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    Home » Chicken Recipes

    The Best Smoked Chicken Thighs

    Published: Nov 1, 2022 » Modified: Feb 17, 2023 » By: Kylie » This post may contain affiliate links. » 1 Comment

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    These easy smoked chicken thighs come together with just three ingredients and only take about an hour to smoke! A wood pellet smoker makes this meal nearly effortless while delivering big, bold flavors!

    White plate with a smoked chicken thigh, mashed potatoes, and broccoli.
    Table of Contents show
    You Will Love This
    Ingredients and Substitutions
    Instructions
    Tips
    Are You New to Smoking?
    Best Type of Wood to Use
    How do you keep chicken thighs moist when smoking?
    What temp do you smoke chicken thighs?
    Side Dishes to Serve with Smoked Chicken
    Make-Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
    Easy Smoker Recipes
    Smoked Chicken Thighs

    You Will Love This

    • It's so easy!! My super simple dry rub recipe transforms bland, boring chicken thighs into a delicious dinner that your family will love! The rub is made with common pantry spices including brown sugar (don't worry it's not super sweet!), chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, mustard powder, salt, and black pepper. It adds the perfect amount of spicy, sweet, smokey flavor to your chicken breasts so you can let the smoker do all the work of cooking the chicken low and slow until it's perfectly juicy and tender! Add them to a tasty salad, or an easy flatbread, or add it to your favorite pasta dishes. 
    • If you loved this smoker recipe, check out my smoked mac and cheese, easy smoked queso, smoked pork butt, and simple smoked meatloaf.

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    • Chicken Thighs - To get the maximum amount of flavor and juiciness, go for the bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs, but they can dry out more easily.
    • My Easy Dry Rub - My easy dry spice rub is great for all sorts of smoker recipes and this one is no exception. It's the perfect multi-purpose spice mixture for all your family's favorites!
    • BBQ Sauce - Use your favorite for this recipe. Here's our family's favorite barbecue sauce. 
    White marble counter top with bowls of ingredients to make smoked chicken thighs.

    Instructions

    Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Rub chicken thighs on all sides with the dry rub.

    Chicken thighs that have been seasoned with dry rub on a white plate.

    Place chicken thighs on the grill skin side up and smoke for about 60 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees internally.

    Smoked chicken thighs on a grill grate.

    Brush with BBQ sauce and smoke for another hour or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170-175 degrees. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes, serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side, and enjoy!

    Three smoked chicken thighs brushed with BBQ sauce on a white plate.

    Tips

    • Use a meat thermometer. Because the chicken is cooking low and slow in the pellet smoker, you'll want to ensure the internal temperature is at a good 170-175 degrees. Using a meat thermometer is the best way to make sure the chicken is cooked through before digging in.
    • Add a sheet of aluminum foil under your wire rack or grill grate for easy cleanup to catch any grease that drips.
    • Add some cayenne pepper to your dry rub if you like it a little spicy!
    • To get crispy chicken skin, pop the chicken thighs under the broiler in your oven for a couple minutes!

    Are You New to Smoking?

    Looking for an affordable smoker?
    Not sure which wood pellet grill is best for your needs?

    Click here to check out my full review of my favorite Z Grill wood pellet smoker! I'll share with you everything I love about this grill and why you'll want to add it to your backyard space right now!

    Best Type of Wood to Use

    • For smoked chicken thighs I like to use fruity wood pellets like apple or cherry wood combined with something super flavorful like hickory or mesquite.
    • I find that the combination is really delightful without being too overpowering.
    • You may find that for chicken, hickory or mesquite by itself might overpower the actual flavor of the chicken.
    • If you're looking for a more mild flavor try sticking with apple, cherry, pecan, or oak.

    How do you keep chicken thighs moist when smoking?

