Smoked Whole Chicken (How to Cook a Whole Chicken on a Traeger)

Never made a Smoked Whole Chicken on a Traeger? Don’t fret, it’s easy! In this post, we give step by step instructions on how to smoke a whole chicken. It is juicy, tender and packed with flavor. You might even like it more than our Traeger Chicken Breast, smoked chicken thighs, or our smoked chicken wings.

Traeger Smoked Whole Chicken Recipe

Whole chicken recipes are really difficult to sort through. I’ve made enough of them, all of which claimed to be the best of the best but all were just cooked chicken. I mean, just because it’s a whole bird does not mean it has to be difficult, time consuming and especially not bland.

So I got all obsessed. We love our slow cooker whole chicken, our whole roasted chicken and our spatchcock chicken, but we needed a smoked version! I decided to make a whole chicken that you’d order in a restaurant over the steak. I know, I know, but really, this smoked whole chicken is going to knock your dang socks clean off of you.

Why, why is that a saying? Knock your socks off? What about your shoes? Why didn’t we knock those off first? Who are all of these people walking around in socks?

Actually, it’s me.

If you know me, if you’re a friend or a neighbor you know that I’m ALWAYS in socks because my feet are ALWAYS cold.

Smoked Whole Chicken Ingredients

Believe it or not, you only need a handful of ingredients to make a Traeger smoked chicken. This Traeger whole chicken recipe has three main components: the dry rub used to flavor the smoked chicken, the few extra ingredients needed to actually smoke the chicken, and the ingredients needed to make a gravy from the pan drippings.

Here’s what you’ll need to make a smoked whole chicken on a Traeger:

• Fresh Thyme Leaves
• Salt and Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Cumin
• Smoked Paprika
• Ground Mustard
• Cayenne
• Dark Brown Sugar
• Garlic
• Chili Powder
• Butter
• Apple Juice
• Cornstarch

Note that adding a pan of apple juice to the smoker creates a delicious steam that keeps the meat moist and adds flavor as well.

How to Smoke a Whole Chicken

Smoked whole chicken does not need much time or attention at all. The most important step starts

Plump, juicy blackberries are muddled with fragrant fresh mint to form the base of this irresistibly beautiful and refreshing Blackberry Bourbon Smash. This is a cocktail so gorgeous it’s hard to believe it’s so easy to make!

Blackberry Bourbon Smash

This has been my cocktail of choice this summer for a whole host of great reasons. Gigantic blackberries have been available at bargain prices in my grocery stores, so it’s hard to resist stocking up and I’ve been stuffing blackberries into just about every dish I can.

This particular cocktail, though, is a riff on the classic whiskey smash; a citrus forward drink that tastes like a boozy lemonade. Our blackberry bourbon smash recipe adds a heaping helping of muddled blackberries for both flavor and aesthetics.

The end result is a seriously sippable, perfectly balanced, delightfully refreshing cocktail that is easy on the eyes, too. It’s a winner of a drink!

Bourbon Smash

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

• fresh blackberries
• mint leaves
• fresh lime juice
• ice cubes

Peanut Butter Mug Cake

This Peanut Butter Mug Cake is moist, indulgent, and only takes 5 minutes to throw together. Even better, this easy mug cake is a kid-friendly recipe! 

Peanut Butter Cake in a Mug

Peanut butter cake in a mug! Now that I have your attention, I have a delightful little recipe for you, for those days when you are craving a cozy dessert but you forgot to prepare anything.

Who doesn’t love a cute mug dessert — aka a delicious miniature cake for one made in just minutes, perfectly portioned so that all you need to do is find a spoon and a comfy space on the couch to satisfy that sweet tooth?

I used to think my One-Bowl Chocolate Cake was easy, but then I created this microwave cake recipe and now I’m hooked. I’m so hooked that I’ve created protein mug cake recipe too that you totally need to try! Made from scratch, fluffy, and flavorful, I bet you have all the ingredients you need for this recipe on hand right now.

Plus, peanut butter and chocolate chips — like in these Peanut Butter Muffins or this gorgeous Peanut Butter Cheesecake Dip — are just the best of friends.  Is there a more perfect couple? You just can’t beat the taste of those two together!

What’s in This Peanut Butter Mug Cake?

Now, microwave mug cakes are small and we’re trusting the microwave to cook it perfectly, so it’s important to get the right balance of ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make this best mug cake:

• Peanut butter and chocolate are of course the main flavor components here.
• Vegetable oil helps to keep the cake moist – no dry mug cakes here.
• Egg white gives the cake structure and helps it to be light and fluffy.
• This cake in a mug recipe uses brown sugar for enhanced flavor and also moisture.
• Finally, cake regulars, flour and baking powder do the job of structure and lift.

Can I Make a Cake in a Mug Without an Egg?

