Learn how to smoke a whole chicken using a Masterbuilt electric smoker, and why it is one of easiest, and tastiest, ways to smoke a whole chicken!
We take you step-by-step through preparing your whole chicken, setting up your Masterbuilt electric smoker for the cook, and smoking your whole chicken to perfection.
For all the fanfare in the BBQ world surrounding brisket, pulled pork, and ribs, we find that a perfectly smoked whole chicken often “Wow’s” folks more than anything.
We’ve previously done our famous beer can chicken, spatchcocked chicken, thighs, breasts, wings, legs, and even some simple smoked chicken quarters.
We’ve also shown you exactly how to smoke a whole chicken on a Traeger and on a Pit Boss.
But we thought, what could be easier than a simply smoked whole chicken right in the good old trusty Masterbuilt Electric Smoker?
You can really use any electric smoker, it doesn’t have to be a Masterbuilt, and follow our instructions below!
How to Prepare a Whole Chicken for the Masterbuilt Electric Smoker
Clean and Trim the Whole Chicken(s)
Take some time to clean, rinse and dry your whole chicken(s) with paper towels after removing them from the packaging.
Remove any giblet bags or other items stuffed into the cavities.
Then, using some good kitchen shears or a meat knife, cut any excess fat or skin hanging off near the corners and edges of the cavities.
There should not be too much trimming to do but it doesn’t hurt to clean the whole chickens up a bit before you start seasoning and smoking.
How to get Crispy Skin on your Masterbuilt Smoked Whole Chicken
The problem with “most” smoked chicken is that while the meat inside gets tender and delicious, the skin is usually a little rubbery and unappetizing.
Smoking your whole chicken at a high enough temperature to render out the fat underneath the skin is important, but so is the seasoning and the way you do it.
So if you want the crispiest skin possible at the end, it all starts with dry brining at the beginning.
This is what will separate you from all the chicken smoking amateurs out there.
It works on all cuts of chicken…and turkey too.
Trust us.
Dry Brine the Whole Chicken to Smoke in the Electric Smoker
After cleaning and trimming, simply coat the inside and outside of your whole chicken with kosher salt, or your favorite BBQ rub that has salt in it.
Do NOT use oil to help the rub adhere. As you apply the rub the skin will start to get more wet as the salt in the rub pulls the moisture up to the surface.
This is all the moisture you need to get the salt and rub to adhere.
Store the whole chicken(s) on a wire rack set on top of a baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight.
We like this wire rack and baking sheet combo because you want maximum airflow around every side of the whole chicken.
This overnight seasoning does 3 things:
- That salty moisture that formed on the surface will work its way BACK into the meat to help flavor the interior of the chicken.
- The salt inside will help the whole chicken retain moisture and not dry out while it smokes in the Masterbuilt.
- It pulls moisture OUT of the skin allowing it to dry out before you smoke it and therefore crisp up better while it cooks.
Moist meat, and dry crispy skin.
Exactly what we want.
The next day the skin should look kind of powdery and very dry.
This is good.
It means the salt has penetrated into the meat where you want it to be and has taken all the moisture with it.
The skin will now crisp up nicely in the electric smoker while the inside meat stays moist.
In the morning, if there is still A LOT of salt or seasoning on the outside, wipe it off with a dry or only slightly damp paper towel.
If you need to add MORE BBQ rub, go ahead and do this before putting it in the Masterbuilt.
Pro Tip: DO NOT use cooking oil to help additional rub adhere to the chicken skin. The more oil you apply, the less the skin will crisp up when it cooks.
If really are having a hard time getting your BBQ rub to adhere, use the smallest amount of cooking oil possible to make it stick.
The Best Rub for a Masterbuilt Smoked Whole Chicken
We have a great BBQ Chicken Rub recipe from scratch below, but if you want something easy right off the shelf, check out Three Little Pigs Kansas City Championship BBQ Rub.
It’s got a great flavor of not only typical BBQ seasonings but also onion, garlic, and even a little cayenne for some heat.
We love it on smoked whole chicken!
The Best Wood Chips for Smoking a Whole Chicken in a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker
You have a little freedom when it comes to choosing the right wood chips to smoke a whole chicken in a Masterbuilt electric smoker.
Mesquite and hickory will give a very aggressive smoke flavor and should probably be used only in combination with some other varieties of wood chips.
If aggressive smoke on a whole chicken is not your thing, you can also go for a milder smoke flavor by choosing oak or fruitwood chips.
Pecan, apple, beech, alder, and cherry all give great results on smoked whole chicken.
For fun, you can choose your woods seasonally, using beech and cherry in spring and summer and pecan and apple into the fall and winter.
Also no reason you can’t mix a few different kinds together in your Masterbuilt!
