This residential smoked whole chicken is tasty, juicy, and soft, and it tastes so much better than that of any rotisserie chicken you’ve ever had! It’s smoked gently until its ideal and then mixed with the greatest smoking flavor for a delicious and cost-effective family supper.
Happy news for BBQ enthusiasts who are in a hurry and simply cannot wait 8, 10, or 14 hours to cook a BBQ! It’s incredibly simple to smoke a chicken on a smoker, and it takes far less time than cooking a brisket and perhaps a chuck roast!
If you use my ‘slow cooking’ process and read all of my suggestions, you will receive a beautifully moist and tasty chicken that will never be dry or harsh, with beautifully crispy skin! Let’s get this party started! My approach for smoking a complete chicken is so basic that we won’t infuse anything extra into it. We’re simply planning to remove the chicken out from the package, flavor it, and smoke it!
How to prepare a whole chicken
It’s simple to prepare a whole chicken, and here is what you’ll do:
- Whether you have the time, brine the chicken in such a salt and water solution lasting 24 hours is always advised.
- Brining is still not required, but it does guarantee that your chicken remains juicy, moist, tender, and well-seasoned. So, whenever I have smoked chicken and roast chicken scheduled ahead of time, I brine my chicken. If I don’t have time, I just leave it blank.
- If the food comes with giblets, extract them and dispose of them. Then bring your chicken up to room temp; I simply left mine just on the countertop for 20-30 minutes.
- Using paper towels, wipe the chickens dry and spritz or sprinkle with olive or cooking oil.
- Season the chicken liberally. I want to keep things simple by flavoring with SPG (salt, pepper, garlic powder), often known as stone house spice.
- Use your shaker if you do have one! Season the chicken from across all sides using a dusting method from a high height, and also don’t neglect to season below the wings and the cavities with a nice coating.
- Optional: For added taste, season the chicken with an extra coating of spice. You would use a BBQ rub and any other flavor rub you choose.
- Suspend or binds the legs together with butcher string to guarantee that everything roasts properly as well as the legs do not burn. It also improves the display.
- Fold the ends of the wings somewhere under the rear of the bird to prevent them from burning. We do not always seem to do this; however, try to keep it in mind!
What is the best way to smoke a full chicken?
- It’s time to grill the chicken on a prepared smoker once you’ve seasoned it! Add the chicken breast face up onto your smoker. I don’t like using such a pan because it prevents the smoke from reaching the chicken and collects fluids that generate a bunch of steam and smoke at 275°F for around 2-3 hours.
- The chicken would be gently cooked, rendering down the fats and making the flesh moist, as well as imparting an amazing smoke taste!
- Whenever the chicken achieves a core temperature of 165°F, it is done. I propose inserting an electric probing thermometer inside the chicken to monitor the temperature while it is in the smoker.
- Return just on chicken for about 45 minutes and spritz it with cooking butter and oil to assist the skin in crisping up and switching a lovely bronze/mahogany color.
- Following 1.5 hours, flip the chicken to ensure consistent cooking and apply the additional spray, covering, cooking oil, or butter. At about this point, recheck the temperature; it ought to be approximately 140°F again for the breast and 150°F for the thigh.
- After around 2 hours, the temperature at the thickest portion of the breast should be 165°F, as well as the temperature at the widest part of something like the thigh should be 175°F. When the chicken is done!
- Add the chicken first from the smoker and then let it remain for 20 minutes until slicing and serving to enable the fluids to redistribute.
How long does it take to smoke a full chicken?
It is determined by the weight of your chicken. The 4-pound chicken usually requires about 2-3 hours of cooking, but you must continuously monitor the internal temperature to ensure that it gets 165°F.
At 275°F, it requires around 30 minutes for every pound of chicken, so have the math and keep a watchful eye on it! If it cooks too soon and the internal temperature of such meat remains low, you may cover it with foil.
If you get one of these expensive electric meat sturdy probes with such a wire, they perform much better since you won’t still have to continue exposing the smoker to measure the temperature but you can constantly check it.
The best wood to use for smoking chicken
The distinction between hardwood and softwood would be that softwood originates from fir trees, whereas hardwood originates from trees that shed their petals in the autumn. Softwood ignites faster and has more humidity, resulting in black smoke. Utilize hardwood for delicious, pure smoke! I normally use cherry or applewood with smoked chicken since they offer a moderate sweet smoking taste that suits the meat. Smoking chicken with maple, peach, pecan, or mesquite is also a good idea.
Is it necessary to brine a chicken before smoking it?
You don’t have to brine the chicken, but it’s the best method to guarantee that it’s seasoned together all way throughout. If you only season the skin of your chicken with a spice rub, the flesh will not be flavored below. Soaking in saltwater, spices, and peppers infuses that wonderful taste into every bite of chicken. I have a homemade chicken brine method that I strongly suggest!
When is the smoked chicken ready?
Whenever a thermometer put into the deepest portion of the thigh reaches at least 165 degrees F, the smoky chicken is prepared to consume. I propose using an electric probing thermometer which can be placed in the chicken because it burns to check the temperature continually.
