Traeger Smoker Chicken Recipe

When you want to cook a delicious dinner without having to do so a lot, consider smoking a whole chicken using your Traeger grill. You’ll be surprised by how tasty chicken can get just by soaking it in a simple dry brine, which means you won’t have to do much work yourself. In this article, we provide the best Traeger smoker chicken recipe, along with great tips and tricks on how you can achieve perfect results every time. 

What You Need for this Recipe

Apart from your Traeger pellet grill which can give a wonderful smoky flavor, you can also use a different smoker and be sure to ready your wood pellets or wood chips. Moreover, this great recipe will need a few simple pieces of equipment which include the following:

• Large cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Sheet pan with a wire rack
• Kitchen string
• Food safe gloves 

Smoked Chicken Ingredients

The ingredients you need can be found anywhere; you can even get a Traeger rub which is versatile enough to be used on pork, chicken, or beef. You can also look into the Traeger chicken rub which comes in a combination of black pepper and citrus, which works well for anyone who wants a vibrant flavor. But if you can’t get your hands on this Traeger signature blend, below are the ingredients you can use to make your own dry rub.

• Brown sugar
• Black pepper 
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Cayenne pepper or Smoked paprika
• Salt

This great seasoning blend can easily become one of your favorite rubs and can even be tastier than BBQ sauce but it will take a bit of extra effort on your part. 

Dry Brining Your Whole Chicken

Dry brining your chicken will always result in crispy skin while providing the best results when seasoning the thickest part of your chicken. This cooking process is the best way to create any kind of whole chicken recipe which allows it to rest and can also be used on all kinds of meat. By dry brining your chicken, you’ll be able to pack so much flavor and you’ll see that the whole bird will completely change in color which indicates that it will produce crispy chicken skin. 

Cooking Chicken Using Traeger Grills

Once your chicken has finished brining, it’s time to grill them; start by preheating your oven by setting it up to 225 degrees Fahrenheit and leaving it for 15 minutes. Brush your chicken with butter and tie the legs together then tuck your chicken wings behind the back. While your smoker preheats, allow your chicken to rest at room temperature, and once your smoker is ready, place your chicken breast side up onto your grill grates then close the lid. 

Working with the Right Temperatures

There is a wide variation regarding the right temperature to roast chicken, including the cooking time. Both the cook time and temperature will fluctuate depending on these factors; 

• Size of your chicken
• Smoker temperature
• Salting or brining your chicken  

Cooking your chicken over a lower temperature will take longer but will also allow more smoke flavor to permeate into the chicken. While a higher temperature can cook your chicken faster, it won’t result in juicy or flavorful chicken. As such, many people prefer to cook their meats low and slow. 

Traeger Smoker Chicken Recipe

This easy recipe uses the spice rub mentioned above, combining it with the best technique for cooking chicken along with pro tips on how to get your whole bird perfectly cooked every time. 

Equipment

• Large cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Sheet pan with a wire rack
• Kitchen string
• Food safe gloves 

Ingredients

• Whole chicken
• 3 tbsp. Butter
• 2 tbsp. Dry rub
• 1 tbsp. Olive oil

Instructions

1. Using paper towels, line your sheet pan and place a wire rack inside. 
2. Remove your chicken from the packaging and pat it dry using more paper towels.
3. Loosen the chicken’s skin gently and sprinkle seasoning around the breast, legs, and thighs while lightly seasoning the skin of your bird. 
4. Tuck in the wings behind the back and pull the legs back then tie them up with a kitchen string. This will be undone when spreading butter but for now your chicken will hold together as it brines. 
5. Place your chicken over the sheet pan and wire rack then put it in your fridge and leave it uncovered overnight. 
6. When it’s finished brining, remove your dry chicken from the fridge and leave it over the counter to let it rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. 
7. Now, it’s time to preheat your Traeger grill to 225°F. 
8. Untie your chicken’s legs and cover the entire bird in room temperature butter under the skin and around the whole chicken. 
9. Tie the chicken’s legs back together and place it inside a rack at the center of your grill then close the lid. 
10. Cook your chicken over 225°F for the next 3 hours. 
11. Increase your temperature to 325°F and cook it for another 30 minutes; doing this will deliver extra crispy skin and will ensure that your chicken is completely cooked. 
12. Take an instant-read thermometer to get the temperature of your chicken breast. Your chicken will be fully cooked once its temperature reaches 160°F to 165°F. 
13. Take your cooked chicken out of the grill and place it over your cutting board. Cover your chicken with some aluminum foil and give it 20 minutes to rest before carving it. 

Making Sure the Chicken is Cooked

To ensure that you have well-cooked chicken, make sure to check the internal temperature of the chicken breast using an instant read thermometer. It should reach 160 degrees F to ensure it’s safe for consumption; using a meat thermometer will make this process much easier. Once you remove your chicken from the pellet smoker, make sure to put it on a big cutting board and cover it using aluminum foil to let your chicken rest and continue cooking.  

Conclusion 

Now that you have the best Traeger chicken breast recipe, make sure to store leftovers inside an airtight container. Doing this will allow you to use them for other delicious meals such as chicken tacos or a chicken salad!

Sources 

• fancyaproncooking.com
• fromscratchfast.com
• fancyaproncooking.com