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

Smoky BBQ Rub

Perfect for beef, chicken and especially pork, this Homemade BBQ Rub is what makes grilling so amazingly delicious. Just dig in!

We love this on grilled chicken, smoked brisket or pork ribs! It’s great on everything! Heck, I’d add it to roasted brussel sprouts or broccoli and it would be amazing! Ooh, and I totally need to do a salmon recipe with this rub too!

Why Make You’re Own Rub

In my opinion, rubs are a tastier alternative to marinating meat as they give a fuller flavor. We prefer to dry rub the meat so that it can get all flavorful before any BBQ sauce is even added. In fact, sometimes we enjoy meats dry because they are so good on their own.

Making your own seasoning blend is the best way to go since you can fine tune the ingredients to exactly what your palate is craving. Whether or not if you feel like having a sweet, spicy, or smoky flavor — or a mix of them all! — it is very easy to do when you start with the right base. It is great on meats that are smoked, grilled or roasted.

How to Make a Dry Rub

When creating any bbq dry rub, the base typically starts with your sugars and salts abd then you add spices for flavoring. 

Sugar

There are many different kinds of sugar (brown sugar, dark brown sugar, turbinado, regular refined sugar and so on) that will give you different flavors. Experiment to see what you like best, and keep in mind that it may be a combination of them as well.

Salt

There are a lot of different salts as well (kosher salt, sea salt, table salt…etc). We prefer kosher salt, but if you don’t have it, you can use table salt. See section below for the differences in salt.

Spices

After getting you sugars and salts picked out, move onto choosing how much and what kind of pepper to use, as well as the other spices that are typical among many rubs, like cumin, chili powder and paprika. Then, start adding in combinations of other spices to make it to your very own liking.

The best part about making a barbecue spice blend is that if you start with very small increments then it’s hard to screw up. When I first started playing around with how much to put in, I forgot to write down what I put in and how much, so don’t make that mistake :).

Here is one of our rub recipes that we really enjoy with any meat.

What’s in This Homemade BBQ Rub?

As I mentioned above, there are so many flavor combinations to choose from when creating a bbq dry rub. Here’s what we used in this particular recipe:

• Kosher Salt
• Brown Sugar
• Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Chili Powder
• Smoked Paprika
• Thyme
• Grou

The BEST Dry Rub Smoked Chicken Wings

Chicken wings bursting with flavor from a perfect dry rub of dark brown sugar, oregano, smoked paprika and more! Your boring chicken wings just became the best dang chicken recipe you’ll have this month!

I’ll be the first to admit it, I was wrong. Chicken wings are not a waste. Chicken wings are in fact delicious. I don’t know how such a teensy tiny amount of meat can be so good but these Dry Rub Smoked Chicken Wings are proof of the deliciousness. If a dry rub and smoker aren’t your thing, try our traditional buffalo wings, air fryer teriyaki wings, or our garlic parmesan grilled chicken wings recipes!

I remember the first time I ever tried chicken wings. It was at a restaurant in Idaho and the sauces all tasted almost identical. The chicken tasted like it was frozen and reheated and there was a lot of stale popcorn.

Maybe it was just that location.

Maybe I was the problem.

I don’t know, but it was not my favorite dinner and in fact I went home from that date with a stomach ache.

Fast forward 500 years and bust out your Traeger (or any smoker) because I’m totally on board with this lil’ chicken wang thang!

How to Make Smoked Chicken Wings

The first step to making these smoked chicken wing recipe is to prep your Traeger (or pellet grill of choice). Preheat the smoker with super smoke for 5 minutes with the lid closed. Set the heat to 225 degrees and allow the smoker to preheat for 10 minutes.

While the Traeger is preheating, prepare the dry rub. See section below and the recipe card for more details on the dry rub. We like to use a disposable pan for smoking these wings. Pat the wings dry with paper towels. Toss the wings and the dry rub in the disposable pan until the wings are completely coated. Then arrange the wings in a single layer in the pan.

Place the pan in the smoker. Cook the wings for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the internal temperature of the wings in their thickest part is 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.

How to Get Crispy Skin on Smoked Wings

When the wings have reached temperature, remove the pan from the smoker and set the smoker to high heat or heat up your grill if your smoker doesn’t have the high heat function. Grill the wings on both sides until grill marks appear and then let them rest for 5 minutes. Serve and eat!

read more: Looking for Traeger recipes? Check out our Traeger Chicken Breast Recipe or our Whole Smoked Chicken Recipe next!

