Smoking a whole chicken on a pellet grill is one of the easiest ways to cook chicken. All you have to do is season it with a blend of my favorite spices and smoke it over low heat. This chicken is juicy, flavorful, and always a family favorite. I love making it for Sunday dinners, meal prep, or anytime I find a whole bird on sale!
If you love this recipe, be sure to try my Smoked Pineapple Stand Chicken Recipe, Smoked Spatchcock Chicken, and Smoked Beer Can Chicken on Pellet Grill next!
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One of the best things to smoke on a pellet grill is chicken. Cooking a whole chicken in a smoker makes the meat super juicy, and the spice rub gives it a nice crispy skin.
If you are looking for more Smoker Recipes, be sure to try my Smoked Prime Rib Roast on Pellet Grill, Smoked Pellet Grill Brisket, Smoked Pork Chops, and Smoked Pork Tenderloin.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You'll Need
- How to Smoke a Whole Chicken on a Pellet Grill
- Smoked Whole Chicken Time and Temperature Chart
- Jeri's Top Tips for the Best Smoked Chicken
- Storage Instructions
- How To Reheat Smoked Chicken
- What to do with Leftover Smoked Chicken
- Variations
- Side Dishes to Serve with It
- How to Get Crispy Skin on Smoked Whole Chicken
- More FAQs
- More Smoker Recipes You'll Love
- Printable Recipe
- Comments
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Hands-off cooking: Set it and forget it - your pellet grill does all the work.
- Juicy, tender meat: Smoking low and slow keeps every bite flavorful.
- Perfect for meal prep: One chicken can feed your family and still leave leftovers.
- Beginner-friendly: You don't need fancy equipment - just a pellet grill and a thermometer.
- Way better than store-bought: Smoky flavor, crispy skin, and no weird preservatives.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Whole Chicken: About 3-5 pounds. Make sure to remove the giblets if they're inside.
- Olive Oil: Helps keep the chicken moist and gives the rub something to stick to. You can also use avocado oil.
- Dry Rub: I used my homemade Dry Rub For Smoked Chicken with brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Roasted Garlic and Pepper seasoning, chili powder, seasoning salt, and black pepper. Feel free to use your favorite rub.
- Garlic Cloves: Stuffed inside for extra flavor.
- Fresh Lemons and Limes: Sliced for inside the cavity or roasting rack.
Optional: Your favorite BBQ sauce for basting at the end.
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities and a full list of ingredients.
How to Smoke a Whole Chicken on a Pellet Grill
Quick Overview
- Brush the chicken with olive oil and season it generously.
- Preheat the smoker to 250°F.
- Place the chicken directly on the grill grate or a roasting stand.
- Smoke until the internal temp hits 165°F in the breast and 175°F in the thigh.
- Rest, slice, and serve.
🔥 Tip: I recommend using Competition Blend, Signature Blend, or Hickory wood pellets for the best flavor.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat and Prep
Preheat your pellet grill to 250°F. Top up the hopper with wood pellets - I love Competition Blend, Signature Blend, or hickory for chicken.
Rinse the chicken inside and out under cold water and pat it dry with paper towels. Brush the entire bird with olive oil.
Season the Chicken
Mix your dry rub if you're making a homemade one. Coat the outside of the chicken evenly. For extra flavor, gently lift the skin over the breast and rub some seasoning underneath too.
Add Aromatics
Slice lemons and limes. Stuff a few slices and a couple of garlic cloves inside the chicken cavity. If using a roasting pan, place the chicken breast side up. If you're using a vertical roasting stand, scatter them on the rack under the bird.
Set Up the Grill
Place the chicken on the smoker, breast side up. Insert a meat probe into the thickest part of the breast (and optionally, the thigh). Close the lid and let the smoker do its thing.
Monitor and Finish
Smoke the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165°F in the breast and 175°F in the thigh with a meat thermometer. This will take about 1 hour per pound. A 3-pound chicken will take roughly 3 hours. If you like sticky chicken, brush the chicken with BBQ sauce during the last 30 minutes of smoking.
Rest and Carve
Remove the chicken from the pellet smoker and tent it loosely with foil. Let it rest for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Smoked Whole Chicken Time and Temperature Chart
| Chicken Size | Smoker Temp | Approx. Cook Time | Done Temperature |
| 3 lb chicken | 250°F | About 3 hours | 165°F breast, 175°F thigh |
| 4 lb chicken | 250°F | About 4 hours | 165°F breast, 175°F thigh |
| 5 lb chicken | 250°F | About 5 hours | 165°F breast, 175°F thigh |
Jeri's Top Tips for the Best Smoked Chicken
- Let your chicken sit out: Bring the chicken to room temperature for 30 minutes before smoking for more even cooking.
- Use a thermometer, not time: Every bird and every pellet grill is different.
- Keep the lid closed: Use a thermometer so you don't have to keep opening the smoker's lid to check on the chicken - this will cause you to lose valuable heat and moisture.
- Don't skip the rest: Resting locks in all the juices.
- Want crispier skin? Bump the temp up to 375°F for the last few minutes.
Storage Instructions
- Fridge: Remove all meat from the chicken carcass and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Store the carcass separately if you want to make broth later.