- ASSORTED 8 PREMIUM SMOKING FLAVORS – More chips, more flavor. Smoking chips set includes apple, cherry, oak, pecan, pear, peach,walnut, beech wood chips. A set of chips will help you taste different types of wood for smoking and you will be able to determine what kind of wood chips you like the most!
Refilling the Wood Chips
Now, as we mentioned, you will need to refill the wood chips every 30-40 minutes as they smolder fairly quickly compared to wood chunks and wood pellets.
Now, if you are using a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker, we recommend you check out their Slow Smoker Accessory Attachment.
It allows you to preload the wood chips, much like a pellet hopper on a pellet grill like a Traeger and smokes them more slowly so that you don’t need to constantly refill.
This works great for longer smokes like beef brisket in your electric smoker!
- Continuous smoke when cold smoking or hot smoking up to 275˚F
- Automatically heats wood chips with the push of a button
- Continuous wood feed system provides up to 6 hours of continuous smoke without reloading
- Removable ash tray for easy cleanup
Using a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker
Now, if you aren’t quite familiar yet with how to use your electric smoker, don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of good resources for you.
We have previously covered how to season, start, and clean a Masterbuilt electric smoker.
We’ve covered how to load them with wood chips, use the vents properly, make a smoker stand for them, and even how to use them in the rain!
You can tell we are big fans of this great electric wonder, especially for beginner smokers and bbq enthusiasts.
Now that you know how to properly set up and use your smoker, we will go over what is needed to properly smoke a Whole Chicken step by step in a Masterbuilt electric smoker.
How to Smoke a Whole Chicken in a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker
Now that the whole chicken is trimmed, dry brined, and seasoned, all that left to do is smoke it in our electric smoker!
Let’s jump into the details of time and temperature and how to know when your whole chicken is done smoking.
What Temperature do you Smoke a Whole Chicken in a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker?
Set the temperature of your electric smoker to 325°F, and let it come up to temperature.
While “Traditional BBQ” is cooked low and slow in the 225-250°F range, you will never get crispy skin on smoked whole chicken cooking at this temperature in your electric smoker.
This is because the fat underneath the skin will not render at those low temperatures before the meat is finished cooking.
Also, avoid using BBQ rubs with lots and lots of sugar if you are going to cook any higher than 300-325°F because the sugar can burn and carbonize.
If you used a rub or seasoning combination with NO sugar, feel free to bump the temperature to 350° or even 375°F for extra crispy skin.
Lastly, skip putting water in the water pan when you’re cooking skin-on chicken.
While the moist chamber is great for pork butts and ribs, it will prevent the skin on your whole chicken from getting crispy while smoking.
There is enough moisture in the chickens already and the dry brining will really keep them from drying out anyway.
How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Whole Chicken in a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker?
After the electric smoker has come up to temperature and you have added your woodhips to the chip loader, it’s time for the chicken.
Put your whole chicken on one of the middle shelves with the breasts pointed up and let the electric smoker do its thing!
Place temperature probes, if you have them, in both one of the thighs and one of the breasts of the chicken.
Otherwise, you can spot check later with an instant read thermometer.
Always use good insulated grill gloves when rotating or moving the chicken around.
There really is no need to flip the whole chicken over as the electric smoker provides indirect heat like an oven.
You are welcome to experiment and try cooking it “upside down” if you want through, but you may lose some of your BBQ rub on the breasts against the smoker grates.
A 4 lb whole chicken will take between 1-1.5 hours in an electric smoker at 325°F.
It may take up to 2 hours or more if you have a really large chicken, or if it is cold outside and you open the door a lot during the cook.
Pro Tip: If you want the crispiest skin possible, avoid basting or spraying the chicken with anything while it is cooking in the Masterbuilt.
Keep the door closed as much as possible, and use the temperature probes to tell you when the chicken is done.
How Much Wood Smoke to use on a Whole Chicken?
Chicken, like most poultry, and fish for that matter, absorbs a lot of smoke in a short amount of time.
You don’t want to overdo it, especially if you are new to smoking chicken in your electric smoker.
Use a handful or two of wood chips at the beginning of the cook but we wouldn’t recommend refilling with any more after that.
Once the chips have smoldered out you can empty them from the ship laoidng tray.
How Do You Know When a Whole Chicken is Done Smoking in an Electric Smoker?
You’ll want to monitor the internal temperature of both the chicken breast AND chicken thigh for doneness.
Your Masterbuilt electric smoker whole chicken is ready to eat when the breast meat hits an internal temperature of 165°F and the thigh meat hits 175°F on your instant read thermometer.
These usually occur at about the same time.