    Leaving the skin on your chicken thighs is a surefire way to ensure that they don't dry out while they're smoking. The addition of the dry rub also helps to add flavor while locking in the moisture as well. A meat thermometer is the best way to make sure that your chicken thighs don't overcook and dry out.

    What temp do you smoke chicken thighs?

    You can smoke chicken thighs at 225 degrees, 250 degrees, or 275 degrees. If you smoke them at a lower temperature they will take a bit longer to cook. I opt for 275 degrees because I've found that at lower temps the chicken has a tendency to get a bit rubbery which is not ideal.

    White plate with two smoked chicken thighs, mashed potatoes, and broccoli.

    Side Dishes to Serve with Smoked Chicken

    • Air Fryer Zucchini
    • Air Fryer Asparagus
    • Air Fryer Green Beans
    • Roasted Baby Potatoes
    • Crispy Baked Greek Fries
    • Cilantro Lime Slaw

    Make-Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

    • Make-Ahead: This is one of the best recipes to make ahead! You can get the chicken smoked over the weekend and then use it all week to transform a simple salad into a chicken salad.
    • Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
    • Freezing: Freeze leftover chicken in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
    • Reheating: Reheat this chicken in the microwave or in a 350-degree oven until warmed through. You can also warm it up on the grill.

    Easy Smoker Recipes

    • 10 Minute Smoked Salmon Dip
    • How to Smoke Salmon
    • My Honest Z Grills Review: Is It Worth The Hype?
    • Smoked Pork Butt

    Questions?
    Leave a comment below!
    Liked the recipe?
    Leave a comment below!
    Made this dish?
    Leave a comment and star rating below!

    Print

    Smoked Chicken Thighs

    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    These easy smoked chicken thighs come together with just three ingredients and only take about an hour to smoke! A wood pellet smoker makes this meal nearly effortless while delivering big, bold flavors!

    • Author: Kylie
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Resting Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    • Yield: 4 thighs 1x
    • Category: Main Dish
    • Method: Smoker
    • Cuisine: American

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 2 pounds bone in skin on chicken thighs
    • ¼ cup of my easy dry rub recipe
    • ½ cup your favorite BBQ sauce + more for serving

    Instructions

    1. Set the pellet grill to 275 degrees.
    2. Trim excess skin off the edges of the chicken.
    3. Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Rub chicken thighs on all sides with the dry rub.
    4. Place chicken thighs on the grill skin side up and smoke for about 60 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees internally.
    5. Brush with BBQ sauce and smoke for another hour or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170-175 degrees.
    6. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes, serve with extra BBQ sauce on the side, and enjoy!

    Equipment

    Z Grill

    Buy Now →

    Notes

    • Use a meat thermometer. Because the chicken is cooking low and slow in the pellet smoker, you'll want to ensure the internal temperature is at a good 170-175 degrees. Using a meat thermometer is the best way to make sure the chicken is cooked through before digging in.
    • Add a sheet of aluminum foil under your wire rack or grill grate for easy cleanup to catch any grease that drips.
    • Add some cayenne pepper to your dry rub if you like it a little spicy!
    • To get crispy chicken skin, pop the chicken thighs under the broiler in your oven for a couple minutes!

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 355
    • Sugar: 13.9 g
    • Sodium: 378.6 mg
    • Fat: 6.4 g
    • Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
    • Carbohydrates: 19.5 g
    • Fiber: 1 g
    • Protein: 51.8 g
    • Cholesterol: 165.5 mg

    Keywords: traeger chicken thighs, pellet grill chicken thighs, smoked chicken thighs recipe

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Luke

      November 01, 2022 at 5:24 pm

      This recipe is so easy and delicious! I have never had a more flavorful chicken thigh in my life!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

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    HELLO FROM THE MIDWEST - I'm Kylie and as a mom and blogger, I understand how hard it can be to get a wholesome dinner on the table at the end of a long day. Here at Midwest Foodie, I focus on sharing simple recipes that make it easy to feed your family real food.

    More about me →

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