Whole Smoked Chicken Recipe (Traeger Smoked Chicken)

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 1 day 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 batch Spice Rub for Smoked Chicken (recipe link in header)

1 3 1/2 - 4 pound chicken, giblets removed

1/2 lemon

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 small shallot, halved and peeled

Small handful fresh thyme

Directions

Dry brine the chicken

Rub the spice paste all over the chicken (use all of the rub). You can either stuff the cavity with the lemon, garlic, shallot and thyme now or wait to do this tomorrow (if stuffing, tie the legs together). Refrigerate the chicken, uncovered, overnight (this will allow the spice paste to permeate into the meat as well as help the skin turn crispy on the smoker).

Smoke the chicken

Preheat your smoker to 225˚F (105˚C). Take the chicken out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. If you haven’t stuffed it yet, do that now (be sure to tie the legs together with kitchen twine).

Position the chicken directly onto the grill grate. Cover and smoke until the internal temperature on an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh reads 160˚F, about 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. Carve the chicken and serve.