Learning how to make a Smoked Whole Chicken will take your grilling game up a notch by blending smokey flavors along with tender, juicy meat. Food enthusiasts strive to create mouthwatering whole smoke chicken that is a crowd pleaser at any gathering.
Explore the art of making a succulent smoked whole chicken, covering everything you need to know from prep to plate. Smoking a whole chicken might sound intimidating, but fear not – we’ve got you covered with a step-by-step guide that will make you a smoker expert in no time!!
When you perfect whole chicken smoking then try my spatchcock chicken recipe. This best smoked chicken recipe has incredible smoky flavor that a rotisserie chicken does not have.
A BBQ dry rub smoked chicken tastes moist and juicy with several layers of unbelievable flavor!
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How to Prepare Chicken for Smoker
Choose the size of whole chicken that best suits your needs. The bigger the chicken, the longer it will take to smoke.
A 4-to-5-pound chicken is usually ideal for smoking. Start by selecting a high-quality whole chicken from your local grocery store or butcher.
Make sure it is fresh. In a clean sink unwrap, remove the giblet bag, cut off any excess fat, rinse with cold water, remove, and clean any leftover gook from the inside of the chicken. Then move on to the brining stage.
Brine for Smoked Whole Chicken
To infuse the chicken with extra flavor and maintain its moisture, brining is the answer. This is an important step to create an amazing tender, juicy chicken.
Do this step 8 to 24 hours before smoking your chicken. In a clean sink unwrap, rinse with cold water, remove, and clean any leftover gook from the inside of the chicken.
Using a clean, food safe container, fill with about one gallon of cold water. Add 1/2 cup of table salt to the water and stir to dissolve.
Carefully, place the cleaned chicken into the water. If needed, add more cold water to completely cover the chicken. Place in the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours until ready to smoke.
Smoke Rub for Chicken
You can use your favorite smoke rub when making a smoked chicken. If you like a homemade BBQ rub, give my recipe a try!
Create a tantalizing dry rub using a combination of your preferred spices, such as paprika, granulated garlic, chili powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. My family likes the Happy Belly BBQ rub recipe.
How to Smoke a Whole Chicken
Gather all the ingredients for making a whole chicken in smoker. Using your cleaned, brined whole chicken, remove from the brine water, and rinse the inside and outside of the bird.
Place the chicken on a clean work surface such as a cutting board, a baking sheet pan, or a roasting pan. With a paper towel, pat the chicken dry.
Lightly cover the whole outside of the brined chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle an even layer of BBQ rub all over the chicken.
If desired, use kitchen twine to tie the legs together as well as tying the wing pieces to the chicken.
What Temperature to Smoke Chicken
The smoker grill temperature can be anywhere between 225°F and 350°F.
TIP: Just remember, the lower the temperature, the more smoke flavor the chicken will have and the longer it will take to cook. The higher the temperature, the less smoke flavor you will have, and the chicken will cook quicker.
Preheat the smoker pellet grill of your choice. My smoker of choice is an electric Rec Teq pellet smoker.
All smokers are different so make sure to follow the manufactures setting. Set the smoker grill temperature to 250°F.
Fill the pellet bin with your desired pellets. Competition blend wood pellets are what I like to use.
Other pellet options are cherry, apple, hickory, and oak. When the smoker is at the correct temperature, place the prepared whole chicken onto the smoker rack with the breast side up.
Insert the digital temperature probe (if you have one) into the chicken breast meat close to the bone but not touching it. Close the smoker lid and let the chicken cook.
How Long to Smoke a Whole Chicken
How long to smoke a whole chicken depends on many factors. Every smoker will vary on smoking time.
The size of the chicken will factor in on the cooking time. The temperature around the outside of the smoker will affect the cooking process.
Cooking time for a smoked whole chicken is going to vary! When we use our Rec Teq pellet smoker, it takes under 4 hours to smoke a 6-pound chicken.
Use an instant read thermometer to check the exact temperature of the whole smoked chicken. The internal temperature of the smoked whole chicken should be 165°F at the thickest part of the whole bird.
Make sure to check several places on the smoker chicken to insure its internal temperature of 165°F. You want the perfect smoked chicken to have a crispy skin.
The chicken skin should be a deep golden-brown color. Crispy skin is a good sign that the smoking chicken is getting close to being done.
Let the cooked chicken rest for several minutes before cutting into it. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a more tender and flavorful chicken.
Carve the chicken with a sharp knife and indulge in a smoky perfection piece of meat. Check out this Char-Broil smoked chicken temperature and times guide.
How to Store BBQ Whole Chicken
Leftover BBQ chicken stores very well. Once the smoked chicken recipe has cooled down, shred all the meat off the bones as you can get.
Place the shredded chicken into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Leftover smoked chicken paired with your favorite BBQ sauce makes a great BBQ chicken sandwich. You can also make this Chicken Casserole with your leftover shredded chicken.
This smoked shredded chicken stores very well in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Smoked Chicken Tips
- Make sure to soak the whole chicken in the salt brine to achieve a perfect smoked whole chicken recipe with minimal fuss.
