This smoked whole chicken recipe has been one of my favorite chicken recipes since I was a child. Coming from a family of pitmasters, I learned to smoke rather than bake or roast birds. Over the years, I worked on a recipe and technique until I found one that I loved.
In this post, I will show you the recipe, tips and tricks, procedures, and so much more. Let’s get started!
Before I give you the recipe for smoking chicken, I want to talk to you about dry brining. While most people are familiar with a wet brine, fewer individuals know about dry brine. As the name suggests, there is no liquid involved in the latter process.
Instead, it is where you sprinkle kosher salt all around the chicken. When left for a while, this results in a better absorption of seasoning flavor and in more tender chicken. It is due to this that I would suggest brining your chicken prior to smoking. It isnt necessary, but could end up making all the difference.
As mentioned, you should only use kosher salt for this purpose. Take a pinch of salt between your fingers and raise your hand about 8 to 10 inches above the bird. Then, sprinkle the salt, allowing to spread across the meat.
Continue this until the bird is completely seasoned. Make sure that you get the salt in all the nooks and crannies. Let this sit for at least 12 hours before smoking the chicken.
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Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F.
Combine the ingredients for the rub in a bowl.
Spray or paint oil over the chicken. Then, liberally drizzle the rub across the chicken. Don’t push the seasoning into the skin or meat as it can clump together.
Using butcher twine, tie the legs together. Next, tuck the wing tips behind the shoulder joint.
Place in the smoker and close the lid.
After about an hour and a half, the temperature should read 140 degrees F at the breast and 150 degrees F at the thigh. At this point, lightly baste the chicken with BBQ sauce and rotate it for even cooking.
Smoke until the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees and the thigh reads 175 degrees F. This should take about 2 hours.
Remove the chicken from the smoker an place on a cutting board. Rest for about 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
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Here are some important guidelines to ensure a delicious smoked chicken:
I know that many people prefer skinless chicken due to nutrition, calories, and fat. However, when smoking, I would suggest keeping the chicken skin on. This allows to trap moisture inside the bird, making the meat tender. This also helps to prevent overcooking.
As an added bonus, there is nothing quite like the taste of crispy skin!
Keep in mind that most whole chickens come with a package of giblets that will be stuffed into the chicken cavity. Make sure to remove this before you do anything else with the chicken.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to wash the chicken – in fact, most pros discourage this as can germs to move from the chicken to the rest of your kitchen. Instead, simply pat dry with a paper towel and then season with olive oil and spices.
At the start of the post, I talked about dry brining your chicken before smoking it. Now, I know a lot of people prefer wet brining, but I would advise against it, particularly for smoking chicken.
For one thing, I find that immersing the chicken in wet ingredients dilutes the flavor. I am also not a fan of the fact that this process takes so much of my space in my refrigerator.
At the end of the day, it is up to you to decide which method you prefer but I would suggest giving dry brining a try, at least once.
The key to delicious recipes for smoked whole chicken always begins with a good chicken rub. However, seasoning an entire bird isn’t as easy as most people imagine.
Understand, you want the seasoning to be evenly distributed across the skin and in crevices on the whole chicken. The last thing that you need is for the rub to be clumped in places and sparse in others.
To avoid this, I would suggest applying the oil on the chicken with a pastry brush. Make sure that it is a thin layer. Next, use your fingers to grab a good amount of the dry rub. Lift your hand about 8 to 10 inches above the chicken and sprinkle liberally.
Repeat this until the whole chicken is covered in a good layer of spice rub.
When making smoked chicken, it is best to do so with a bird that is as close to room temperature as possible. Now, mind you, the chicken should never actually be at room temperature as this can lead to food poisoning.
Instead, take the whole chicken out of the fridge about an hour before you wish to smoke it. Leave it covered to reduce the risk of contamination.
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Here are some tips for ensuring that your smoker is perfectly set up to smoke a whole chicken!
Of course, the key to a well smoked chicken is selecting the right wood chips. This is what adds that gorgeous smoke flavor. When it comes to smoking a whole chicken, I like to keep things simple. This is why apple wood tends to be my go-to option. Cherry is a nice option too if you prefer something sweeter.
