How to cook chicken thighs on a pellet grill

Grilled chicken thighs are even better with the smoky deliciousness of the Traeger Grill! If you don’t have a Traeger – you can still enjoy these grilled thighs all summer long.

This chicken thighs recipe is totes easy too! These bone-in chicken thighs have a super crispy chicken skin (as you can see) and were so tender, juicy and flavorful – I didn’t mind having to eat them all myself!! (not all at once!) I kept the leftovers in the fridge and used them on salads, with pasta & veggies and more!

I’ve loved getting to know how to use my Traeger pellet grill – it’s truly the easiest grill I’ve ever used! You plug it in, turn it on, set the temp and grill! Just make sure it has pellets and that’s it! No watching it to make sure it doesn’t get too hot – it’s awesome!

Ingredients for Grilled Chicken Thighs

• Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• You can definitely use boneless skinless chicken thighs – but they’ll take much less time to grill – probably just 20 minutes or so! Scroll down for cook time on different cuts of chicken.
• Olive Garden Italian Dressing – Italian Dressing is my favorite chicken marinade and I make my own because it’s so easy! Here are some alternate seasoning blend ideas as well:
• Traditional Dry Rub: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
• Sweet & Spicy Spice Rub: chili powder, brown sugar, sea salt
• Tangy Marinade: lime juice, lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro, salt, minced garlic cloves

How do you grill Bone-in Chicken Thighs?

I mean seriously – I’m hungry again just looking at it! These crispy chicken thighs are so easy to make and are the best chicken thighs you’ll ever eat!

• Rinse chicken thighs and pat dry with paper towels
• Place chicken thighs in a zipper bag and pour 1-2 cups of Olive Garden Italian dressing into the bag (enough so thighs are covered)
• Refrigerate & marinate for a minimum of 4 hours but up to 24 hours
• When ready to grill, be sure there are enough pellets in the hopper
• Turn Traeger to SMOKE setting
• After about 4-5 minutes, the Traeger will start to smoke – once the smoke dissipates, shut lid and turn temperature up to 400 degrees
• These instructions are specific to the Traeger. If you have another brand of wood pellet grill be sure to follow directions from your owners manual.
• Watch temperature gage and it will come up to temp in about 10 minutes
• Once grill is at 400 degrees fahrenheit – place chicken thighs, skin side down, on grill grate
• Come back in about 35 minutes and check the temperature on your chicken with a meat thermometer.
• Take thighs off when temperature is between 155-160 degrees and let chicken rest. It will continue to come up to temp quickly.
• To shut down your Traeger, leave the grill lid open, turn the knob to Shut Down.
• After about 5 minutes the fan will shut down and then you can turn the power off and put the cover back on.

How long do you cook Chicken Thighs on the Traeger Grill?

These bone-in chicken thighs grill in 35 minutes to grill at 400 degrees. I did not “smoke” them (smoking meat is usually done at a low temperature like 225 degrees) – but these grilled chicken thighs still get that smoky flavor because they’re cooking with pellets! What about different cuts of chicken?

• Boneless skinless chicken thighs – 15-20 minutes
• Boneless chicken breasts – 20-25 minutes
• Chicken wings – 20-25 minutes
• Chicken legs – 25-30 minutes
• Chicken Kabobs – 15 minutes
• Whole chicken – check out my recipe for Beer Can Chicken for full details on time & temp

Always temp check your meat – chicken should cook until the internal temperature reaches 155-160 degrees when you remove it from the grill. They’ll continue to heat up once you remove them and get to 165.

How can I add smoke flavor when grilling at a higher temperature? 

If you want to smoke chicken thighs – but still grill them at a higher temperature (so they’re done more quickly) – you can do it! Here are a couple of ways to get the best smoked chicken thighs:

• Wood chips – Soak them in water for 30 minutes before starting the grill. One cup of Traeger wood chips will last for about 20 minutes. Place the soaked chips in a disposable aluminum foil pan and place on the grill. 
• Pellets & Smoke Tubes – If you’re looking for a quicker smoke – especially if you’re at a grilling temp (350+) vs a slow smoke temp (225) – the easiest ways are to use smoke tubes and pellets! Fill a smoke tube with your favorite wood pellets, light the pellets on one end and then once they light, blow out the flame. Place smoke tube on the grill (behind the meat or on the top rack) and shut the lid. The pellets will smoke throughout your cook and add that smokiness into your meat!

These Traeger chicken thighs will not disappoint! I’m only one person and ended up getting five pounds of chicken thighs and made them all! I figure if I’m turning on the grill – might as well make them all! I used the leftovers on salads and pastas all week!

How do you reheat leftover Chicken Thighs?

My favorite way to reheat grilled chicken is in my air fryer – it cooks and reheats more quickly so you won’t dry out the meat. I have the Instant Omni Pro Air Fryer and it has a reheat setting that I often use.

How do you store wood pellets?

There are a lot of ways to store your pellets – from a pet food container that you can find at your local Ace Hardware store to a 5-gallon bucket with a water-tight seal. I use an outdoor storage container I found on Amazon and the pellets have stayed completely dry for years!

What flavor of Traeger smoker pellets go with chicken?

Pecan, Apple and cherry wood are the best for chicken because chicken is not a very strongly flavored meat so you can use lighter flavored pellets. I tend to use the Traeger Signature Blend of pellets which are a combination of Maple, Cherry and Hickory. It goes well with everything from pork to chicken to beef!

What to serve with Traeger Grilled Chicken Thighs?

• Copycat KFC Coleslaw
• Creamiest Macaroni & Cheese
• Traeger Grilled Herbed Potatoes

Easy recipes for leftover chicken?

• Weight Watchers chicken salad
• Chicken Casserole with Ritz Crackers
• BBQ Chicken Salad

Other delicious Traeger recipes

• Grilled Chicken Kabobs
• Beer Can Chicken
• Grilled Cheese Stuffed Brats
• Traeger Smoked Queso
• Grilled Corn on the Cob
• Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
• Smoked Cream Cheese

Grilled chicken thighs are even better with the smoky deliciousness from the Traeger Grill! If you don’t have a Traeger – you can still enjoy these grilled thighs all summer long!

Prep Time 1 d

Cook Time 35 mins

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 402 kcal

• 2-5 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• Olive Garden Italian Dressing

• Rinse chicken thighs with water and pat dry

• Place chicken thighs in ziploc bag(s) and pour half dressing in each bag.

• Refrigerate and Marinate the thighs in Italian dressing for 24 hours

• When ready to grill, make sure there are enough pellets in the hopper

• Turn Traeger grill onto Smoke setting and turn on.

• After about 4-5 minutes, Traeger grill starts to smoke – shut lid and change temp to 400 degrees

• Watch temperature gage and it will come up to temp in about 10 minutes

• Once grill is at 400 degrees – place chicken thighs, skin side down, on grill

• Come back in about 35 minutes and check the temperature on your chicken. It should be 160-165 degrees.

• To shut down your Traeger, leave the grill lid open, turn the knob to Shut Down. After about 5 minutes the fan will shut down and then you can turn the power off and put the cover back on. 

Calories: 402kcalCarbohydrates: 3.2gProtein: 27.8gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 7.2gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 925mgPotassium: 246mgSugar: 3.2gCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg

Keyword chicken, grilling, traeger