Smoked Whole Chicken is absolutely delicious and easy to make. Below we’ll explain how to smoke a whole chicken on a pellet grill or other style smoker for the best chicken you will make. Show
If you want a great variation of this, try our guide on how to spatchcock chicken where you remove the backbone and flatten the chicken. Make a few chickens on the weekend and use the meat for easy weekday meals.Jump to:
Smoked Whole Chicken is one of the most common things we cook on our smokers. We typically smoke one or two on any given Sunday, then use the meat throughout the week for our meals, like tacos or smoked chicken tortilla soup. Smoked Whole ChickenOne of the common downfalls with smoking a whole chicken at a low temperature, is that it can result in rubbery skin. It is difficult at lower temperature to actually render the fat and get that crispy texture on the skin. So the best approach is a modified version of reverse searing.
We have used this method on our MAK Two-Star General pellet grill as well as our Big Green Egg. The method applies to both styles of grills, and works every time to get a juicy and smoky interior, and a crispy skin on the exterior. What Size Chicken is Best?Roaster chickens, or chickens around 5 pounds, are the best option. Some of the chickens may have the giblets. Simply discard the giblets for this recipe. If we’re grilling (i.e. hot and fast) chicken, we typically break the chicken up into smaller pieces, like in our perfect grilled chicken, because each piece cooks at a different length of time (the breasts taking the longest). BUT for low and slow chicken we love cooking a whole chicken (without butchering it down), because it comes to temperature much slower and more consistently. So if you’ve never smoked a whole roaster chicken before, get excited. You may be doing it much more often now. PreparationAfter purchasing the chicken, the goal is to dry out the chicken and add the rub for a few hours before smoking.
How to Smoke a Whole Chicken
Temperature for Smoked Whole ChickenStart by smoking the whole chicken at 225 – 250 degrees F, keeping it fairly low. If we continued cooking at that range for the entire length of the cook it would take several hours to get a properly smoked chicken. You can extend the time on smoke for more smoke flavor, but our goal is both smoke and a crispy skin texture. After one hour raise the temperature of the grill to 350 degrees F, to ensure a nice crispy outer skin. If you go too hot, it can overcook parts of the meat, so that’s why we shoot for 350 after the initial smoke. Alternatively you can roast it at the same temperature that you would in the oven (375 degrees) like this whole roasted chicken recipe. But you won’t get as much of a sweet smoke flavor as it will cook much quicker. We prefer to do it this way for full flavor intensity! Smoking our chicken on our MAK Two-Star General Pellet GrillIf you have one we recommend inserting a leave-in thermometer to monitor temps, like this BlueDOT Bluetooth Thermometer from ThermoWorks or their Smoke Unit. This one is great because you can monitor the temps from your phone via an iPhone app, or just check on the receiver so you don’t have to constantly open and shut your lid. Make sure to insert it into the thickest part of the meat, where it will take the longest time to cook. Alternatively, you can use any digital thermometer to occasionally check temps in the breast and thighs. How Long to Smoke a Whole Chicken?Plan approximately 2 ½ hours from start to finish to smoke a whole chicken using this method. But always go by temperature, not exact time. This particular example was a 5 pound bird, and it was on 250 for 1 hour, then about 90 mins at 350 degrees. Your chicken will vary based on various factors (exact size of your bird, exact temperature of smoker, fluctuations, etc.). Below are ranges for how long to smoke a whole chicken.
Make sure to save that chicken carcass for stock. You can find our favorite way to do chicken stock in our cookbook, Fire and Wine. What Wood is Best for ChickenFor chicken we use fruit woods, like apple or cherry, because it burns sweet and adds a nice smoke element without it tasting too much like campfire. Another alternative wood is hickory. Wine Pairing with ChickenA perfect smoked chicken dinner is pairing this with roasted duck fat potatoes.I typically reach for a Chardonnay or full bodied white wine with chicken. Even if a smoked whole chicken recipe (pending they do not have any BBQ sauce on them). But because of the dry rub we use, which has some bold and smoky flavors, we opt for red. In this case Pinot Noir. But you’re going to want a bolder style Pinot Noir for this (nothing too delicate). Côtes du Rhône blends work well too. You want something fruity, but not too intense or tannic (think Cab). Remember, there’s no sauce on this, just the tender meat and dry rub on the crispy skin. Zinfandel works nicely too, as long as it’s not too intense of a Zin. Use any Leftover Chicken for these Recipes
This recipe was first published in July 2018 and updated in February of 2021 with more details on the recipe and a video. This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on the link, we may receive a small commission if you purchase through the link. We partner with brands we know and love and use and it helps keep the blog going! Smoked Whole Chicken RecipeStep by step guide for smoked whole chicken- including times, temps, dry rub recipes and pro tips. 3.91 from 41 votes Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes Resting Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes Servings: 4 servings Calories: 25kcal Author: Mary Cressler | Vindulge Cost: $15.00 Ingredients
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VideoNotes*This can be adapted to whatever smoker you have. But it’s quite easy for a pellet smoker as you can control the temperatures quite easily on them.Use the carcass to make smoked chicken stock, recipe available in our cookbook.Also consider making this on Sunday and then having chicken for the week for sandwiches and salads. We often cook two; one for our meal that night and the other to incorporate into tacos, enchiladas, and other great dishes. How long does it take to smoke a 5lb chicken at 225?Expect a cook time of about 2 1/2 to 3 hours for a 5 lb. chicken at 225 to 250 degrees F. With the whole chicken, the smoke time will be around 5 hours for a 5 lb. chicken at 225 to 250 degrees F.
How long does it take to smoke a whole chicken on 225?Place the whole chicken in your Traeger and cook at it at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-60 minutes. This low and slow start will let the smoke flavor penetrate the bird.
How long does it take to smoke a 5lb chicken in electric smoker?Insert the probe into the thickest part of your chicken, and set the digital thermometer to 165°F. HOT TIP: When your chicken reaches 165°F, the smoker will stop cooking and turn on warm mode. Set your smoker to 250°F. Cook time will vary based on the size of the bird, but we estimate about 30 to 45 minutes per pound.
How long does it take to cook a whole chicken in a smoker?It takes approximately 2.5-3 hours to fully smoke a whole chicken at 275 degrees F. The final internal temperature of the breast should be between 160-165 degrees F, and the thighs should be between 170-175 degrees F.
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