smoked chicken thighs

These smoked chicken thighs are a great way to enjoy delicious chicken smoked in your own backyard. Seasoned with my signature sweet rub, smoked to perfection, then slathered in whiskey peach BBQ sauce, these chicken thighs can&#x27;t be beat!

Smoked Chicken Thighs

bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Signature Sweet Rub

Whiskey Peach BBQ Sauce

Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F.

Prep your chicken thighs. Trim off any excess skin or extra thin chicken around the edges of the bone. Roll the chicken tightly into uniform pieces.

Season on all sides with the sweet rub (you don&#x27;t need to use the entire 2 Tablespoons as specified in the ingredients, simply use enough to completely cover the chicken).

Place the chicken on the smoker skin side up. Close the lid, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. This will take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes depending on how big your chicken thighs are.

Baste with the Whiskey Peach BBQ Sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce) until the internal temperature measured with a meat thermometer reaches 170-175 degrees F.

Remove from the grill, allow to rest for 5-10 minutes, serve, and enjoy!

These beautiful smoked chicken thighs are brined, rubbed, and then cooked low and slow to produce the ultimate cut of succulent, slow-smoked meat.

BBQ Smoked Chicken Thighs

chicken thighs (with bones and skin still on)

paprika

tbsp chili powder

thyme

garlic powder

tbsp cumin

salt

tbsp black pepper

water

coarse salt

Starting with the brine, fill a tub with one gallon of water. Add 1 cup of coarse salt, and stir in until fully dissolved.

Place chicken thighs in water, ensuring that the meat is fully submerged. Place lid on tub.

Transfer to refrigerator and leave for one hour.

Remove thighs from brine and pat down with paper towels. Transfer to drying racks or to dry paper towel surface.

Start up smoker and aim for cooking temperature of 225°F (107°C).

While smoker heats up, make the rub by mixing all rub ingredients in a bowl. Combine thoroughly and then apply to thighs. Apply generously and aim to work into all areas of the chicken skin.

Transfer thighs to smoker and close door/lid. Cooks for 2 hours at 225°F, or until the thickest part of the thigh has reached an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).

Remove thighs from smoker and place on cooking surface. Apply BBQ sauce to thighs by either dunking them, or using a bbq brush to apply it.

Put thighs back in smoker and cook for a further 10-15 minutes.

Remove thighs from smoker and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.

When it comes to juicy delicious chicken, these smoked chicken thighs are hard to beat. We smoke the dark meat to an internal temp of 180 - 190F for fall off the bone tender bites and finish with a bbq baste and sear for that perfect crispy skin!

Traeger Smoked Chicken Thighs

lbs Bone-in skin on chicken thighs.

Salt

tbsp Chicken Rub (We use GirlsCanGrill Chicken rub

BBQ Sauce

Pat chicken dry

Arrange on wire rack over baking sheet

Sprinkle liberally with salt and spices.

Allow to sit in the fridge for 1 hour before you grill

Prep the Chicken

Prep pellet smoker for 350 degrees F.

Clean and oil grill grates.

Prep the Pellet Smoker

Arrange chicken on the cooler side of your grill skin side up. Close the lid

Cook 35 to 40 minutes,  until the chicken thighs reach 180 to 190F with an instant read thermometer, rotating the position of each thigh halfway through so that all pieces are being cooked evenly.

Smoke the Chicken Thighs

Remove the chicken from the grill and increase the heat to sear.

Meanwhile, lightly brush the chicken in the bbq sauce.

Working in batches, sear the chicken, skin side down until lightly charred and skin is crisp, flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Repeat with remaining chicken thighs.

Sear

Remove from the grill and place on a platter tented with foil to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve hot with additional bbq sauce if desired.

Rest and Serve

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1669061886/clsbubfwtrluwbe0wd5i.mp4

These smoked chicken thighs are begging to be dinner tonight! This quick and easy recipe makes juicy chicken every time and is perfect for quick weeknight meals or Sunday supper!

If you&#039;re looking for the best-smoked chicken thighs, look no further. Smoking the perfectly seasoned slow-cooked chicken thighs yields tender, juicy, dark meat that your whole family will love.  And with just a few minutes of prep, it&#039;s one of the easiest chicken recipes you&#039;ll ever make!

chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)

tbsp kosher salt

onion powder

tsp black pepper

tsp smoked paprika

tsp cumin

cayenne pepper

barbecue sauce (optional - use your favorite brand of sauce

Add your favorite wood chips to the smoker and preheat it to 250 degrees F.

Add the seasonings to a small bowl and mix to fully combine.

Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels.

Spread the dry rub generously over the chicken, making sure to season all sides of the chicken thigh for a well-balanced flavor.

For maximum flavor, let the seasoned chicken set for 30 minutes to give the seasonings time to penetrate the chicken and marinate it with the flavors. This also gives the chicken time to come to room temperature prior to putting it in the smoker.

*This step gives the rub time to soak into the skin and meat, but if you're in a hurry it can be skipped.

Place the seasoned chicken in a shallow foil pan and place the pan on a shelf in the preheated smoker and cook the chicken legs for 90 minutes or until an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees is reached.

*Alternatively, you can place the chicken directly on the rack in the smoker, placing a drip pan on the rack below the chicken.