If you don’t yet own an instant read thermometer, it’s going to be hard to really know exactly when that whole chicken is done cooking in the Masterbuilt.
One of our go-to and very affordable favorites is this one from Thermopro.
If you prefer a leave-in thermometer you can just monitor from your phone while visiting with guests or doing other stuff, then check out our newest favorite, the MEATER leave in thermometer.
It is extremely accurate and has an incredible 165 foot bluetooth range and works right with your smartphone so you don’t need to carry a separate controller around with you like many other remote thermometers require.
It’s got a great free app that is constantly being updated and even has an algorithm to predict how much longer your type of meat will take to cook based on cooking temperature, target temperature, and current internal temperature.
It’s like a GPS for your meat!
- ► 2 Sensors, 1 Probe: Dual temperature sensors can monitor internal meat temperature up to 212°F and ambient / external temperature up to 527°F simultaneously. Dishwasher safe.
- ► Advanced Estimator Algorithm: Can estimate how long to cook and rest your food to help plan your meal and manage your time.
- ► Connectivity Suite: Monitor your cook from a phone or tablet over Bluetooth. Extend your range Using MEATER Link WiFi and MEATER Cloud to use Alexa and monitor your cook from a computer.
Anyways, back to our chicken…
Carving and Serving a Masterbuilt Smoked Whole Chicken
Remove the whole chicken from the electric smoker and let it rest for about 20-30 minutes before carving and serving so that the juice stays in the meat where you want it.
First pull the leg and thigh away from the rest of the bird and cut at the thigh joint. Repeat on the other side.
Now slice each of the breasts off the breastbone, remove the wings, and you are ready to eat!
Smoked chicken is great on its own, or you can pair it with our maple bourbon smoked pineapple for a Hawaiian theme.
Smoked broccoli, smoked asparagus, carrots, and even smoked cauliflower are great if you’re eating healthy.
If you want something a little richer, check out our Sticky Smoked Sweet Potatoes to cook and serve alongside your Masterbuilt electric smoker smoked whole chicken.
Enjoy!
What Else Can I Smoke in my Masterbuilt Electric Smoker?
So glad you asked!
Check out some of our other favorite recipes below that can all be easily modified for an electric smoker if not done so already.
Pork
- Traeger Baby Back Ribs
- Traeger Smoked Pulled Pork
- Traeger 3-2-1 Pork Ribs
- Traeger Smoked Pork Loin
- Traeger Smoked Pork Spare Ribs
- Pit Boss Pulled Pork
- Pit Boss Smoked Baby Back Ribs
- Pit Boss Smoked Pork Loin
- Pit Boss 3-2-1 Ribs
- Camp Chef Pulled Pork
- Masterbuilt Electric Smoker Boston Butt
- Masterbuilt Baby Back Ribs
- Pellet Grill Smoked Pork Chops
- Pellet Grilled Bratwurst
- Gas Grilled Bratwurst
- Smoked Fresh Holiday Ham
- Spiral Sliced Smoked Hot Dogs
- Smoked Bratwurst with Beer Braised Onions
- Roasted Pig in Your Backyard
Beef
- Traeger Smoked Prime Rib
- Traeger Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Cream
- Traeger Smoked Beef Brisket
- Traeger Smoked Chuck Roast
- Traeger Smoked Pot Roast
- Pit Boss Beef Brisket
- Pit Boss Smoked Beef Tenderloin
- Pit Boss Smoked Prime Rib
- Pit Boss Smoked Chuck Roast
- Pit Boss Smoked Beef Ribs
- Camp Chef Smoked Beef Brisket
- Masterbuilt Smoked Chuck Roast
- Masterbuilt Beef Brisket
- Perfect Smoked London Broil
- Smoked Ribeye Roast
- Smoked Corned Beef
- Smoked Ribeye Steaks
- Smoked Filet Mignon
- Hot and Fast Pellet Grill Beef Brisket
- Pellet Grilled Steak
- Perfect Grilled Hamburgers
- Smoked Eye of Round Roast Beef
- Easy Smoked Flank Steak
- Smoked Tomahawk Steaks
- Smoked Bottom Round Roast
- Smoked Sirloin Tip Roast
Seafood
- Honey Smoked Salmon
- Smoked Oysters in a Garlic White Wine Sauce
- Smoked Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce
- Smoked Lobster Tails
- Easy Smoked Tilapia
- Perfect Smoked Halibut
- Smoked Mahi Mahi Fillets
- Smoked Swordfish Steaks
- Smoked Crab Legs with Cajun Clarified Butter
- Smoked Mackerel with Maple Balsamic Glaze
- Smoked Catfish with Cajun BBQ Rub
- Smoked Red Snapper with Blackening Rub
- Smoked Trout
- Smoked Tuna Steaks
- Pit Boss Smoked Salmon
Poultry
- Pit Boss Smoked Whole Chicken
- Pit Boss Smoked Chicken Thighs
- Pit Boss Smoked Chicken Breasts
- Pit Boss Smoked Chicken Legs
- Pit Boss Smoked Chicken Wings
- Traeger Smoked Whole Chicken
- Smoked Chicken Leg Quarters
- Beer Can Chicken on a Pellet Grill
- Spatchcocked Chicken on a Pellet Grill
- Pellet Grill Smoked Turkey Breast
- Pellet Grill Turkey
- Easy Smoked Turkey Legs
- Spatchcock Smoked Turkey on a Pellet Grill
- Trash Can Turkey – OK, technically not made on a grill or smoker but one of the most fun ways there is to cook a Turkey…at over 700 degrees in only 2 hours!