What Goes in the Dry Rub?

The dry rub is where all the flavor comes from. Combined wi

Perfect Smoked Beef Brisket Recipe

The bold and juicy flavor of Smoked Brisket is everything! We have the perfect smoked brisket recipe that is flawless every time!

Serve this brisket with a side of macaroni salad or sweet cornbread, and you’ll be in BBQ heaven!

This post is a collaboration with Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.

Smoked Brisket on a Traeger

Admit it, no other protein does it quite like beef. Beef tastes amazing, and that taste belongs on my table. When you start with such a delicious high-quality protein, the culinary possibilities are endless! You can sear it, grill it, roast it, use it as an ingredient or make it an entrée, the list goes on and on.

Add a wood pellet smoker into the mix and then you have the best beef on the globe. Brisket is a huge cut of beef and can be quite expensive, so we want to make sure you smoke it to perfection. The smoker makes it so easy, and the quality is top shelf!

What is Brisket?

Let’s start with what this meat is that we are smoking. Brisket is a cut of beef from the breast or lower chest of a cow. You might also see them labeled as a whole packer brisket, which means it includes both the point and the flat of the brisket. It is one of the toughest cuts of beef, but when it is smoked, braised, or slow roasted, it renders into juicy, tender and flavorful beef bliss. All you need is time and a few tools and simple tricks.

Note that there is a lean side and a fatty side to brisket, and you need both to make the perfectly smoked brisket that we are after. The lean side of the brisket has a tighter grain and is harder to make tender.

This is where we divide the men from the boys in the smoking world. Making that lean side melt in your mouth is when you know you’ve reached the peak of brisket perfection. We will help you do just that!

How to Smoke a Brisket

Let’s jump right into the best way to smoke a brisket and then we will answer all sorts of questions below.

Step 1: Select Your Brisket

When it comes to purchasing a brisket, there are few tricks we have learned to picking out a good brisket. First, check the grade of the beef. There are three different grades — Prime, Choice, or Select. Prime is going to be your highest quality and best brisket, but it is going to be quite pricey. If you have the money to spend, go with Prime. If you don’t, then Choice is an excellent way to go.

Also, when you pick up the brisket, make sure it has good flexibility. You don’t want a brisket with

Lemon Basil Chicken Pasta +Video

A refreshing twist on traditional pasta dishes, this lemon basil pasta with chicken is the perfect summer meal. With a burst of citrus and a hint of fresh herbs, this dish is packed with protein and flavor. It’s sure to become a family favorite.

*I am in a partnership with Tyson Foods and while I was compensated for this post all opinions remain my own. This is a sponsored post with Tyson® Foods

Watch How to Make Lemon Basil Chicken Pasta

This easy chicken pasta dish has become one of our favorite post-workout meals too. When we get home from the gym, we always want some good protein, a filling meal, but light enough that we don’t feel gross. Cue the Lemon Basil Chicken Pasta. We have been enjoying Tyson® Foods Grilled & Ready® Products to find the perfect meals for just these occasions.

Tyson® Grilled & Ready® Chicken are low in fat and high in nutrition. Thankfully we still had a ton of the Tyson® Grilled & Ready® Chicken Breast Strips and a little basil, spinach, and lemon in the fridge. These are obviously all meant for each other, so the pasta dish came together quickly, especially because the chicken comes fully cooked.

Everything was ready to eat and we were able to sit back and enjoy dinner as a family rather quickly. Dinner was on the table in less than 20 minutes! The kids loved the pasta, but especially the chicken. It was their favorite part. But that’s what I love about having a bag or two of the chicken in the freezer. I’m never stuck making unhealthy decisions when planning ahead didn’t happen.

And my favorite part? We loved this pasta served warm but it was equally delicious and flavorful cold as a pasta salad the next day for lunch. And, no cooking time needed so it’s perfect for school or work.

Ingredients for Lemon Basil Chicken Pasta

The sauce for this pasta recipe is so bright and fresh! The basil and spinach add bright green color and so much flavor. Then you have the lemon! Good golly, I love lemon! Then we add a few more ingredie