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Whole chicken smoking on the grates of a Traeger pellet grill

Traeger Smoked Whole Chicken

Mads Martigan
Our Traeger Smoked Whole Chicken is seasoned and dry brined overnight to get the most flavor and crispiest skin possible.
We then review step by step how to set up your Traeger pellet grill to perfectly smoke this whole chicken.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Dry Brine Time 12 hours
Total Time 15 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Australian, barbecue, BBQ, Smoked
Servings 10
Calories 345 kcal

Equipment

  • Traeger Pellet Grill
  • Wood Pellets 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 tablespoon Kosher Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh Course Ground Black Pepper

In a Pinch BBQ Rub

  • 2 tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar
  • 2 tablespoon Paprika
  • 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
  • ½ tablespoon Coarse Ground Black Pepper
  • ½ tablespoon Chili Powder
  • ½ tablespoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper optional

Instructions
 

Clean the Chickens

  • Clean, rinse, and pat dry the whole chickens well with paper towels.
    2 Whole Chickens
    a raw whole chicken in an aluminum foil pan
  • Trim any excess pieces of skin or fat off of the chickens.

Dry Brine the Chickens Overnight

  • Place the chickens on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet.
  • Mix together the 4 tablespoon Kosher salt and 1 tablespoon pepper and sprinkle generously over the tops and bottoms of each chicken. Alternatively, use your favorite BBQ rub or the In a Pinch BBQ Rub above. If your rub contains salt, you do not need to add the salt and pepper mixture. DO NOT use cooking oil to adhere or skin will not get crispy.
    4 tablespoon Kosher Salt, 1 tablespoon Fresh Course Ground Black Pepper, Your Favorite BBQ rub or our "In a Pinch BBQ Rub" below
    bottle of Texas Sugar BBQ Rub from Meat Church on a table in front of a seasoned whole chicken
  • Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Start the Traeger Pellet Grill

  • Load the hopper of the Traeger with your chosen wood pellets.
  • Turn on the Traeger and move the dial to the "Smoke" setting.
  • Leave the lid open for 5-7 minutes until you start seeing white billowing smoke coming out of the grill. This means the initial pellets are igniting.
  • Close the lid and turn the temperature dial to 300°F. Allow 10-15 minutes for the grill to come up to temperature.
  • Clean the grill grates with a good grill brush and close the lid again.

Smoke the Chickens

  • Position your seasoned whole chickens on the grates breasts up and the legs pointing to the hotter side of the grill, if applicable.
  • 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.
    whole chicken on Traeger grates with a smart phone in front showing the MEATER thermometer app
  • Close the lid.
  • Rotate the chicken occasionally during the cooking process to ensure even cooking.

Crisp the Skin

  • When the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 120°F, turn the heat up to 375°F.
  • Continue cooking until the internal temperature of the breasts has reached 160°F, and the internal temperature of the thighs hits 170°F.
    Whole chicken smoking on the grates of a Traeger pellet grill
  • Carefully remove the chickens from the Traeger.

Rest and Carve

  • Let the chickens rest for 15-20 minutes before carving to allow the juices to distribute and the final internal temperature to rise to 165°F in the breast meat and 175°F in the thigh meat.
  • Carve and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 4ozCalories: 345kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 29gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 3604mgPotassium: 347mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1046IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg
Keyword barbecue chicken, BBQ Chicken, BBQ Smoked Chicken, Dry Brine, pellet grill, Pellet Grill Chicken, Smoked Chicken, smoked whole chicken, traeger, Traeger Chicken, Traeger Smoked Chicken, Traeger Whole Chicken
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