- Freezer: Freeze shredded or sliced chicken in Ziploc freezer bags or airtight containers. Squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing to prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Bonus Tip: Freeze smaller portions (1-2 cups) for easy meal prep - perfect for tossing into soups, casseroles, or salads.
How To Reheat Smoked Chicken
Air Fryer: Reheat chicken at 350°F for 2-3 minutes until warmed through. Makes it crispy!
Oven: Cover in aluminum foil and bake at 325°F for 15-20 minutes. Add a splash of chicken broth to keep it from drying out.
Microwave: Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave in 30-second bursts to prevent it from drying out.
What to do with Leftover Smoked Chicken
Make Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad with mayo, celery, and a little Dijon mustard.
Add it to Buffalo Chicken Dip or Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells.
Use it in chicken enchiladas, chicken quesadillas, or BBQ Chicken Pizza.
Toss shredded smoked chicken into Mexican Shredded Chicken Casserole or White Chicken Chili With Cream Cheese.
Save the bones! They're gold for making Smoked Chicken Noodle Soup.
Variations
- Brine first: Wet brine or dry brine the chicken for even more flavor. (Try my Fresh Herb Citrus Poultry Brine).
- Spatchcock it: Cut out the backbone and lay the chicken flat for faster cooking. (Get all the details in my Smoked Spatchcock Chicken Recipe.)
- Inject it: Use a marinade injector for ultra-moist smoked chicken.
- Saucy finish: Slather with BBQ sauce during the last half hour for a sticky, smoky glaze.
Side Dishes to Serve with It
Serve this juicy chicken with Smoked Corn on the Cob in Foil, Pellet Grill Baked Potatoes, Smoked Baked Beans with Bacon, and Smoked Mac and Cheese.
It also goes great with Creamy Cucumber Salad with Mayonnaise, Greek Cucumber Salad, and Creamy Miracle Whip Coleslaw.
How to Get Crispy Skin on Smoked Whole Chicken
For crispier skin, pat the chicken completely dry before adding oil and seasoning. Smoke at 250°F until the chicken is almost done, then increase the pellet grill temperature to 375°F for the last few minutes. This helps tighten and crisp the skin without drying out the meat. You can also let the chicken air-dry in the fridge, uncovered, for a few hours before smoking, which also helps!
More FAQs
It usually takes about 1 hour per pound. A 3-pound bird will take about 3 hours. Always cook to temperature, not time as all smokers cook differently.
Applewood, cherry, pecan, hickory, mesquite, Competition Blend, or Signature blend are all great choices. I usually use hickory for a stronger smoke flavor.
No. This recipe skips brining to make it super easy. But you can brine if you have extra time - it does add flavor and extra moisture.
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Printable Recipe
How to Smoke a Whole Chicken on a Pellet Grill (Step by Step)
Ingredients
- 3-5 pound whole chicken
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons dry chicken rub, or your favorite rub *ingredients below
- 4 garlic cloves (whole)
- 2 lemons (sliced)
- 2 limes (sliced)
For the Chicken Dry Rub
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons Roasted Garlic and Peppers seasoning (a Club House seasoning)
- 2 teaspoons paprika (or smoked paprika)
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat the pellet grill to 250 degrees F and top it up with your favorite wood pellets.
- Prep the Chicken: Rinse chicken inside and out with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Make spice rub: Combine brown sugar, garlic powder, Roasted Garlic and Peppers seasoning, paprika, onion powder, chili powder, seasoning salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.
- Apply oil: Brush olive oil liberally on the outside of the chicken.
- Season the Chicken: Coat the outside of the chicken evenly with spice rub, even under the chicken legs and chicken wings. Use your hands to push the rub into the chicken.
- Position Chicken: Arrange sliced lemons and limes on the rack of the chicken holder with whole garlic cloves. Secure the chicken legs with butcher twine and tuck the wing tips behind the shoulder joints to ensure they stay in place during cooking. If using a roasting pan, place the chicken breast side up and insert garlic, lemon, and lime slices into the chicken's cavity.
- Smoke: Place the chicken on the grill grates of the smoker. Insert a temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast meat and thigh, ensuring it does not touch the bone. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F in the breast and 175 degrees in the thigh.
- Optional BBQ Glaze: In the last few minutes of cooking, brush the chicken with your favorite BBQ sauce if you like.
- Serve: Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Slice and serve with your favorite side dishes.
Video
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Notes
- Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before smoking.
- Sprinkle your favorite seasoning on the sliced lemons and limes for extra flavor. I like to use dried oregano.
- Cook with the thermometer, not the clock, as all grills cook differently.
- If you want super-crispy chicken skin, turn the smoker to 350°F during the last few minutes of cooking.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Addie says
This smoked chicken truly has the best flavor! It’s hearty, savory and perfect for family dinners.
Elizabeth says
I actually didn’t know what a pellet grill was so this was super helpful! I learned so much!
Nancy says
My boyfriend made your chicken recipe and I used tofu, with your homemade spice rube we both agreed that your recipe is amazing!
Jere Cassidy says
I don't have a pellet grill but spatchcocking the chicken works well on my grill. I prefer buying whole chickens just so I have leftovers. Love the spice rub.
Kayla DiMaggio says
This smoked whole chicken was amazing! Loved the flavor that the pellet grill gave!
Jeri says
Thank you for trying our smoked whole chicken, Kayla! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the flavor! 🙂