Lamb
- Smoked Leg of Lamb with Guinness Marinade
- Smoked Lamb Chops with a Balsamic Butter Sauce
- Smoked Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary or Smoker
- Smoked and Pulled Lamb Shoulder with a Turkish Spice Rub
- Smoked Lamb Shanks
Other Odds and Ends
- Masterbuilt Smoked Cheese
- Smoked Gouda Cheese
- Smoked Asparagus
- Easy Smoked Broccoli
- Smoked Cauliflower
- Sticky Smoked Sweet Potatoes
- How to Steam Tamales
- Smoked Pineapple in a Maple Bourbon Sauce
- Smoked Carrots with a Honey Balsamic Glaze
Smoked Whole Chicken in Masterbuilt Electric Smoker
Equipment
- Masterbuilt Electric Smoker or any brand electric smoker
- Wood chips Hickory, Oak, or Fruitwood
- Large Cutting Board
- Paper Towels
- Large Baking Sheet with Wire Rack
- Internal Meat Thermometers
- Carving Knife
- Insulated BBQ Gloves
Ingredients
- 2 Whole Chickens
- Your Favorite BBQ rub or our "In a Pinch BBQ Rub" below
Dry Brine
- 4 Tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Course Ground Black Pepper
In a Pinch BBQ Rub
- 2 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Paprika
- 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
- ½ Tbsp Course Ground Black Pepper
- ½ Tbsp Chili Powder
- ½ Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ Tsp Cayenne Pepper optional
Instructions
Clean the Chicken
- Clean, rinse, and pat dry the whole chickens well with paper towels.2 Whole Chickens
- Trim any excess pieces of skin or fat off of the chickens.
Dry Brine the Chicken Overnight
- Place the chickens on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet.
- Mix together the 4 Tbsp Kosher salt and 1 Tbsp pepper, or use your favorite BBQ rub, and sprinkle generously over the tops and bottoms of each chicken. DO NOT use cooking oil to adhere or skin will not get crispy.4 Tbsp Kosher Salt, 1 Tbsp Fresh Course Ground Black Pepper
- Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4-6 hours.
Remove the Next Day
- Take the chickens out of the refrigerator and wipe off any excess salt still remaining on the outside with a damp paper towel.
- If you only used Salt and Pepper to Dry Brine, mix the In a Pinch BBQ Rub ingredients together and apply some to all sides of the chickens. Or add a little more of your favorite BBQ rub for chicken2 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar, 2 Tbsp Paprika, 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt, ½ Tbsp Course Ground Black Pepper, ½ Tbsp Chili Powder, ½ Tbsp Garlic Powder, 1 Tsp Onion Powder, ¼ Tsp Cayenne Pepper
Start the Masterbuilt Electric Smoker
- Open up the electric smoker door and make sure the racks are all cleaned off and in their proper place. You may need to remove a couple shelves to make room for the whole chickens. Aim for the middle of the smoker for your chicken(s).
- Do not fill the water pan. Close the door.
- Plug in and turn on the electric smoker and set the temperature to 325°F.
- Once the electric smoker is up to temperature, load your wood chips in the chip loading tray. There is no need to soak the wood chips in water.
Smoking the Whole Chicken in the Masterbuilt Electric Smoker
- Once smoke is being produced, position your seasoned whole chickens on the grates breast side up.
- Place an internal temperature probe if you have one into the center of one of the breasts, and another one, if you have one, into the middle of one of the thighs.
- Close the door.
- When the internal temperature of the breasts has reached 165°F, and the internal temperature of the thighs hits 175°F, carefully remove the chickens from the electric smoker.
Rest and Carve
- Let the chickens rest for 15-20 minutes before carving to allow the juices to distribute.
- Carve, plate, and serve immediately.
Was very good, I only “dry brined” for a couple hours but I think was still good enough and skin was pretty crispy.