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–+ servings
Smoked pulled chicken sandwich on a white plate

Smoked Pulled Chicken

Mads Martigan
Learn how to make the best smoked pulled chicken on ANY grill or smoker.
Whether you are using a pellet grill like a Traeger, Camp Chef, or Pit Boss, an electric smoker like a Masterbuilt, or just a conventional propane grill like a Weber, we’ve got you covered!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Pulling Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Australian, barbecue, BBQ, Smoked
Servings 4 people
Calories 750 kcal

Equipment

  • Gas Grill, Pellet Grill, or Smoker
  • Wood pellets, chunks, or a pellet tube smoker with pellets or a smoker box with wood chips
  • Paper Towels
  • Aluminum Foil Trays
  • Instant Read Thermometer
  • Grill Tongs
  • Bear Claws or two forks to shred

Ingredients
  

  • 8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
  • 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • Your favorite BBQ rub such as Three Little Pigs or our Pulled Chicken BBQ rub below
  • ¼ Cup Barbecue Sauce such as Blues Hog Tennessee Red optional
  • 4 Large Brioche Buns or any hamburger buns

BBQ Rub for Smoked Pulled Chicken

  • ¼ cup Dark Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Paprika
  • 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt or ½ tablespoon Table Salt
  • ½ tablespoon Fresh Black Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper optional for heat

Instructions
 

Rinse, Dry, and Season the Boneless Chicken Thighs

  • Rinse the chicken thighs under cold running water. Place on a cutting board or in an aluminum pan and pat dry with paper towels
    8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
    a package of boneless skinless chicken thighs for making smoked pulled chicken
  • Brush a light coating of regular olive oil on all sides of each boneless chicken thigh.
    2 tablespoon Olive Oil
    oiling raw boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • Sprinkle on your favorite BBQ rub or mix up our BBQ Rub for Smoked Pulled Chicken and rub on all sides of each chicken thigh.
    Your favorite BBQ rub such as Three Little Pigs or our Pulled Chicken BBQ rub below, ¼ cup Dark Brown Sugar, 2 tablespoon Paprika, 1 tablespoon Chili Powder, 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt, ½ tablespoon Fresh Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1 teaspoon Onion Powder, ⅛ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
    seasoning chicken thighs for smoked pulled chicken

Set up your Grill or Smoker

  • Light or turn on your smoker, grill or pellet grill and set up the temperature to 250°F. If using a grill, only light a small amount of charcoal or light a single burner on one side for indirect cooking
    a pit boss pellet grill smoking with white smoke
  • Brush the grill grates with oil to keep the chicken from sticking.
  • Add your wood chunks directly to the firebox of a smoker, or use chips in a smoker box, or pellets in a tube smoker or pellet grill.
    putting wood chips in a masterbuilt electric smoker
  • Once smoke is being produced and the grill or smoker is at 250°F, put your seasoned chicken on the COOL side of the grill or in the smoker.
    smoking chicken for smoked pulled chicken

Smoking the Chicken Thighs for Pulled Chicken

  • Smoke the chicken for about 1 hour, flipping and rotating occasionally, until the internal temperature reaches 175°F using an instant read thermometer.
    a instant thermometer showing 175 degree internal temperature of smoked boneless chicken thighs
  • Remove the smoked boneless chicken thighs from the smoker and place in a large aluminum foil tray to shred.
    smoked boneless chicken thighs for smoked pulled chicken

Pulling the Smoked Chicken

  • Use two forks or a pair of bear claws, push down and pull each one from the other one. Then keep repeating until the smoked chicken thigh is nicely pulled and shredded and then move on to the next one.
    shredding chicken for smoked pulled chicken with bear claws
  • Once you have pulled the smoked chicken, test it for seasoning, you may need to add some salt depending how much rub you initially used. If not, move on to saucing the chicken if you wish.
  • Start with half the sauce and then add more after tasting.
  • Stir the sauce first as it may have settled in the jar and then pour some in a small dish to drizzle on the smoked pulled chicken.
    ¼ Cup Barbecue Sauce such as Blues Hog Tennessee Red
    pouring sauce on smoked pulled chicken
  • Stir it around and then check for how it tastes. Add more as desired and mix up thoroughly with the smoked pulled chicken.
    stirring sauce into smoked pulled chicken
  • Serve on large brioche or hamburger buns with extra sauce on the side for guests to add if they wish and enjoy!
    4 Large Brioche Buns
    a smoked pulled chicken sandwich

Nutrition

Calories: 750kcal
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