A whole chicken in the smoker is magical – combining amazing smoky flavors, super juicy & tender texture, and beautiful presentation. Brined and rubbed with a simple spice blend, then slowly smoked over flavorful wood chips, even beginners can achieve juicy perfection effortlessly.

The uses are endless – from flavorful tacos to smoky pulled chicken sandwiches or simply enjoyed with your hands. Plus, an affordable way to feed a crowd or have leftovers for days. Fire up the smoker for this delectable, easy-smoked chicken.

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You’ll Love It

2 What You’ll Need

3 How to Smoke a Whole Chicken

4 How Long to Smoke a Whole Chicken?

5 Top Tips for Success

6 Keeping the Chicken From Drying Out

7 Smoked Whole Chicken

Why You’ll Love It

Brining the chicken is an extra (yet super easy) step that gives it so much flavor and keeps it juicy. The flavorful dry rub makes for a golden crust that is a stunning presentation. Whole chickens are not only economical (much cheaper per pound than individual cuts), but they give a variety of light and dark meat, so you get to pick your favorite part. You get the breasts, thighs, and wings in one tidy and easy-to-manage package.

What You’ll Need

A Whole Chicken – Any size will do.
A Brine – Water, salt, sugar. It soaks in the brine bath, which helps keep it super juicy and flavorful as it cooks in the smoker.
A Dry Rub – Use your favorite or follow my chicken rub recipe.
Wood chunks or pellets – Apple or cherry wood are my top choices for smoking chicken. They are subtle and have slightly sweet flavors that pair wonderfully with chicken and don’t overpower it. You can use one or even a combination of the two. Hickory, maple, pecan or oak will also work great.
Thermometer(s) – A Two-Channel Remote Thermometer and a Thermapen Instant Read Probe Thermometer to spot check and verify.

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How to Smoke a Whole Chicken

Follow these step-by-step instructions for a seriously delicious smoked chicken.

Brine the Chicken (optional but highly recommended)
Dissolve a solution of 1 cup Diamond Kosher Salt, 3/4 cup sugar and 4 quarts water. Submerge the chicken in the brine, and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours. Thoroughly rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
Apply the Dry Rub
Evenly dust your spice rub on all surfaces and let it sit out to come to room temperature while you get your smoker ready.
Setup the smoker
Set it up for indirect-heat cooking with a smoker temp of 225° F to 275° F with a drip pan filled with hot water under where the grates (according to the manufacturer’s instructions). Add your wood chips or pellets for smoke.
*Note: Use a lower temperature for a pellet smoker for more smoke flavor. A higher smoker temperature will result in faster cooking with crispier skin, but potentially less smoke flavor.
Smoke the chicken
Place the chicken in the smoker breast side up and cook with the lid closed until the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 160° F and the thighs are around 180° F (about 45 to 60 minutes per pound). The cook time will be approximately 3 to 4 hours.
Note that the temperature will continue to rise when you remove it from the heat.
Rest the chicken for 15 minutes uncovered on a cutting board. Carve by separating the breasts, legs and wings. Enjoy!

Variations

Spatchcock (aka butterfly) – Use kitchen poultry sheers to cut out the backbone and flatten the chicken. It will cook more quickly and very evenly. Spatchcock Smoked Turkey is also a great way to cook a large bird.
Dry Brine – In this recipe, we used a wet brine, but you can totally use a dry brine.
High Heat, Faster Cook – Similar to roasting a whole chicken (but in your smoker). If you are on a time crunch, you can cook it between 325° F and 400° F for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 155° F (to account for carryover cooking). It won’t get as much smoke flavor, but it will still be really good.
Finish with Sauce – To get the bbq chicken effect, you can brush on BBQ sauce the last 20 minutes or so of the cook.
Use Smaller Cuts – If you don’t have a whole chicken, you can also make smoked chicken thighs, smoked chicken breasts or smoked chicken wings.
Shred it Up – You can make great BBQ Pulled Chicken with the whole bird.

smoked whole chicken dry spice rub ingredients

The Spice Rub

A flavorful dry rub on the skin will result in a beautiful and flavorful chicken. You can use your favorite spice rub, or even go super simple with just salt & pepper. I prefer to use this dry rub for chicken that has a combination of brown sugar for some sweetness, plus some cayenne pepper and black pepper for a little heat. Paprika will add beautiful deep colors to the chicken to enhance the presentation along with adding some subtle flavors.

A note about salt in a rub when brining: If you plan on brining the chicken (which I recommend), omit the salt from the rub, as it can make the chicken too salty.

How Long to Smoke a Whole Chicken?

It will take approximately 3 to 4 hours to smoke a whole chicken. It is done cooking when the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 160° F and the thighs reach 180° F (which makes them more tender). Figure about 45 to 60 minutes per pound at 250° F.

It’s always best to cook to temperature rather than to time. Use an instant-read probe thermometer to verify temperatures. There are a lot of variables, such as size and the starting temperature of the chicken, consistency in the smoker’s temperature, and even the weather that day.

Top Tips for Success

Get Crispy Skin – Smoked chicken doesn’t usually get crispy skin like it does when roasted, but if crispy is the goal you can crank up the heat of your smoker toward the end of the cook to around 400° F to crisp it up for 10 to 15 minutes. Just be careful not to overcook the chicken when doing this.
Cook Two – If you have room in your smoker, definitely smoke two or more chickens at the same time for more leftovers with no extra effort. This will give you leftovers for days, and cooked chicken freezes great in little freezer bags. You can then just crisp it up in a skillet when you are ready to eat.
Use a Thermometer – The best way to tell when the chicken is done is to use a probe thermometer.
A Brine is a Gamechanger – Whether you wet brine (like in this recipe) or dry brine (pretty much just heavily salting the outside of the chicken and refrigerating uncovered, it is going to make a big difference in the flavor and texture. Give it a try and see the results yourself.

Keeping the Chicken From Drying Out

Brine the chicken before smoking to help it retain moisture.
Maintain a consistent low smoker temperature between 225°F-275°F.
Place a drip pan of water under the chicken to create humidity.
Monitor internal temperatures and remove chicken when breasts reach 160°F.
Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing to allow juices to redistribute.

Serving Suggestions

Favorite sides to serve with it include potato salad, macaroni salad and coleslaw. Baked beans are a wonderful hearty addition, and you can even make baked beans in the smoker, right alongside the chicken as it cooks. If doing a full plating for dinner, creamy mashed potatoes and simple sauteed corn are fantastic.

If you are looking to sauce it up, a side of sweet & tangy BBQ sauce goes great, or a bright, fresh chimichurri. If you are making a salad, go with a BBQ vinaigrette (or balsamic vinaigrette) which are both great for lettuce and also dipping the chicken in.

Storage Instructions

Allow the smoked chicken to cool before refrigerating. Refrigerate the chicken in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
For longer storage, remove any remaining meat from the bones and place in a ziplock freezer bag or airtight container. Squeeze out any excess air and freeze for up to 3 months.

Leftover Inspiration

A smoked whole chicken is absolutely perfect for leftovers, and it will taste even better the next day. Pulled chicken, tacos, quesadillas, smoky breakfast hash, smoked pulled chicken sliders or sandwiches, smoked chicken salad, smoked chicken alfredo pasta, the most amazing smoky chicken enchiladas, or just shred it and serve over grilled Caesar salad, a kale salad with a creamy dressing or a tangy vinaigrette. The possibilities are nearly endless.
Definitely make chicken stock with the bones for even more meals.

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