Now, if you are making Traeger smoked chicken, you may want to use the pellets that are recommended by the manufacturer. While I find that most chips work with this pellet smoker, the results may be better with the proper wood chips.
Of course, this decision is entirely up to you.
I often find people recommending others to soak their chips before adding them to the smoker. However, this is a terrible piece of advice.
For one thing, there isn’t much moisture actually absorbed by the wood – it can take a long time for the chips to completely absorb the required amount of water. Thus, leaving them in water for even a short period is a waste of time.
For another thing, I have found that all that soaked wood chips do is to release steam and not smoke. As such, they end up making the meat soggy and messing with the skin of the chicken.
In short, don’t bother with soaking your wood.
I find even a whole chicken to be a lot more delicate than other types of meat that I smoke. Due to this, I prefer preparing smoked chicken at 225 degrees F. Now, technically, you can go up to 250 degrees F, but I don’t want to take that risk, especially if I am smoking a smaller bird.
And, in case you are wondering:
How long does it take to smoke a whole chicken at 225 degrees?
Don’t worry it only takes about 2 hours with a bird that is about 3lbs and about 3 hours with a whole chicken that is around 4 and 5lbs.
There is a trick that you can try to get the skin nice and crunchy. About 15 minutes before the chicken is done cooking, increase the temperature to around 300 degrees F.
Make sure to monitor the internal temperature carefully, though, to ensure that you don’t overcook or dry out the bird.
Want the best smoked whole chicken? Here is what you need to do:
I’m not going to lie, smoking a whole chicken isn’t as easy as it might appear. At least, not if you were making smoked breasts or thighs alone.
The reason for this is that various parts of the chicken need to be cooked to a different internal temperature. White meat such as the breast tastes better when cooked to a lower temperature while darker meat such as the thighs, taste best when cooked to a slightly higher temperature.
This is why you should ideally cook chicken breasts to 165 F and chicken thighs to 175 F. This means that you need to monitor the temperature of the chicken carefully with a thermometer throughout.
Of course, I understand how tricky it can be to ensure that all areas of the chicken are precisely the temperature that they are supposed to be. This is why you can take the smoked chicken out when it reads 165 F.
Due to carryover cooking, the smoked whole chicken will continue to cook once it is removed from the smoker. Thus, you should be in a suitable range to ensure that all areas of the smoked chicken are cooked to perfection.
When taking the temperature, make sure to stick the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and the thigh. The end of the probe should also be at least an inch away from bone to ensure an accurate reading.
There are some who like to spray the chicken skin with oil or melted butter every half an hour or so. I do admit that this can create a crispier coating but it is certainly not the healthiest option around.
As such, you iwll need to decide if it is the right move for you.
As I have mentioned in the recipe, you have the option of basting the chicken, shortly before it is considered done. Personally, I always stick to this step as it creates a tasty glaze on the chicken. It is especially a good idea if you won’t be adding any sauce later on.
I would suggest using a high quality barbecue sauce for this as you need to guarantee a good flavor. A sweet homemade sauce is always a good idea.
The key here is to apply a thin layer – don’t glob on too much as you want the skin to be nice and crispy. I recommend using a pastry brush to get this done.
If you wish you increase the smoker temperature before putting the chicken back in. This can add serious flavor and texture to the dish.
Yes, even smoked whole chicken needs to rest! In fact, I would argue that this is an even more important step when you smoke chicken as this meat has a tendency to dry out.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be for too long, but make sure that it is at least 20 minutes, especially for a bigger bird.
Remember, avoid cutting into or dismantling the smoked whole chicken recipe in any way as this will interrupt the reabsorption process.
Depending on the temperature, it can usually take 2 to 3 hours to smoke a whole chicken.
It is best to smoke a chicken at 225 degrees – it will take around 2 to 3 hours at this temperature.
Make sure to keep the skin on, dry brine the whole bird, and smoke at a lower temperature.
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So, there you have it – step by step instructions on how to make smoked whole chicken! All that is left for you to do is go ahead and give this is a try yourself. You are sure to love the results as much as I do!
