150°F at the thigh.

After about 2 hours, it should read 165°F at the thickest part of the breast, and 175°F at the thickest part of the thigh (make sure that the thermometer is not hitting a bone to get a correct reading). That&#039;s when the chicken is ready to come off.

Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for 20 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute before carving and serving.

Smoke the Chicken:

Make the best Traeger smoked chicken with a simple BBQ rub. This flavor-packed smoker recipe is one of the fastest, too. You’ll learn exactly how to make the best smoked whole chicken without brine. Let’s smoke some tasty food!

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Top 12 smoked whole chicken recipes from across the web

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The most viewed smoked whole chicken recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine