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Make the perfect Smoked Chicken Thighs every time by following my easy recipe! Using only 5 ingredients including salt and pepper, this easy recipe for smoked chicken is ready in under 3 hours with 10 minutes of prep.
It is so simple and results in delicious fall-apart smoked chicken!
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Smoking Chicken Thighs
One of my favorite meals to make – especially during the summer! – is BBQ chicken thighs. My family loves chicken recipes of all kinds, but smoked chicken truly is the best!
Smoked chicken thighs are easier to make than you might think, and are a perfect crowd-feeding recipe. I make them all the time for gatherings – everyone loves them at a backyard BBQ.
All you need are five simple ingredients (that’s including the salt and pepper!) and a few minutes of prep. These simple smoked BBQ chicken thighs are guaranteed to be a favorite with everyone!
I cooked this recipe. It turned out great. Juiciest chicken I have ever ate. Thanks for sharing.
Joyce on Pinterest
Smoked Chicken Thighs Recipe Ingredients
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, boneless skinless chicken thighs, or chicken breasts
- BBQ Sauce – the choice of your favorite barbecue sauce – I like to use my Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Kosher Salt and cayenne pepper
How to Smoke Chicken Thighs
- Preheat the smoker to 225°F. Salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken thighs. Do not be shy with the seasoning!
- Place your chicken on the smoker, skin side down and let them smoke for 1 hour.
- While the chicken smokes, mix the BBQ sauce with apple cider vinegar. You are just looking for a thinner sauce consistency for easy glazing.
- After the first hour of smoking, bump the temp up to 300°F and let the chicken smoke for another hour, or until the internal temperature of the chicken hits 185°F on a meat thermometer. Once the chicken has finished cooking, dunk them in the glaze and cover them entirely.
- Then place them back on the smoker for another half hour, or until the glaze is nice and tacky.
- Remove the chicken from the smoker. Let the chicken rest for about ten minutes and enjoy!
This recipe was excellent. Thanks for the easy to follow instructions.
Tim
Smoked Chicken Thighs Recipe Tips
- A pellet smoker is a great choice for this recipe; try this Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker.
- When it comes to the sauce, you can use anything you want. Just be sure it has a thinner consistency so it glazes nicely. If you use a thin BBQ sauce, then you can skip the vinegar. I love smoking chicken thighs with Peri Peri sauce!
- If you wish, you can peel the skin back on the thighs and apply the seasonings directly to the meat. This makes the preparation a little longer, but the results are worth it!
- This recipe can work for chicken wings and legs as well. Just be sure they are whole chicken wings and not just the sections. The cooking time can vary, but the process is essentially the same. You’re largely looking for the internal temperature to be 185 degrees, which is the done mark for smoked chicken.
- Chicken breast also turns out amazingly prepared this way.
- Some great options for the smoke are pecan, applewood, or hickory. This recipe used pecan wood and they were so smoky and tasty.
- I used a pellet smoker for this recipe, but any type of smoker is just fine as long as you control the temperature and get those thighs to the 185 degrees mark, internally.
- Feel free to play around with your favorite spices such as garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika to make a great spice rub. I also like to include brown sugar.
- I love using leftovers to make chicken salad!
Smoked Chicken Temps
Although chicken is safe to consume at an internal temperature of 165°F (check our Chicken Temperature Chart for more info), we let these smoked chicken thighs cook until they reach an internal temperature of 185°F. This creates fall-apart, deliciously tender smoked chicken.
| Boneless Chicken Thighs | 425°F | about 35 minutes |
| Bone-in Chicken Thighs | 425°F | about 45 minutes |
Smoked Chicken Thighs FAQs
Smoke chicken thighs at 225°F for 1 hour, then glaze the thighs and cook at 300°F for 1 hour more. Finally, glaze them a second time, and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, for a total of 2 hours and 30 minutes smoking.
You do not need to flip the chicken when smoking. You can gently move them around to make sure they don’t stick. This will ensure crispy chicken skin.
Sauces for Chicken
- Peri Peri Chicken is incredible when smoked!
- Teriyaki
- Garlic Butter Sauce
- Buffalo Sauce
- BBQ Sauce
Peach sauce is delicious with chicken – try my Peach Chicken next!
Smoked Meat Recipes
Recipe
Smoked Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 Bone-In Skin-On Chicken Thighs
- 1 Cup of BBQ Sauce
- ⅓ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- Coarse Salt to taste
- Coarse Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken thighs. Do not be shy with the seasoning.
- Place your chicken on the smoker and let them smoke for 1 hour.
- While the chicken smokes, mix the bbq sauce and apple cider vinegar. You are just looking for a thinner sauce consistency for easy glazing.
- After the first hour of smoking, bump the temp up to 300 degrees and let the chicken smoke for another hour, or until the internal temperature of the chicken hits 185 degrees. Once the chicken has finished cooking, dunk them in the glaze and cover them entirely.
- Then place them back on the smoker for another half hour, or until the glaze is nice and tacky.
- Remove the chicken from the smoker. Let the chicken rest for about ten minutes and enjoy!
Notes
- When it comes to the sauce, you can use anything you want. Just be sure it has a thinner consistency so it glazes nicely. If you use a thin BBQ sauce, then you can skip the vinegar.
- If you wish, you can peel the skin back on the thighs and apply the seasonings directly to the meat. This makes the preparation a little longer, but the results are worth it!
- This recipe can work for chicken wings and legs as well. Just be sure they are whole chicken wings and not just the sections. The cooking time can vary, but the process is essentially the same. You’re largely looking for the internal temperature to be 185 degrees, which is the done mark for chicken.
- Some great options for the smoke are pecan, applewood, or hickory. This recipe used pecan wood and they were so smoky and tasty.
- I used a pellet smoker for this recipe, but any type of smoker is just fine as long as you control the temperature and get those thighs to the 185 degrees mark, internally.
Mg says
Can you cook this in advance and reheat for a party?
Isabel Laessig says
Hi Mg! You could definitely do that. They’ll last for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator, but I would recommend making them the day before for the best results.