Yes, you can make this eggless and use milk instead, but the texture is much better using the egg white. I should note here that this recipe is dairy-free and you can make it gluten free by swapping the all purpose flour with gluten-free flour.

How to Make a Mug Cake

Mug desserts are as easy as it gets. Here are the basic steps to making this microwave cake in a cup:

1. Start by combining the wet ingredients and sugar in a large microwave-safe mug. Give it a good whisk with a fork.
2. Add the dry ingredients and stir the cake b

Crunchy Roasted Cauliflower and Hummus [+Video]

Looking for a new way to enjoy cauliflower? Look no further! This roasted cauliflower recipe is sure to become your new favorite. With the perfect balance of savory spices and a crispy texture, it’s a must-try for any cauliflower lover. We love to serve it over our homemade hummus with a little pesto and aleppo pepper on top.

Ingredients for Crispy Roasted Cauliflower and Hummus

One thing I love about vegetables is that you can really jazz them up or keep them really simple with just a little butter and salt and pepper. With this cauliflower dish, we jazz them up a little but it’s still so simple. Here is what you will need:

• Olive Oil: Helps roast the cauliflower and make it crispy.
• Cauliflower: We love the look of multicolored cauliflower, but you could use just white cauliflower or any cauliflower you enjoy.
• Cornstarch: Helps create a crust on the cauliflower as it roasts.
• Seasonings: Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Kosher Salt and Onion Powder
• Hummus: If you don’t want to take the time to make homemade hummus, then use your favorite store-bought brand.
• Pesto: Again, you can’t beat the flavor and freshness of homemade pesto sauce, but you could save time by using store-bought pesto. The Kirkland brand at Costco is actually pretty good.
• Aleppo Pepper: A moderately spicy pepper that is deep red and adds such a great flavor
• Flaked Sea Salt: Adds just a pop of flavor to round out the flavors in this tasty vegetable dish.

The measurements of each ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post so keep scrolling for all the details.

How to Make Crispy Roasted Cauliflower

Let me take you through the few simple steps to make this easy vegetable side dish:

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 400° F and pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a cookie sheet. When the oven comes to temperature, put the cookie sheet in the oven to heat up the oil.
2. Chop: While the oil is heating up in the oven, chop one head of cauliflower and then toss it with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
   • NOTE: You want the cauliflower florets to be bite-size and roughly the same size.
3. Mix: Add all seasonings together in a small bowl and then sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the cauliflower.
4. Toss: Add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss everything together. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the cauliflower evenly

Dad’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Raisins

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with raisins are made with oats, butter, brown sugar, and just the right touch of spices for soft, chewy, delicious, perfect oatmeal cookies. Heavenly!

My first memory of being in the kitchen cooking is actually with my dad, which is funny because he rarely did any cooking. He was so, so busy working, serving, and providing for our family, but I vividly remember sitting on the counter and him teaching me how to make these cookies. They were dad’s signature cookie, and man, we devoured them! They are thick and chewy and have the perfect oatmeal cookie texture!

The last time I was up in Idaho visiting my parents, I came home from running an errand and found my three kiddos surrounding my dad in the kitchen while they made oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies together. It stopped me dead in my tracks and feelings of love and home overwhelmed me.

I won’t stop saying it. Families are strengthened when they cook, bake, and eat together. Memories are made. Bonds are created. Love abounds…and bellies are happy!

Before we jump into this recipe, I know there are going to be some raisin haters out there. Just omit the raisins, haters. Double down on the chocolate and omit the dang raisins! But I love the raisins. That’s how dad made them, so that’s how I like them!

Now that I think about it, I bet there will be some chocolate haters out there too. Oatmeal raisin cookie purists aren’t going to like chocolate in their cookies. So omit the chocolate and double the raisins. Do what makes you happy I say! But I love the combo of both in this cookie.

Ingredients for Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you have raisins in the pantry, I’m going to guess you will have all the rest of these ingredients too. No surprises, no secrets, just straight up classic oatmeal cookie recipe ingredients.

• Raisins
• Baking Soda
• Unsalted Butter
• Dark Brown Sugar
• Sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla Extract
• All Purpose Flour
• Cornstarch
• Oat Flour (see section below)
• Sea Salt
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Cloves
• Oats
• Chocolate Chips or Chunks

Scroll down to the recipe card to see all the measurements.

How to Make Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

We are going to start this recipe by plumping up the raisins, and then we will jump into the classic wet ingredients, dry ingredients, combine, eat a little cookie cough, bake, inhale…

1. Plump: Put raisins in small saucepan with enough water to just cover them and simmer them over medium heat. Drain them and let them cool.
2. Beat: Combine sugars and butter and beat them together until creamy in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
3. Grind: Make oat flour (see section below) by grinding and pulsing them in a blender or food processor.
4. Mix: Combine all the dry ingredients and spices in a mediu