Traeger Smoked Whole Chicken

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.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 3

Dry Brine Time 12

Total Time 15 20

Servings

Calories 345kcal

Cost $25

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.

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 Tbsp Kosher Salt, 1 Tbsp Fresh Course Ground Black Pepper, Your Favorite BBQ rub or our "In a Pinch BBQ Rub" below
Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

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.

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.
Close the lid.
Rotate the chicken occasionally during the cooking process to ensure even cooking.

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.
Carefully remove the chickens from the Traeger.

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.