Whole smoked chicken is so much better than chicken roasted in the oven or rotisserie. It’s tender, incredibly juicy, and full of flavor. Take a few hours to brine the chicken for the best results, stuff it with some onion, garlic, and lemon, and finally, rub it with delicious chicken dry rub.
We love smoking chicken at my house even when it’s simple smoked chicken wings or chicken drumsticks. Chicken doesn’t take a long time to smoke, even a whole chicken will take 2.5-5 hours.
WHOLE SMOKED CHICKEN
Every time I make whole smoked chicken, we start drooling about an hour into the smoke. That’s around the time when the chicken starts to give out its amazing aroma, filling the air in the backyard and on the patio. During shorter smokes like that, I just sit on the patio and hang out. It’s my quiet time to “tend to the smoker” as I call it but in reality, it’s just my quiet time.
But the aroma of the food cooking is not as overwhelming as the scent smacking you in the face when you first open the lid. It’s very hard to resist biting right into the chicken, right there on the smoker. After all, this is the juiciest, tastiest chicken I’ve ever had. No roasted or rotisserie chicken ever tasted this good.
I attribute the taste and texture to the three simple features: brining, stuffing, and chicken dry rub. Yes, I personally believe that those are essential steps for my chicken and I would not have it any other way.
QUICK SMOKING NOTES
Smoker temperature for the whole chicken: the magic 225°.
Types of wood for smoking chicken: apple, pecan, maple, cherry. Personally, I love apple.
How long to cook the whole chicken: it could take 2.5-3 hours for the average whole chicken. (large chicken can take up to 5 hours.) Main thing to watch is internal temperature use a leave-in meat thermometer. Chicken breast meat should be 165°.
How to insert thermometer into chicken: Insert a digital probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast diagonally, not touching the bone. If you touch the bone, pull back just a little bit.
WHAT IS IN CHICKEN DRY RUB
Brown sugar
Paprika
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Thyme, dried
Oregano, dried
Rubbed sage, dried
HOW TO SMOKE A WHOLE CHICKEN
Brine:
You can brine chicken at least 4 hours in advance or overnight. I use a very simple brine when I smoke chicken because the chicken will have a spice rub coating and a stuffing that will give it good flavor.
For the brine, simply combine salt, sugar, and lemon slices in 2 quarts of water until it’s dissolved. Carefully submerge chicken into the brine solution and make sure it’s fully covered. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. (Overnight at the most.)
Stuff:
No, this is not the Thanksgiving stuffing you are thinking about. This is a simple combination of onions, garlic, and lemon to give the chicken some more moisture and flavor from the inside.
Stuff the cavity with half a lemon, about half a yellow onion, and 3-4 garlic cloves. Bring the legs together and tie them with cooking twine.
Chicken dry rub:
Combine all ingredients for the chicken rub in a small bowl and mix it well. Take chicken out of the brine and onto a rimmed baking sheet. (It’s easier to rub meats on a rimmed baking sheet than on a cutting board.) Pat chicken dry with a couple of paper towels and generously rub it with the seasoning mix.
Smoke:
Set up your smoker and get it to a steady 225°. Insert digital meat thermometer probe into the chicken breast and place it on the grate.
To insert the thermometer: Insert a digital probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast diagonally, not touching the bone. If you touch the bone, pull back just a little bit.
Close the lid right away and do not open it again until the chicken is done. Chicken will take about 2 1/2 hours, depending on the size, and it’s done when it reaches 165°.
Take chicken off the smoker, place it on the cutting board and then, loosely tent it with a sheet of aluminum foil. Let it rest 20-30 minutes before cutting into it.
DO I HAVE TO BRINE CHICKEN
Well, no, you don’t HAVE to brine the chicken. If you wake up in the morning and realize that you are smoking chicken today and you forgot to brine, you can do without. Chicken will not be totally ruined or come out not tasting good without the brine step.
Will it taste the same? No, it will not. Brine does help keep chicken meat moist and it does give the meat a little extra flavor. Chicken rub stays on the skin but chicken brine does help flavor the meat internally. Brined chicken will always give you a better result so it’s worth to take that extra step.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH SMOKED CHICKEN
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PIN THIS RECIPE
Smoked Whole Chicken
Ingredients
- 2-4 lb whole chicken
Brine:
- 2 quarts water
- 1/2 cup coarse salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 large lemon
To Stuff Chicken:
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1/2 lemon
- 3-4 garlic cloves
Chicken Dry Rub:
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1 1/2 tsp dried ground thyme
- 1 tsp rubbed sage
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
Instructions
Brine:
- Pour water into a large pot that is big enough to keep your chicken submerged in brine. Stir in salt, sugar, and lemon slices and let salt and sugar dissolve.
- Carefully submerge chicken into the brine solution and make sure it’s fully covered. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight).
Stuff The Chicken:
- Take chicken out of the brine and onto a rimmed baking sheet. (It’s easier to rub meats on a rimmed baking sheet than on a cutting board.)
- Stuff the cavity with half a lemon, about half a yellow onion, and 3-4 garlic cloves. Bring the legs together and tie them with cooking twine.
Rub The Chicken:
- Combine all ingredients for the chicken rub in a small bowl and mix it well.
- Pat chicken dry with a couple of paper towels all around.
- Generously rub it with the seasoning mix.
Smoking The Chicken:
- Set up your smoker and get it to a steady 225°.
- Insert a digital probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast diagonally, not touching the bone. If you touch the bone, pull back just a little bit.
- Open the lid, place the chicken on the grate, and close the lid right away.
- Don't open the lid again until chicken is done. Chicken will take about 2 1/2 hours, depending on the size, and it’s done when it reaches 165°. (Large size chicken could take up to 5 hours.)
- Take chicken off the smoker, place it on the cutting board and then, loosely tent it with a sheet of aluminum foil. Let it rest 20-30 minutes before cutting into it.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Wow!
I hope you will give it a try! It’s so good!