Smoky, succulent, and crave-worthy. This wood-smoked pulled chicken so tender and saucy, you'll want to pile it high on everything from buns to nachos to salads. 4 ingredients and a 1 hour cook time in the smoker.
3 to 4lbsboneless, skinless chicken thighs(or any chicken pieces you prefer)
kosher salt
neutral oil(such as canola or avocado oil)
1cupBBQ sauce(use 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup per pound of shredded chicken, or to taste)
For the BBQ Rub (makes about 1/4 cup)
2tspgarlic powder
2tsponion powder
2tspsmoked paprika
1tspblack pepper
2tspbrown sugar
made a little less than 1/4 cup
Instructions
Dry brine the chicken overnight to allow the salt to go all the way through and fully season the chicken. If you don't have time to dry brine overnight, season at least 1 hour before cooking.
Make the rub by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Pat the chicken dry and rub with a thin coat of neutral oil or mustard, then liberally apply the dry rub all over. Let the coated chicken sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking to allow it to take on the seasoning and come closer to room temp for more even cooking. Insert a remote probe thermometer into the thickest part of one of the thighs.
Set up your smoker for indirect heat cooking according to the manufacturer's instructions. Preheat the smoker to 275°-300°F (135°-149°C).Use a sweet fruitwood like apple or cherry, or use hickory or pecan pellets, wood chunks or chips for smoke.
Smoke the chicken. Place the chicken in the smoker. Smoke until the thighs reach 175°-180°F (79°-82°C) internal temperature. Start spot-checking with an instant-read thermometer around 45 minutes in, but expect 45 minutes to 1 hour total cook time depending on the smoker temp and the thickness of the chicken pieces. Bone-in thighs will take longer to cook.
Remove the chicken from the smoker and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes, covered, until cool enough to handle.
Shred/pull the chicken using two forks or tongs to pull it apart into shreds. For hands-off shredding, you can use paddle attachments on a stand mixer or hand mixer.
Mix the shredded chicken with your desired amount of BBQ sauce, approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup sauce per pound of pulled chicken. Tip: Warm sauce helps keep the pulled chicken hot.
Serve the saucy BBQ pulled chicken piled onto Hawaiian-style buns, topped with coleslaw and extra BBQ sauce on the side.
Notes
Don't skip the brining step - it makes a huge difference in keeping the chicken moist and flavorful as it cooks. For extra juicy and flavorful chicken, dry brine the chicken overnight or wet brine for 3-4 hours.
Chicken breasts can be used instead of thighs, but thighs tend to stay more moist and juicy when smoked/cooked low and slow. Set your smoker to 225° F when smoking breasts and cook to a pull temperature of 158° F.
For easier smoking, you can place the chicken in a disposable aluminum pan or foil roasting pan rather than directly on the grates of the smoker. This makes moving and saucing easier, but they might absorb less smoke.
Leftover pulled chicken keeps well refrigerated for 3-4 days. Reheat gently with extra sauce to prevent drying out.
For more smoky flavor, add a little liquid smoke at the saucing step if your smoker doesn't produce enough smoke.