Smoked Whole Chicken

By
Heather Ramsdell
Heather Ramsdell
Heather Ramsdell

Heather Ramsdell was a Senior Editorial Director for The Spruce Eats, where she led the editorial team to create recipes, tell stories, and help people cook and learn about food.

Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 01/2/23
Smoked Beer Chicken

 Peter Sieling / Flickr / CC2.0

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 4 hrs
Marinate: 2 hrs
Total: 6 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
282 Calories
16g Fat
3g Carbs
31g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 282
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 20%
Saturated Fat 4g 22%
Cholesterol 101mg 34%
Sodium 1151mg 50%
Total Carbohydrate 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 31g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 26mg 2%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 285mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This is a classic smoked chicken recipe with tons of flavor. You can make it the day you plan to serve it, or a day or two ahead. The result of this slowly cooked bird is meat that's so flavorful and juicy, it will fall off the bones.

Chicken is the star of the show in this recipe, and you'll really want to taste it, so choose the best-quality chicken you can find.

This spice rub is a classic combination, however, you can develop your own signature rub by adding whichever herbs and spices you prefer to make it your own, such as cumin, lime, and oregano, or fennel seed and a pinch of red pepper flakes. We recommend fruitwood chips for this recipe.

1:22

Click Play to See This Classic Smoked Chicken Recipe Come Together

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 teaspoons paprika

  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

  • 2 cloves grated garlic

  • 1 (4- to 5-pound chicken) whole chicken

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Stir together the salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, thyme, and garlic. Rub the chicken inside and out, and under the skin of the breast and thighs with the spice mixture.

  3. Let sit in the refrigerator for 2 to 8 hours.

  4. Prepare the smoker with fruitwood chips. Smoke the chicken at 250 F/120 C until the thermometer inserted into the center of the chicken breast reaches 160 F. This will take about 3 hours—or 45 minutes per pound.

  5. Once cooked, remove from heat and tent with aluminum foil. Let chicken rest for 20 minutes.

  6. Carve chicken and serve with your favorite sides. Enjoy!

Smoked Chicken Tips

  • Crispier Skin
    For skin that's more crisp than what you can produce in the low heat of a smoker, preheat the oven to 400 F and when the chicken reaches 130 F in the thigh, transfer it to the oven, and finish cooking it there until it's 165 F in the thigh.
  • Twice as Nice
    It's the same amount of work to make two chickens. Double the spice mix and cook a second one at the same time. Smoked chicken makes amazing sandwiches, soups, casseroles and it freezes well for later.