A Spicy Perspective

Smoked Chicken Breast and Thighs

How to Smoke Chicken – A fabulously easy recipe to make moist and delicious smoked chicken breast, thighs, or even a whole chicken with barely any effort!

Cooked poultry pieces on a cutting board. Smoked chicken breast with skin on in the foreground.

Why We Love This Chicken Recipe

Why just grill chicken, when you could smoke it?! Smoking chicken creates an intense depth of flavor that accentuates the juicy sweetness of the meat. Plus, it’s so easy to do!

This recipe allows you to smoke boneless or bone-in chicken breast and thighs, or even a whole chicken. Coat your choice of pieces in a simple but incredibly flavorful spice blend (with only 5 ingredients!) and cook to tender and moist perfection in under an hour… Boneless and skinless chicken is ready in less than 30 minutes!

We love to use this smoked chicken breast recipe cooking method all spring and summer long. It’s great for barbecues and backyard get-togethers, or even casual weeknight meals! Serve with any number of classic comforting side dishes for a dinner that is sure to please.

Close view of a smoked chicken breast and a chicken thigh on cutting board. Chicken breast is sliced into 4 large pieces. Thigh is sliced into 7 pieces.

Ingredients You Need

  • Chicken breasts and/or thighs – boneless or bone-in
  • Olive oil – or other high-quality and high-heat cooking oil, like avocado or canola oil
  • Salt and pepper – sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper are best
  • Paprika – enhances the smoky, sweet flavor of the chicken with smoked paprika
  • Garlic powder – earthy and fragrant
  • Onion powder – a slightly sweet spice that is naturally besties with garlic powder
Spices in a small glass ramekin.

How to Smoke Chicken

First, preheat a traditional charcoal smoker or pellet smoker (or wood pellet grill) to 350°F. Prep the smoker with the necessary wood chips or wood pellets. You can use any smoking wood you prefer, but I like Hickory best for chicken!

Place the chicken pieces on a large rimmed baking sheet. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel. Then rub them on all sides with olive oil.

In a small bowl mix together the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder for the dry rub.

Seasoning blend in a glass container with metal spoon.

Sprinkle the seasoning blend over both sides of the chicken pieces.

Raw skinless boneless breast and thigh pieces coated with spices on a cutting board.

Lightly pat the chicken to keep the spices on.

Raw bone-in and skin on pieces coated with spices on a cutting board.

For boneless chicken breast and thighs: Place the pieces on the grates and close the lid. Smoke for 10 minutes. Flip and cook the chicken for an additional 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size of the pieces.

The internal temperature should read 165°F on a meat thermometer.

Top down view 2 smoked chicken breast and 4 smoked chicken thighs on a cutting board.

For bone-in chicken pieces: Set the pieces on the grates and close the lid. Smoke for 25 minutes. Then flip the chicken pieces over and cook another 20 minutes.

Again, the internal temperature needs to reach 165°F.

Smoked bone-in and skin-on pieces on a cutting board.

Serving Suggestions

I mean really, what *can’t* you serve with juicy chicken breast or thighs? There are so many options!

Here are a few of our top side dishes to enjoy with smoked chicken:

Leftovers are also great! Or you can even make extra for meal prepping. Enjoy pieces cold in a smoked chicken sandwich or wrap, or chop and add in a salad.

Cooked pieces on a cutting board. Skin-on smoked chicken breast is sliced to show juicy meat inside.

Frequently Asked Questions

What woods or wood pellets are best for smoking chicken?

Apple wood, cherry, pecan, hickory, or mesquite are the most popular woods for smoking meats. Any of these will work! For smoked chicken recipes, I personally like to use a blend of mesquite and apple.

Can you smoke a whole chicken?

Absolutely! Place a whole bird on the smoker and allow it to cook at 350°F for approximately 35 minutes per pound. If you spatchcock the chicken and lay it flat on the grates, it will cook in approximately 45 to 60 minutes total.

How long should you smoke a chicken?

Boneless and skinless pieces cook for approximately 20 minutes.

Bone-in chicken with skin cooks for approximately 45 minutes.

Do you flip chicken while smoking?

Yes! Flip the pieces about halfway through cooking. This ensures that they cook thoroughly and evenly.

How do you keep smoked chicken breast and thighs moist?

Keep the heat to a low 350°F and do not overcook. Use an internal meat thermometer to check the temp at the low end of the cook times.

How long does leftover chicken last?

Let the pieces cool to room temperature, and transfer them to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Close view of a smoked chicken breast on cutting board. Cooked poultry is sliced into 4 large pieces.

Looking for More Delicious Dinner Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:

Smoked poultry pieces on a cutting board.
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Smoked Chicken Breast and Thighs Recipe + VIDEO

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
A fabulously easy recipe to make moist and delicious smoked chicken breast, thighs, or even a whole chicken with barely any effort!
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the smoker to 350°F. Prep the smoker with necessary wood chips or wood pellets. You can use any smoking wood you prefer, but I like Hickory best for chicken!
  • Place the chicken pieces on a large rimmed baking sheet. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel. Then rub them on all sides with olive oil.
  • In a small bowl mix together the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sprinkle the spice rub over both sides of the chicken pieces.
  • For boneless chicken breast and thighs: Place the chicken pieces on the smoker and close the lid. Smoke for 10 minutes. Flip and smoke the chicken an additional 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size of the pieces. The internal temperature should read 165°F on a meat thermometer.
  • For bone-in chicken pieces: Set the chicken pieces on the smoker and close the lid. Smoke the chicken for 25 minutes. Then flip the chicken pieces over and smoke another 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 165°F.

Video

Notes

Let the pieces cool to room temperature, and transfer to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pc, Calories: 212kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 634mg, Potassium: 642mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 0.04g, Vitamin A: 176IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Main, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Sommer Collier

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4 comments on “Smoked Chicken Breast and Thighs”

  1. The flavors in this chicken are amazing. We served it with a big salad and everyone loved it!

  2. Can’t get enough of this smoked chicken! Perfectly seasoned and cooked. So addicting!

  3. This smoked chicken had such amazing flavor! I was surprised at how quickly the chicken was ready. We will be having this many times over the summer! 

  4. this is the most perfect post, I had some chicken in the fridge and had no clue what I wanted to do with them, and this landed in my lap! the best homemade chicken ever!