We don’t brine in this recipe. Every other smoked whole chicken recipe need and overnight kosher salt rub or liquid salt brine and it’s not really necessary for a juicy bird. We have done it both ways and prefer this easy method. The chicken is smoky and juicy, the rub stays on the meat, and dinner is on the table by 6 if you start the grill at 4.
What our readers are saying
The meat was nice and juicy and the skin was nice and crisp but not to crispy!!!!!!! It was a homerun and an MDA (Must Do Again)!!!!!!
Todd
Read more reviews >>
How to smoke a whole chicken (step-by-step)
Just a few simple steps will give you a delicious smoked whole chicken with crispy skin. Here’s how:
- First, heat up your smoker or pellet grill to about 250° Fahrenheit. Then, get the chicken going by following the steps below.
What we learned testing this
- Pull at 160 degrees, not 165: stick the probe in the thickest part of the breast and pull the bird when it hits 160. It carries to 165 over a 15 minute rest. Pulling at 165 means dry breast meat.
- Sauce timing matters: if you want a BBQ sauce brushed on, wait until you have bumped the temperature up at the end. Brush it on during the final 15 to 20 minutes. Any earlier and the sugar burns.
- Grate vs vertical stand: cooking directly on the grate works fine. A vertical chicken stand gets you a more even rotisserie-style color and you can pour broth or beer into the cup for steam. Both methods will give you the same crispy skin.
- Why no brine works: the high-heat finish at 400 degrees crisps up the skin and you pull it at 160 while the breast is still juicy. A brine helps when you smoke low and slow the whole way through. With the hybrid method, the temperature itself does the work.
- Wood pellet picks: we prefer apple or cherry for poultry because it has a milder, sweeter smoke flavor.
Related smoker recipes to try
If you want a more basic cut of chicken to cook on the same grill, try our our Easy, Juicy Smoked Chicken Breast or our smoked chicken thighs.
Get the Recipe:
Juicy Smoked Whole Chicken with Crispy Skin (No Brine)
Smoke a whole chicken at 250 degrees for one hour, then bump the heat to 400 to crisp the skin. Two hours start to finish on any pellet grill or smoker. The seasoning is a five-ingredient pantry rub you can pull together while the grill heats up.
Ingredients
- 5 lb whole chicken
For the seasoning:
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 250° Fahrenheit.
- Prepare the seasoning mix by adding all of the ingredients to a small bowl or ramekin and mixing well.2 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder
- Take the whole chicken out of any packaging, remove any giblets from the cavity, and place the chicken on a large plate or pan. Rub the seasoning mix all over the chicken.5 lb whole chicken
- Transfer chicken to the smoker and smoke for one hour at 250° Fahrenheit.
- Once the hour is up, increase the grill/smoker temperature to high heat, approximately (400°-450°Fahrenheit).
- From the time you increase the smoker heat, cook for an additional 45-65 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160° Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the breast.
- Remove the chicken from the smoker and let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving. The internal temperature will continue to rise to 165° Fahrenheit while resting.
Notes
Nutrition amounts provided are per serving and an estimate provided for our readers. See our full nutrition information disclosure here.
Calories: 395kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 27g
Did you make this recipe?Tag @realsimplegood with hashtag #realsimplegood on Instagram. We love to see what you make!
Followed the recipe. Cooked a 6-1/2 lb. bird, used my Meater wireless thermometer. It took about 2-3/4 hrs including resting time. My wife who doesn’t like a lot of spices, loved the combination as well as I did. The meat was nice and juicy and the skin was nice and crisp but not to crispy!!!!!!! It was a homerun and an MDA (Must Do Again)!!!!!!
Glad you’ll be making it again!