Smoked Chicken
intro
Tender, juice-locked smoked chicken with crisp spiced skin, slow-cooked over apple wood for classic, crowd-pleasing backyard cookout flavor.
Ingredients
Steps
Pat Dry and Brine Chicken
Pat the 1.8kg (4lb) spatchcocked whole chicken completely dry with paper towels. Mix 40g of the kosher salt with all 2g (1 tsp) of ground black pepper, then rub the mixture evenly over every chicken surface, including under the breast and thigh skin. Set the chicken on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours to dry the skin and let salt penetrate the meat.
Soak Chips and Preheat Smoker
While the chicken brines, soak 120g (2 cups) of apple wood chips in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain fully. Preheat your offset smoker or charcoal grill (set up for indirect heat) to 120°C (250°F). Add 60g (1 cup) of the drained wood chips to the hot coals once temperature is reached, then close the lid to build thin, pale blue smoke.
Mix and Apply the Rub
In a small bowl, mix the remaining 20g kosher salt, 50g (1/4 cup packed) light brown sugar, 14g (2 tbsp) smoked paprika, 9g (1 tbsp) garlic powder, and 7g (1 tbsp) onion powder until fully combined. Rub 30ml (2 tbsp) of olive oil all over the dry brined chicken surface, then coat every inch evenly with the spice rub, pressing gently to help seasoning adhere.
Smoke Chicken Low and Slow
Place the seasoned chicken breast-side up on the indirect heat zone of the smoker/grill, ensuring no part of the chicken sits directly over hot coals. Close the lid and hold a steady 120°C (250°F) temperature for 2 hours, adding 30g (1/2 cup) of the remaining drained wood chips every 45 minutes to maintain consistent thin smoke; avoid thick white smoke, which causes bitter flavor.
Finish Cooking the Chicken
After 2 hours, raise the smoker/grill temperature to 175°C (350°F) and continue cooking for 45–60 minutes, until the thickest part of the chicken thigh reaches an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F) when measured with an instant-read thermometer, and the skin is deep golden-brown and crisp.
Rest and Carve the Chicken
Transfer the cooked smoked chicken to a clean grooved cutting board, and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving into breast, thigh, wing, and drumstick portions to allow juices to redistribute, then serve warm.
Tips
2.Dry-brining the chicken uncovered in the fridge is critical for crisp skin, as excess surface moisture will prevent skin from crisping during smoking.
3.If you do not have an outdoor smoker, you can replicate this recipe indoors using a stovetop smoker pan over medium-low heat, running your range hood on high to vent excess smoke.
OMG this applewood smoked whole chicken was an absolute game changer for our Sunday family dinner! The skin was so crispy, the smoke flavor wasn’t overpowering at all, and my kids practically fought over the drumsticks. I was nervous it would be too hard since it’s medium difficulty, but the step by step instructions made it totally doable even on my offset smoker.
Solid recipe, turned out great for my weekly meal prep! The chicken stayed juicy all week when I shredded it for salads and wraps. Only knock is I wish it had a note about internal temp carryover cooking—mine hit 160 when I pulled it and it went up to 170 by the time it rested, so the breast was a tiny bit drier than I wanted. Still super flavorful though, will definitely make again.
Brought this to our neighborhood block party last weekend and people were asking me for the recipe left and right! The applewood smoke gives it such a warm, cozy fall flavor that pairs perfectly with coleslaw and baked beans. 10/10, will be making this for every cookout from now on.
Wait 5 hours cook time? Is that at 225 the whole time? I usually smoke whole chickens hotter and faster, curious if the low and slow here is worth the extra time.
SO good! I used applewood chips from my local hardware store since I couldn’t find chunks, and it still had that perfect sweet smoke taste. My husband said it’s better than the smoked chicken we get at our favorite BBQ joint down the street. Total win.
First time ever smoking any kind of meat and this actually turned out edible? Wild. I messed up the dry brine timing (only did it 2 hours instead of overnight) and it still had great flavor. Definitely building up my confidence to try bigger smokes now!
Is there a good gluten free rub option that works with this? A lot of store bought BBQ rubs have hidden wheat in them, so I make my own but want to make sure the flavor profile matches the applewood smoke.
Made this for our Browns watch party tailgate last Sunday and even after the loss, everyone was raving about the chicken. Crispy skin, juicy meat, that subtle apple smoke—chef’s kiss. Only thing I changed was adding a little extra cayenne for a tiny kick, worked like a charm.
I made this on my electric smoker with applewood pellets and it came out perfect! I was worried an electric smoker wouldn’t give enough smoke flavor, but 5 hours with the pellets had it tasting like it came off a fancy offset. My whole family devoured it, even my super picky 7 year old.
Tried this last night and the cook time was spot on for my 4lb bird! I was worried I’d have to guess when it was done but following the temp guide meant no guesswork. The white meat was juicy, the dark meat was fall off the bone tender. SO good.
This is such a great meal prep staple! I shred the leftover chicken and use it for tacos, chicken salad, soup, you name it. The smoke flavor makes every leftover meal feel way fancier than it is. Worth every minute of the 5 hour cook time, I promise.