- Less is more, so keep it simple and don’t try fancy cooking techniques like injecting the chicken meat.
- Make multiple chickens to meal prep for several days so that you can have lots of leftover chicken.
- No need to add brown sugar to the outside as the chicken cooks. When using a good BBQ rub, there is usually brown sugar in it.
- How much chicken meat will I get from a perfect smoked whole chicken? Check out this article about: Whole Chicken Meat Yield Chart.
- Do not cover a smoking chicken! You want the chicken to infuse flavor from the smoke around the cooking chicken.
- A good meat thermometer is a must. Make sure the cooked chicken is at least 165°F. Check a couple different spots on the whole chicken to insure it’s cooked properly.
What to Serve with a Smoke Chicken
This is some of my favorite recipes that pairs beautifully with my smoked whole chicken. Try one or more of my recipes: mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, cranberry stuffing, and mashed butternut squash. Pair these recipe side dishes to create a complete meal, corn ribs in the air fryer, Middle Eastern Salad, and Asian cabbage slaw!
Make other smoker recipes like my smoked sweet potatoes, smoked baked potatoes, asparagus on the smoker, and loaded baked potatoes. If you have a really large crowd and want to make different bird options, then try my oven turkey recipe or my smoked turkey recipe.
Looking to make an amazing dessert to go with your smoked chicken. Try this gluten free chocolate cake recipe. It’s moist and delicious and pairs perfectly with this chicken recipe!
Smoked Whole Chicken – FAQ
Typically, smoking a whole chicken takes around 3 to 4 hours at a smoking temperature of 225°F – 250°F. However, cooking times may vary depending on the size of the chicken and the smoker’s efficiency.
Yes, brining is not mandatory, but it can greatly enhance the flavor and moisture of your smoked whole chicken. It’s defiantly worth the extra effort!
Use a good meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh meat. Make sure to check a couple thick pieces of chicken meat to ensure it’s at least 165°F. This guarantees both safety and optimal tenderness.
Smoked Whole Chicken Recipe
Get the full smoked chicken recipe and nutrition calories as well as nutrition information below!
How To Smoke A Whole Chicken
Learning how to make a Smoked Whole Chicken will take your grilling game up a notch by blending smokey flavors along with tender, juicy meat. Food enthusiasts strive to create mouthwatering whole smoke chicken that is a crowd pleaser at any gathering.
Ingredients
- Chicken, Whole 1 each
- Salt, Table 1/2 cup
- Olive Oil 2 tablespoons
- BBQ Rub 1/2 cup
Instructions
How to Smoke Whole Chicken
- Gather all the ingredients for making a smoked whole chicken.
- In a large pot, add about one gallon of cold water and the salt. Stir to dissolve the salt. In a clean sink unwrap, rinse with cold water, remove, and clean any gook from the inside of the chicken. Place the cleaned chicken into the prepared brine solution. Set into the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours.
- Remove from the brine water, and rinse the inside and outside of the chicken. Place the whole chicken on a clean work surface such as a cutting board, a baking sheet pan, or a roasting pan.
- With a paper towel, pat the outside of the chicken dry.
- Lightly cover the outside of the brined chicken with olive oil.
- Sprinkle an even layer of your favorite BBQ rub all over the whole chicken.
- Use kitchen twine to tie the legs together as well as tying the wing pieces to the chicken.
What Temperature to Smoke a Whole Chicken
- Preheat the smoker grill of your choice to 250°F. My smoker of choice is an electric Rec Teq smoker. Fill the pellet bin with your desired pellets flavor. Competition blend pellets are what I like to use.
- When the pellet smoker is at the correct temperature, place the prepared whole chicken onto the smoker rack with the breast side up.
- Insert the digital temperature probe (if you have one) into the chicken breast close so that it is not touching the bone.
- Close the pellet smoker lid and let the chicken cook.
How Long to Smoke Whole Chicken
- Cooking time for a smoker whole chicken is going to vary! It takes about 4 hours to smoke a 6-pound chicken. Make sure to use an instant read thermometer to check the exact temperature of the whole smoked chicken. The desired internal temperature of the smoked whole chicken should be 165°F at the thickest part of the whole bird. Check several places on the smoked chicken to insure its internal temperature of 165°F. You want the chicken skin to be a deep golden-brown color.
- Let the smoked chicken rest for several minutes before cutting into it. This allows the chicken juices to redistribute, resulting in a more tender
and flavorful chicken. - Carve the whole smoked chicken with a sharp knife and indulge in a smoky perfection piece of meat.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This page contains affiliate links. Click on the highlighted text in a post to explore a product. If you purchase through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). I ONLY EVER ENDORSE PRODUCTS THAT I TRULY LOVE. Thank you for your support!
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 106Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 21mgSodium 4245mgCarbohydrates 4gFiber 0gSugar 3gProtein 6g
Note: For exact nutritional information, consult your dietitian. All nutritional information is simply a guideline.
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This chicken was absolutely delicious. I love the seasoning blend in the rub!