Slather the chicken in my easy no-cook barbecue sauce or your favorite brand of sauce.

Smoked chicken thighs made on a pellet grill are incredibly juicy and flavorful. Smoking chicken thighs will take about an hour, and afterward, they&#39;re so tender you can cut them with a fork! The sweet, smoke flavor is so delicious it&#39;s hard to believe it takes only 10 minutes of prep time, making these perfect for a weeknight meal! The pellet smoker cooks these thighs perfectly, and this simple recipe can be doubled or tripled, making it great for a crowd at a barbecue!

Best Smoked Chicken Thighs

chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)

olive oil

tbsp Dry Rub for Chicken

Preheat the smoker to 225°F (make sure it is topped up with wood pellets first).

Drizzle the chicken thighs all over with the olive oil.

Apply the dry rub over the chicken thighs and ensure it covers all parts; top, bottom, and sides.

Once the smoker comes up to temperature, place the chicken thighs directly on the preheated grill and put your thermometer probe in, horizontally through each side, into the thickest part of the meat.

Close the lid and smoke until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs is 165°F. This will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

If you like BBQ sauce, apply your favorite sauce for the last few minutes of cooking time.

Remove the smoked chicken thighs from the grill and place them on a serving tray. Cover with aluminum foil and rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to reincorporate into the meat.

Serve with your favorite side dishes and enjoy!

Tender smoked chicken thighs with a homemade seasoning and sticky BBQ sauce finish!

bone-in, skin on chicken thighs

Tablespoons BBQ Chicken Rub

Barbecue sauce

Preheat pellet grill to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. We used competition blend pellets in the pellet grill.

Trim off any excess skin on chicken thighs. Rub olive all over chicken thigh then sprinkle BBQ Chicken rub so it coats the chicken.

Place chicken thighs on smoker skin side up. Insert temperature probe into thickest part of chicken thigh. Close pellet grill lid and smoke at 275 degrees for about 1 hour to 1 and 1/2 hours or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Baste chicken with BBQ sauce and smoke for 10 minutes.

Remove from smoker and let rest for 5 minutes. Then serve!

Succulent and tender smoked chicken thighs with crispy skin in under an hour.

chicken thighs ((12 pieces))

lemon, juiced, and zested ((3 tbsp))

orange juice

garlic (crushed)

rosemary

Tbsp sea salt

tsps black pepper

tsp chipotle pepper ((or smoked paprika))

cayenne pepper ((optional))

prepare marinade

Add oil, lemon juice and zest, orange juice, crushed garlic, rosemary, sea salt, black pepper, chipotle pepper, and cayenne pepper to a large bowl and whisk to incorporate the flavors.

marinate chicken

Dip the chicken thighs, one at a time, into the marinade and transfer them to a large gallon-sized bag. Pour any remaining marinade into the bag. Squeeze the air out of the bag, then seal and place in the fridge for at least a few hours to marinate the chicken. 

preheat Traeger

Preheat your Traeger or wood pellet grill to 200 F for 15 minutes. Place the seasoned chicken thighs directly on the grate (skin-side up) and smoke for 20 minutes using super smoke. Retain the remaining marinade for final basting in the last step.

smoke chicken

Next, turn up the temperature to 375 F and smoke the chicken for an additional 30 minutes.

reverse sear

Finally, increase the temperature to 400 F. Baste the chicken skin with the remaining marinade and flip the chicken skin-side down. Smoke for 5 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and the chicken&#39;s internal temperature reaches 165-180 degrees F.

These Traeger Smoked Chicken Thighs are one of our go-to easy summer meals for entertaining friends. The smoky flavor, juicy meat, and sticky sweet barbecue sauce finish is outdoor cooking at its finest and takes less than 15 minutes of prep work!

Smoked BBQ Chicken Thighs

bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or leg and thigh quarters

vegetable oil

chicken rub

barbecue sauce

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Drizzle with a little vegetable oil or olive oil and rub all over the pieces. Sprinkle generously with your favorite rub on both sides of the chicken so it is evenly coated.

Preheat the smoker. You want to give it at least 10-15 minutes to get the smoke going and preheat to 325°F.

Place the chicken thighs on the grill grates with the skin side up. You won&#39;t need to flip them during the cooking process since they are being cooked slowly over indirect heat. Roast until an instant read digital meat thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (but not touching the bone). It&#39;s typically about 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on how large your chicken pieces are and how cold they were when they went on the grill. Sometimes when just doing chicken thighs they are done much faster than when we are using chicken quarters or have larger thighs to work with. The important thing is to go by temperature, not by time.

Brush the chicken with barbecue sauce during the last 15 minutes of cooking so it has a chance to caramelize before the chicken reaches 165°F. We only brush the tops of the chicken, but you can use tongs to turn it and brush both sides if you prefer. Let the finished chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

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Top 8 smoked chicken thighs recipes from across the web

The most viewed smoked chicken thighs recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Smoked Chicken Thighs

BBQ Smoked Chicken Thighs

Traeger Smoked Chicken Thighs

Smoked Chicken Thighs

Best Smoked Chicken Thighs

Smoked Chicken Thighs

Traeger Smoked Chicken Thighs

Smoked BBQ Chicken Thighs

The most viewed smoked chicken thighs recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine