How long smoking chicken

Check these out and choose one based on your overall preferences. We could spend all day on wings alone! We do however want to provide you with suitable options for different ways to smoke chicken. This particular description is designed to smoke your chicken at a low temperature and then shoot your temperature up to finish them off. This reduces the overall cooking time and will give you a good combination of juicy and smoked flavor without taking quite as much time to cook overall.

To try it, follow these steps when smoking chicken wings:. This process is simple and takes about 1. If you do use this method, we recommend that you use some sort of sauce on the wings to keep them moist.

If you are using a rub, this may not work as well to prevent the chicken from getting dry. Our favorite way to cook chicken wings is at a low temperature. While the other method works great if you have sauced wings and want a nice, crispy skin, this options works well for everything.

Your skin will still get crispy during the process. This process does take longer since it is at a reduced temperature. What we do want to point out is that if you really want that crisp skin, you may still need to finish up with boosting your temperature for about 30 minutes at the end, although the chicken will be cooked to temperature.

If you want to crisp the skin using this method, you can push your heat up to degrees Fahrenheit for the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

You can treat drumsticks very similarly to chicken wings when it comes to the smoking process. Drumsticks do often have skin on them, which you will want to end up nice and crisp when the process is completed. Here are our recommended steps for smoking drumsticks and keeping them delicious:. Drumsticks are super easy to smoke.

If you do prepare them with a rub or a sauce, be sure that you get that all over the chicken, including underneath the skin. Getting your rub or sauce under the skin is a trick that will keep your chicken delightfully moist! Chicken thighs do take a bit longer to smoke than the wings and drumsticks we have covered so far.

Much like with wings and drumsticks, if they have skin, you might want to finish the process with an elevated temperature to get that skin nice and crispy right before you serve them. Smoking chicken thighs takes a little bit longer because they do have more meat than drumsticks and wings, which means you are probably smoking more pounds of chicken overall.

As usual, for smoking, we recommend a low and slow approach , even if you finish with a high temperature for that crisp skin. For this process, you should leave the lid closed as much as possible while the chicken smokes.

Just turn them over around the halfway mark 1. If you want to crisp the skin at the end, you can alternatively cook for just 3 hours and then boost your heat to about and cook them for minutes more.

This part is totally up to you and whether you prefer that extra-crisp skin or like it just fine with the smoked and cooked texture. Remember that when you are preparing your chicken, you will want to be sure to get your rub or seasoning all over the chicken , particularly a rub. Blood spots are also a bad sign -- this suggests that the bird endured excessive stress and the meat will be tough. Look for meat that has not been injected or marinated to make it look fresh.

You want full control over the marinating process so that you can flavor it exactly how you like it. Also, you'll know what ingredients will end up on your family and guests' dinner plates. Smoking a whole chicken can take as little as an hour and change including prep time. The three essential steps are:. Spatchcocking a chicken is removing the backbone of the bird so that it can lay flat in a pan or grill.

A spatchcocked chicken will usually cook more evenly, and in a shorter period of time. Our Traeger experts recommend spatchcocking as the best way to smoke a whole chicken. This expert tutorial has all the information you need to spatchcock at home. The basic process simply involves using a large knife to cut on either side of the backbone, through the ribs, then discarding it.

Once the backbone is gone, you split the breastbone, allowing you to spread the bird flat. This recipe for Spatchcock Chile-Lime Chicken is an example of how spatchcocking can save you time — it cooks in just 40 minutes! The beer can chicken method of smoking a whole chicken is something every grillmaster should try once. It makes for a very tender bird, as the evaporation from the beer helps keep the meat from drying out.

We like the beer can method so much, we built a special Chicken Throne to make it easier. This sturdy ceramic stand will keep your chicken from tipping over, and protect the meat from any toxins that the can could release. Follow our beer can chicken recipe to get tender meat and smoke flavor like you've never had before.

A dry rub can boost your smoked chicken's flavor and appearance. Most chicken rubs include salt, which enhances flavor, and a colorful element like paprika, chile powder, or cumin to help pale chicken skin look more appetizing when it crisps up. At Traeger, we offer a selection of premade rubs that top grillmasters swear by. Here are three they recommend for whole chicken. Traeger Chicken Rub : Citrus and black pepper flavor profile. Pairs well with cherry hardwood pellets.

