Smoked Chicken Thighs
These Smoked Chicken Thighs are tender, juicy, and packed with bold, smoky flavor! Easy to make with a simple spice rub, they’re perfect for BBQs, weeknight dinners, or meal prep all summer long.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoons bbq seasoning, click link for recipe
- ½ cup bbq sauce, optional
Instructions
- Preheat a smoker to 225°F with pecan, apple, or cherry pellets, or wood chips.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the chicken thighs and rub the oil into them.
- Sprinkle the bbq seasoning evenly over the chicken and rub it onto all sides.
- Place the chicken thighs in an even layer on the grill grates in the smoker and smoke for 60-90 minutes, or until the chicken thighs reach an internal temperature of 150°F.
- Turn the heat on the smoker up to 450°F, or the highest temperature. Once the smoker hits this temperature, brush the sauce on the chicken immediately, then continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken thigh reaches 160°F.
- If you’re not brushing sauce on the chicken, wait until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160°F. If you do not have a smoker with a meat probe, I recommend using this meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the chicken as it cooks.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the smoker, loosely tent with foil and rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- For this recipe, I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You can also make this recipe with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. The skin will crisp up when the smoker is turned up to high at the end. If you prefer to finish them in the oven or air fryer for even crispier skin, refer to the blog post above for instructions.
- Store leftover smoked chicken in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 408kcal (20%)Carbohydrates 24g (8%)Protein 45g (90%)Fat 14g (22%)Saturated Fat 3g (15%)Polyunsaturated Fat 3gMonounsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 215mg (72%)Sodium 574mg (24%)Potassium 740mg (21%)Fiber 2g (8%)Sugar 12g (13%)Vitamin A 524mg (10%)Vitamin C 2mg (2%)Calcium 180mg (18%)Iron 7mg (39%)
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