Smoked Whole Chicken Recipe

Christmas, Thanksgiving, anniversaries, birthdays – it is always a good time of year to eat a perfectly smoked whole chicken. Chicken is a great meat to share with family because it is easy to prepare, simple to season and is loved by many. 

Are you looking for the best smoked whole chicken recipe to share a tasty meal with family and friends at the weekend? Then I am sure you will find the smoked whole chicken recipe included in this article more than useful. 

Not only will this article go on to provide you with the most awesome smoked chicken recipe with a finger lickingly scrumptious rub to go with it, but this recipe will also answer some of those burning smoked chicken preparation questions that you would like to see answered. Some of the questions we will answer are: “How long does it take to smoke a whole chicken?”, and “To what temperature should you smoke a whole chicken?”. 

That’s right, all of this and more is coming up in this article!

How Long Does It Take To Smoke A Whole Chicken?

Cooking meals is all about timing, and that is especially true when it comes to chicken. Cooking it for too long makes the meat tough and dry, and cooking it for too short a time will make it dangerous to consume. So no doubt you are wondering, how long does it take to smoke a whole chicken?

To make it easier, you should test the internal temperature of your chicken with a meat probe as this will give you more accurate results as different sized birds will take different times to cook and the cooking time will also depend much on the temperature of your grill. 

Chicken breast should be cooked until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Chicken thighs should be cooked until they reach an internal temperature of 170 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit. 

All in all, to smoke a whole chicken, it should take about 2 and a half to 3 hours when cooking a 5-pound bird at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. But as the temperatures of grills can vary, it is better for you to use a probe thermometer to see how long you should cook the meat.

Top tips when measuring temperatures:

• Be sure to poke the probe into the flesh of the chicken rather than resting it on the bones as the bones will read a different temperature to the rest of the chicken. 
• Do not poke the chicken too many times with the probe as every time you do the chicken will lose some of the natural juices that keep the chicken soft and prevent it from drying out.

How To Smoke A Whole Chicken

So it has arrived, the moment we have all been waiting for. It is time to let you in on the most succulent and scrumptious smoked chicken recipe you can get your hands on. The following is a list of all of the ingredients that you will need to complete this recipe and also the instructions that will direct you while preparing and cooking this meal. Make sure you follow the directions carefully to achieve the very best results.

Main ingredients

• 3 pound chicken
• Olive oil (as required)

Ingredients for the rub 

• 2 tbsp of paprika
• 2 tbsp of medium chili powder
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 tbsp of onion powder
• ½ tsp of oregano
• 1 tsp of sea salt
• 1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp of mustard powder

Directions

1. Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit, need a smoker? Check the Electric Smoker Reviews
2. Use your fingers to massage the chicken over with olive oil, ensuring to cover the entire bird. 
3. Mix the dry ingredients together with the garlic in a small bowl until combined.
4. Cover the bird with the rub ingredients, patting them over the bird as thickly as possible.
5. Place the chicken onto the grill grates of the smoker and smoke for about 3.5 to 4 hours or until the chicken breast reaches an internal temperature of 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the chicken thighs reach an internal temperature of 170 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit when tested with a meat probe.
6. Top tip: If you would like your chicken to have a crispy skin when cooked, raise the temperature on the best offset smoker to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 to 10 minutes once your chicken is close to reaching the optimal internal temperature. This will ensure that you achieve a crispy skin without drying out the bird. 
7. Remove the bird from the grill once it has finished cooking and allow it to rest for up to 15 minutes. (This allows time for the juices to flow back to the surface of the bird).
8. Slice and serve as desired.