Pairs well with apple hardwood pellets. Traeger Rub : Oregano and basil flavor profile. Pairs well with hickory hardwood pellets. In order to ensure your meat is flavorful to the bone, try out a good brine.

Brining your bird is the best way to infuse flavor deep into the meat. No matter how much salt you use, a dry rub will only penetrate so far into the meat, but submerging your bird in brine pulls salt and flavor into the muscles -- and keeps it there throughout the cooking process.

Many people — like Matt — use sugar to balance the salty flavor, and this also helps caramelize the skin, giving it an appetizing brown color. It's a lot of fun to experiment with broths, juices, beers, and more to change up the flavor. You can also add all sorts of herbs, vegetables, and spices to your brine to infuse even more flavor into your meat. Check out our poultry brining kit. It is still nice to have a basic idea of how long it is going to take to cook.

Apple or cherry wood are always my top picks for smoking chicken. They are more subtle and have slightly sweet flavors that pair wonderfully with chicken and don't overpower it. You can use one or even a combination of the two. For smoking in a charcoal smoker like the Big Green Egg, I prefer to u see wood chunks, which will last a lot longer providing smoke throughout the cook, rather than just at the beginning with chips unless you reloaded them.

Applewood Chunks affiliate link for charcoal smokers. Applewood Chips for an electric smoker. Applewood Pellets for pellet smokers. I prefer the rub I use for smoking chicken to have brown sugar for some sweetness, plus some cayenne pepper and black pepper for a little heat. Paprika will add beautiful deep colors to the chicken to enhance the presentation along with adding some subtle flavors. Be careful not to use a rub with too much salt when applying it to a brined chicken, as it can get too salty.

It's definitely not a requirement to brine the chicken before you smoke it. However, it can make a pretty big difference in the final result of a super juicy and flavorful bird. If you are in a time crunch, you can skip the brine step and add more salt to your dry spice rub. A brine is a great way to infuse flavors into the chicken.

You can add fresh herbs such as thyme and rosemary, lemon, garlic, peppercorns or whatever you can think of that you love with chicken. This is something I will generally do when roasting a chicken in the oven, but not when smoking, as I prefer the rub and the smoke to do the work of flavoring the meat.

This will pull out those flavors into the water, whereas the cold water won't. Brining the chicken before smoking is the best way to keep the breast moist.

You also want to make sure the temperature of your smoker doesn't get too high during the cook. Keeping a drip pan filled with water below the chicken will also create a more humid environment that is optimal for keeping the meat moist. The great news is that your smoked chicken will be even better the next day, so it's perfect for leftovers. Pulled chicken, tacos, quesadillas, smoky breakfast hash, smoked chicken sandwich, smoked chicken salad, smoked chicken alfredo pasta, the most amazing smoky chicken enchiladas, or just shred it and serve over grilled caesar salad , a kale salad with a creamy dressing or a tangy vinaigrette.

The possibilities are nearly endless. Don't forget to make chicken stock with the bones for even more meals. If you have room in your smoker, definitely smoke two or more chickens at the same time for more food with no extra effort. This will give you leftovers for days, and cooked chicken freezes great in little freezer bags.

You can then just crisp it up in a skillet when you are ready to eat. A sweet and tangy bbq sauce or a vinegary Carolina BBQ sauce is a great choice with pulled meat. A buttermilk ranch is a wonderful creamy pairing or even honey mustard or a balsamic vinaigrette that is the same as your salad is great for dipping the chicken in. The cook time for a whole chicken depends on a handful of factors.

First, the bigger the size of your chicken, the longer it will take to cook. Second, smokers temps are not always perfectly consistent, so if your temp drops a bit, you could be looking at a longer cook time. As always, keep a reliable meat thermometer handy, and watch the internal temperature and not the clock when smoking a whole chicken.

This recipe was created for you, backyard griller! You can find more of my smoking and grilling recipes here on my website browse the Homepage for inspiration on Instagram , YouTube or our Facebook Page. Your email address will not be published. Join my members-only group, The Grill Squad, for full access to my master classes, podcasts, and so much more! Jump to Recipe Print Recipe. Prep Time : 5 mins. Cook Time : 4 hrs.