Make your barbecue stand out with this Pellet Grill Slow Smoked Whole Chicken. It's seasoned with a tasty rub and smoked slowly, giving you juicy meat and crispy skin with so much flavor. Simple to make, this smoked chicken will become a new family favorite.

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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.
Check out Best Smoker Recipes For Beginners for some of the best things to smoke on a pellet grill.
Jump to:
- ❤️ Juicy Whole Smoked Chicken Recipe
- 🍗 Ingredient Notes
- 🔥 How To Smoke A Whole Chicken On Pellet Grill
- Top Tip
- ⏱️ How long to smoke a whole chicken at 250?
- 💭 Expert Tips
- 🥗 Side Dishes
- 🍗 What To Do With Leftover Smoked Whole Chicken
- 🌡️ Storage Instructions
- 🧂 Variations
- ❓ Recipe FAQs
- 👩🏻🍳 More Pellet Grill Chicken Recipes
- More Pellet Grill Smoker Recipes You'll Love
- Recipe
- Comments
❤️ Juicy Whole Smoked Chicken Recipe
- Easy recipe with just 15 minutes of prep.
- The chicken is tender, moist, and juicy.
- The skin is perfectly crispy.
- Smoke more than one chicken for a large crowd or meal prep.
- There's no need for constant monitoring - set the temperature and let the pellet grill do the rest.
- This chicken is WAY better than any store-bought rotisserie chicken.

🍗 Ingredient Notes
- Chicken. Use a 3-5 pound whole chicken. Make sure to remove any innards.
- Olive oil. This helps keep the chicken moist and prevents it from drying out. It also gives the dry rub something to stick to. You can also use avocado oil.
- Dry spice rub for chicken. I used my homemade Dry Rub For Smoked Chicken, which contains 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 or poultry rub. You can also spice it up with cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
- Garlic cloves. Peel and leave whole.
- Fresh lemons. Cut into slices.
- Fresh limes. Cut into slices.
- Barbecue sauce is optional but adds a nice flavor.
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 Pellet Grill
Quick Overview
- Brush the whole bird with olive oil.
- Cover generously in the seasoning blend.
- Place the whole chicken on the preheated pellet grill.
- Smoke until the correct internal temperature is reached.
- Let it rest for 10-15 minutes and serve.
Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the pellet grill to 250 degrees F. Rinse the chicken inside and outside with cold water and pat it dry with paper towels. Brush olive oil all over the outside of the chicken - use your fingers if you need to.

Step 2: Mix the ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl. Coat the outside of the chicken with the BBQ rub - ensuring it is well-coated. For extra flavor, gently lift the skin from the breast and apply rub underneath the skin.

Step 3: Slice the fresh lemons and limes and arrange them 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.

Step 4: Place the whole chicken on the grill grate of your pellet smoker. Place a temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast meat and the thigh. Insert a water pan if your smoker requires one. Close the lid of the smoker.

Step 6: When the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 165 degrees F, and the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 175 degrees F, the chicken will be done. If desired, brush on your favorite BBQ sauce during the last 30 minutes of smoking.

Step 7: Remove the whole smoked chicken from the grill and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Top Tip
All pellet grills cook differently. If the chicken is done earlier than planned, shut the grill off and cover it with aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out. You can also place it in the oven on the keep-warm setting.
Recipe Note: The smoked whole chicken in this recipe was cooked on a Pit Boss pellet grill. I also achieved the same result on my Traeger pellet grill. This recipe will work with any electric smoker or vertical smoker.
⏱️ How long to smoke a whole chicken at 250?
The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken. Larger chickens will take longer to cook. Generally, it will take about 1 hour per pound to cook a whole chicken on a pellet grill.
This whole chicken recipe took 3 hours at 250 degrees F for a 3-pound chicken. A 5-pound chicken will take approximately 5 hours. Check the internal temperature of the meat with a digital thermometer.
💭 Expert Tips
- Let the smoked roast chicken sit at room temperature for 30-60 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. Do not touch the bone with the end of the probe.
- If you like extra crispy chicken skin, turn the smoker to a higher temperature during the last few minutes of cooking.
🥗 Side Dishes
Serve this juicy chicken with Smoked Corn on the Cob in Foil, Pellet Grill Baked Potatoes, and Smoked Baked Beans with Bacon.
It also goes great with Creamy Cucumber Salad With Mayonnaise, Greek Cucumber Salad, and Creamy Miracle Whip Coleslaw.
🍗 What To Do With Leftover Smoked Whole Chicken
The leftovers are amazing! You can use them to make Mexican Shredded Chicken Casserole or White Chicken Chili With Cream Cheese.
You can also use them in Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells, Chicken Pot Pie With Puff Pastry, Buffalo Chicken Dip Without Cream Cheese, and Slow Cooker Chicken Soup With Spinach.
🌡️ Storage Instructions
Refrigerator: Remove leftover smoked chicken from the carcass and store it in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Wrap leftover chicken in plastic wrap, then place it in a Ziploc bag. Store for up to two months. You can also place the whole chicken carcass in a large freezer bag and freeze it for up to two months. Use the chicken carcass to make Smoked Chicken Noodle Soup.
Reheating: Thaw frozen smoked chicken in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the air fryer, microwave, or oven until heated.
🧂 Variations
- Wet brine the chicken before smoking with my Fresh Herb Citrus Poultry Brine.
- Dry brine the chicken using this Lemon Herb Dry Brine Chicken Recipe.
- Inject a marinade directly into the meat for extra flavor. Check out this detailed blog post on injecting a whole chicken with marinade.
- Make Smoked Spatchcock Chicken by cutting down each side of the backbone to flatten the chicken.

❓ Recipe FAQs
No, you do not have to spatchcock or butterfly the chicken before you smoke it. You can simply smoke the chicken whole on the smoker.
The best wood pellets for smoked whole chicken are apple wood, maple, cherry, pecan, Signature blend, Competition blend, and hickory.
Generally, it will take around 1 hour per pound of chicken, so approximately 3 hours for a 3-pound chicken. A smaller chicken will cook in less time. The chicken will be fully cooked when the breast's internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
It will take about 3-4 hours to smoke a 4 lb chicken at 250 degrees F.
No, you do not need to brine the chicken. This is an easy recipe on how to smoke a whole chicken on a pellet grill.
The best size chicken for smoking ranges from 3 to 5 pounds. At this size, the chicken is large enough to remain moist during the smoking process yet small enough to ensure even cooking.


👩🏻🍳 More Pellet Grill Chicken Recipes
More Pellet Grill Smoker Recipes You'll Love
Recipe
Pellet Grill Slow Smoked Whole Chicken
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 Dry Spice Rub
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons Roasted Garlic and Peppers seasoning a Club House seasoning
- 2 teaspoons 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
- Store any leftover rub in an airtight container or jar in a cool, dark place.
- Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 30-60 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 like nice, crispy chicken skin, turn the smoker to a higher temperature during the last few minutes of cooking.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
If you tried this Best Smoked Whole Chicken on Pellet Grill Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you! 🙂
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! 🙂