Simple Smoked Chicken is loaded full of flavor! A whole chicken is rubbed with a homemade blend of a few simple ingredients and smoked until perfectly succulent. You won’t believe how flavorful and hassle-free it is! Even if you don’t have a smoker, I’ll walk you through how to create this delicious chicken right in your own kitchen. Otherwise, pull out your smokers and get them fired up!
Equipment You Need for Simple Smoked Chicken
When it comes to making this smoked chicken, you do need to have a few items ready to go:
- Smoker – we have both a Pitboss and a Traeger in our family and love both of them!
- Wood Pellets – my favorite is hickory! It gives a nice, smooth smoke flavor.
- Chicken Stand/Throne – this one is my favorite and it works great! Even dishwasher safe. I love how you can put either beer, wine or stock in it to keep your chicken juicy.
- Sheet Pan – this helps create a flat surface for the chicken stand to sit on and easily move around.
How to Smoke a Chicken
First, preheat your smoker.
Then, rub the chicken down with seasoning and situate it on the chicken throne that is filled with your choice of light beer (I prefer Bud Light) or chicken stock. Situate the chicken in the middle of your sheet pan.
Next, place the chicken on the smoker and leave it be! You may have to rotate it halfway through to evenly brown if your smoker tends to cook hotter on one side.
Finally, dig into a delicious, easy dinner! I highly recommend serving this with Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese, because how can you go wrong with mac and cheese?!
What to Do if You Don’t Have a Smoker
Buy one! Haha just kidding…but we have absolutely loved ours! It’s just hard to beat a good smoke flavor. Plus, smoking is much easier than you expect it to be.
But, if you don’t have a smoker, you can still make this delicious chicken in your oven! You won’t have the smoke flavor, but it will still turn out succulent and full of flavor. Here’s what you need to do if you don’t have a smoker:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Rub the chicken with the homemade rub mix in the recipe below. Place the chicken in a large Dutch oven or baking dish that you will be able to cover with a lid or foil.
- Pour a cup of light beer or chicken stock in with the chicken, cover with the lid and bake!
- Remove the lid/foil for the last 30 minutes of baking to get a nice, browned chicken skin.
Since this smoked chicken recipe is so simple, we love to cook it up for a weeknight meal. But, it’s also show-stopper enough to serve a crowd, family gathering, holiday or party!
Simple Smoked Chicken
(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 Smoked Chicken 1x
Description
Simple Smoked Chicken is loaded full of flavor! A whole chicken is rubbed with a homemade blend of a few simple ingredients and smoked until perfectly succulent. You won’t believe how flavorful and hassle-free it is! Even if you don’t have a smoker, I’ll walk you through how to create this delicious chicken right in your own kitchen. Otherwise, pull out your smokers and get them fired up!
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 4 pound whole chicken, giblets removed
- 2 cups light beer or chicken stock
For the rub:
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the rub together. Pat the chicken completely dry with a paper towel.
- Evenly rub the whole chicken with the prepared rub mix. Pour the beer or chicken stock into the bottom of a chicken throne/stand and situate the chicken on top of the stand. Place the prepared chicken in the center of a baking sheet for an even surface.
- Place the chicken on the smoker and smoke for 70-90 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the the thickest part of the chicken reads 165 degrees. If your smoker tends to be hotter on one side, you may have to rotate your chicken halfway through the cooking process to ensure even browning. Enjoy!
Notes
- Using a chicken stand/throne is highly recommended as it makes your life much easier. If you don’t have one, you can open a standard can of beer and situate the chicken on top of the can. I prefer the stand because it is re-usable and you can put either beer or chicken stock in the center.
- If you don’t have a smoker, you can still make this recipe! Simply preheat your oven and rub down the chicken in the same way. Place the chicken in a large Dutch oven or baking dish that you can cover with a lid or foil. Pour 1 cup of light beer or chicken stock into the bottom. Bake for 70-90 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165 degrees. Remove the lid/foil for the last 30 minutes of cooking to get a perfectly browned chicken.
- Hickory pellets are my favorite for smoking as they give a nice, smooth smoke flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Share the love!
If you make this recipe and love it as much as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, rate the recipe, or share a picture tagging @kjandcompany or using #kjandcompany so that I can see your fun pictures 🙂
Thanks for following and cooking along with me!
Hi, I’m KJ!
Here you’ll find simple, delicious recipes for the home cook. I strive to make wholesome meals with easy-to-find ingredients that you feel comfortable making in your own kitchen—but I won’t shy away from a few indulgences! (I see you: butter, bacon, cookies!)
