A whole chicken is by far the easiest and friendliest smoking project you can take on. Don’t believe me? Simply try this recipe. I and many others started with whole chickens and before you know it you’re tackling beef roast, Sirloin, ribs, and even shrimp. Smoking food is a fun hobby and produces amazing tasting food.
How to smoke a whole chicken
I recently picked up a two-pack of whole chickens at Costco. Each chicken is roughly 4-5 lbs and the total cost for both was roughly $10.00. Just another reason why smoking chicken is a great project for both folks new to the hobby and seasoned experts.
- Heat your pellet smoker to 225 degrees.
- Remove the chicken from the package, rinse the meat under cool water and pat dry with some paper towels.
- Cover the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Add your meat thermometer or probe (I use the iGrill Mini)
- Place your chicken on the pellet smoker.
- The chicken needs roughly 2.5 hours or when your thermometer reads 165 degrees
Crispy Skin Fanatics Please Read
Since this chicken is smoke at a really low temperature the skin by default is softer. If you’re like me and crave crispy chicken then you’ll love this tip. Once your chicken hits 140 degrees, crank your pellet grill up to 400-450 for the remaining 20 minutes or until your chicken finishes reaching 165 degrees.
By the way, ever wanted an entire whole chicken to yourself? Check out my recipe for smoked cornish hens. You may never go back to sharing whole chickens again!
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Pretty basic recipe but exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t want too much seasoning as we fully intend to use the leftover for chicken noodle soup.