Smoked Whole Chicken on Pellet Grill

Your summer barbecues aren’t complete without this easy smoked whole chicken on a pellet grill! Prepared with a simple yet flavorful spice rub, this chicken is smoked to perfection for the most succulent, tender and moist meat. Plus, this smoked whole chicken recipe takes 10 minutes of hands-on preparation time, and you can smoke one or multiple chickens at a time.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• What to Serve With
• How to Store
• Recipe FAQs
• Expert Tips
• Perfect Pairing
• Get More Chicken Dishes
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Smoking adds a depth of flavor and makes for the most tender meat: We smoke our chicken on a pellet grill at 225 degrees. With that low and slow cooking, the smoke perfectly infuses into the meat, and it stays moist and flavorful. Don’t be surprised if this becomes your favorite way to prepare chicken.

Say bye-bye to gummy, rubbery skin with a special technique: Smoked chicken isn’t known for crisp skin because of the low temperature, but thanks to a dry brine technique, we can achieve a nice crispness. We also coat the chicken skin with some olive oil and turn up the heat from the lower temperature at the very end to promote that crisp texture even further. 

Keep that oven turned off for summer: On those hot summer days, a long cook time can quickly heat up a kitchen. All cooking is done outside for the best summer preparation method.

Perfect party dinner idea: Not only does a whole smoked chicken on a pellet grill require very little preparation time, but you can smoke one chicken for a small gathering or several chickens at once, depending on the size of your smoker. That makes it super simple to feed a large crowd the best chicken of their lives with little effort.

Bonus: If you love this chicken, make sure you also try my smoked tri tip, smoked burgers and smoked pellet grill brisket! Let's put that smoker to use.

Ingredients

As if you needed another reason to enjoy this recipe, it has one simple ingredient list. Here are a few helpful notes to make the absolute best smoked whole chicken. 

Whole chicken: I recommend chickens that are about 4 to 5 pounds. Most chickens come with innards that need to be removed, so you simply reach into the cavity and remove whatever is in there. Depending on the brand, this can include the neck, gizzards, liver and heart.

Chicken BBQ rub: We make our own rub by combining chili powder, brown sugar, garlic powder, black pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, ground cumin and mustard powder. Of course, you’re welcome to use your own blend. 

BBQ sauce: This is optional, but I love a good sauce with smoked chicken. I highly recommend my honey-sriracha BBQ sauce, coffee-bourbon BBQ sauce or blueberry BBQ sauce. You can also use your favorite BBQ sauce.

Olive oil: This helps promote that crisp skin. Just a tablespoon or two will do.

Salt: In addition to the pictured ingredients, make sure you have 1 heaping tablespoon of salt for the dry brining.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: To dry brine for crisp skin, we pat the chicken dry with paper towels, and then generously sprinkle with salt and rub into the skin (photo 1). I like to also go ahead and stuff the chicken with a lime and use kitchen or butcher twine to tie the legs to keep them tight. We place the chicken in the refrigerator for at least four hours, though overnight is ideal.

Technically, this step is optional, but I highly recommend to truly make the best smoked chicken recipe.

Step 2: We’re ready for smoking and prepare our smoker according to the manufacturer’s directions, fill the water pan and set the temperature to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. As the smoker heats, we make the spice rub by simply stirring the mixture together (photo 2). 

Step 3: Now we rub the spice mixture all over the chicken skin like so (photo 3) and place the chicken in the smoker with the breast-side up and thighs closest to the heat source. If possible, try to tuck in the wing tips.

Step 4: We allow the chicken to smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees. At this point, we brush the skin with olive oil and BBQ sauce if desired (photo 4) and crank up the heat to 350 degrees to finish cooking. 

Step 5: And that’s it! We let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the juices to settle, and then we’re ready to carve with a sharp knife and serve the most perfect smoked whole chicken.

Note: While this recipe specifies a pellet grill, you can apply the ingredients and instructions to any type of smoker of your choosing. The process is the same whether you use an electric pellet grill or more traditional smoker.

What to Serve With

Smoked whole chicken is super versatile and goes with so many side dishes. A few of my favorite side dishes for smoked chicken include:

• Smoked baked beans
• Pesto tortellini salad
• Roasted potato salad
• Bacon macaroni salad
• Hawaiian potato salad
• Coconut-lime rice

While this recipe is awesome during the summer, a smoked whole bird also makes a delicious holiday main course, especially for smaller gatherings. For that, you’ll love these recipes:

• Brown butter mashed potatoes
• Pumpkin mac and cheese
• Green bean casserole
• Sweet potato soufflé

How to Store

Allow any leftovers to fully cool and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. You can also store it in a freezer-safe bag or container, and the chicken will keep at its best for up to four months. 

I love freezing any leftover smoked chicken and then using it for nachos, sandwiches, chicken salads, quesadillas, tacos – you name it. That smoked flavor goes well with so many different recipes.

Recipe FAQs

Expert Tips

Get crispy skin: For best results and the crispiest skin, I like to dry brine overnight. It gives the salt even more time to pull out excessive moisture.

This salt for dry brining will look like a lot. Don't worry. This is normal, and it will not come out too salty because of the reabsorption into the meat. 

Stuff and tie early in the process: I recommend stuffing the cavity and tying the legs together before dry brining. As the chicken brines in the refrigerator, the legs will become more lax. If you go ahead and tie them now, they’ll stay together better. 

Avoid overcooking with the right thermometer: I like to use a leave-in thermometer, so I can always keep an eye on the internal temperature.

Smooth out the spice mix: The brown sugar can be a bit lumpy, so try to break up any pieces by pressing down on them with the spoon.

Infuse the chicken with flavor all over: When rubbing the outside of the chicken with the spice mix, gently lift up the skin and rub some seasoning directly on the meat.

Perfect Pairing

For the perfect smoked chicken and beer pairing, you will love an American amber ale. This type of beer features a malty backbone with caramel and toffee notes. That sweet malt works well with the brown sugar and counters the spice of the chicken dry rub. Plus, the American hops add some citrus to give a little brightness to that smoky flavor.

When wine calls, I like two different routes, depending on the occasion. If you’re enjoying a nice summer chicken on the patio, I like an oaked chardonnay. It’s chilled enough to stay refreshing on a hot day, and you’ll love how the oak char plays with the smoked and spice rub. 

For a holiday smoked chicken, a pinot noir is perfect. Not only do the earthy undertones of the pinot match the smoky profile, but this wine shows off some berry notes that wonderfully counter the spice. And it tends to pair well with many other holiday side dishes.

Love a cocktail? A nice Cadillac margarita is perfect. The fresh lime adds some pop, and the reposado tequila, which ages in oak barrels, is a nice complement to the smoke infusion – similar to the chardonnay recommendation above. My tequila lemonade also makes a nice match.

I hope you enjoy this perfect smoked whole chicken on a pellet grill! It’s a favorite at our house, and I have no doubt you’ll love it just as much. 

Cheers!

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