I barbecue my chicken in a reusable aluminum pan since it simplifies cleaning especially near the completion of the day until much simpler. Some argue that it’s not ideal since the pan prevents the smoke from thoroughly entering the flesh, so if you prefer to cook the chicken straight on a shelf in your smoker, that’s just great as well.
What to serve with smoked chicken?
Offer smoked chicken over mac & cheeses, coleslaw, and a sprinkle of Alabama cheese sauce since it’s delicious and from Texas! Alternatively, use BBQ sauce.
You could also offer this with just covered potatoes as well as a side salad, and if you’re smoking, prepare these grilled baked potatoes. They’re amazing! If you do have chicken stock, it’s great for chicken salads, macaroni bakes, pies, or sandwiches.
Chicken Smoked
This smoked chicken serving contains a whole chicken wrapped in a homemade creamy sauce then gradually smoked until tender and delicious. This is some of the greatest chicken I’ve ever had; it’s flavorful and couldn’t be simpler to prepare.
- 1 recipe chicken brine
- 4-5 pounds entire chicken
- 1/4 cup BBQ Seasoning Rub
- Garnish with parsley
Instructions
- Make the chicken brine according to the brine instructions. Allow the chicken to soak in the brine for 24 hours.
- If you don’t have time to brine the chicken, you can always get an excellent outcome.
- Prepare the smoker to 250° F. Fill the smoker with apple wood pellets or your favorite wood chips.
- Take the chicken out of the brine and pat it dry. Bind the legs together with kitchen rope and slip the wings somewhere under the bird.
- Cover the chicken with creamy sauce and put it in a disposable aluminum pan. Remove the skin and massage some of the spice straight onto the meat beneath the skin.
- Insert the chicken into the smoker. Cook for 3.5-4.5 hours, but till the thermometer is placed into the thickest portion of the thigh registers 165°F.
- During the cooking process, you will need to replace the wood chips, so maintain close observation of your smoker.
- Allow the chicken to stand for 10 minutes after removing it from the smoker.
- Slow cooker on a serving plate. If necessary, sprinkle with parsley. Mark the chicken and serve it.
Nutritional Facts
Calories: 219kcal, Vitamin A: 55IU, Protein: 33g, Calcium: 17mg, Fat: 9g, Sodium: 165mg, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 157mg, Iron: 1mg, Potassium: 410mg.
Frequently asked questions:
How long does it take to smoke a whole chicken at 225 degrees?
Put the chicken inside the smoker. Pull the wings underneath to keep them from overcooking. Cook for five hours at 225 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, just until the chests and thighs achieve an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Is it better to smoke chicken whole or in pieces?
Slow smoking a whole chicken can cause the skin must become dry but also rubbery. Many of you who enjoy eating the skin will still want to ensure that it is juicy and delectable. When I smoke chicken, I like pieces because, in my experience, they provide a more uniform smoke over a longer length of time.
How do you cook a whole chicken in a smoker?
Heat your microwave to 325°F to slowly warm the smoked chicken. Stir to combine in a roasting pan and cover with 1/4 cup of water. Cover firmly with foil and cook for 15 minutes each pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 120°F.
How do you keep chicken moist when smoking?
To avoid stiff smoked chicken skin, use brine, baste with fat, and cook at a higher temperature. The greater heat and fat pouring during the standard oven roasting technique for birds helps the skin to crisp. The fluids flow more freely at higher temperatures. This increases the amount of moisture under the skin.
How long does it take to smoke a 6lb chicken?
Remove the skin and massage some of the spice straight onto the meat beneath the skin. Insert the chicken into the smoker. Cook for 3.5-4.5 hours, and until a thermometer placed into the thickest portion of the thigh registers 165°F.
What makes smoked chicken rubbery?
This isn’t a coincidental occurrence. It is the gradual cooking of something like the fat and fluids inside the chicken skin. Cooking at low temperatures of 225-275°F results in rubbery skin on smoked chicken because the fat and humidity in the skin stay unchanged and become stiff.
Should you inject chicken before smoking?
It’s best if you inject the fluids at least a few minutes before smoking or frying the meat. That’s because it allows the fluid to flow into the meat when you begin cooking it.
Is injecting meat worth it?
Injecting is yet another excellent method for ensuring far hydration throughout all meats, and it may be done shortly before the big roast. Giving time for the injection to reach equilibrium for up to 24 hours is suggested for optimal effects. When you inject, you may notice the benefits almost instantly.
Do meat injectors work?
Injecting, or boosting as food processors call it, is a proven technique to have the taste and juiciness deep into the meat. It is also the only means to deeply penetrate meat with lipids, herbs, spices, and other big molecules. It’s similar to brining, and the salt helps to preserve moisture while also enhancing flavor.
What do they inject into rotisserie chicken?
If you’ve ever tried a Costco chicken, you realize how salty they can be. This is because they are infused with a particular saline solution to provide taste. Each one of the birds has 460 milligrams of sodium.
