Smoked Pellet Grill Chicken Thighs
Smoked Chicken Thighs – These juicy, meaty chicken thighs infused with smokey, spicy flavor are as tasty as they are easy. Crank up your pellet grill, roll up your sleeves, and get ready to dig into some perfectly smoked chicken thighs. 🤩
Chicken thighs are totally underrated, in my opinion. The dark meat is so flavorful and doesn’t break the bank, either. You’ll turn humble chicken thighs into your family’s favorite weeknight meal with the right combination of spices and basic smoking skills.
And speaking of spices, I’ve put together a beautiful combination of spices in this recipe that make for an amazing dry rub. It infuses the thighs with some seriously drool-worthy flavor. You won’t even feel like pouring on the BBQ sauce once they’re cooked – it’s that good. It’s completely worth the few extra minutes to mix it up.
Boneless vs. Bone-In Smoked Chicken Thighs
So for this recipe, I definitely recommend bone-in chicken thighs. There’s something about bone-in meat for extra flavor. Plus, boneless chicken thighs are thinner, and you’ll need to check the internal temperature more often.
This recipe takes into account the skin-on element too. (Who doesn’t love that spicy, crispy smoked chicken skin?) Of course, if you’ve already heated up the smoker and all you have are boneless thighs on hand, don’t sweat it.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs – About 6-8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are all you need for this recipe.
- Dry Rub Ingredients – Onion and garlic powder, thyme, oregano, sage, a touch of cayenne, mustard powder, paprika, celery seeds, and kosher salt and pepper to taste make the to-die-for dry rub in this recipe.
How to Smoke Chicken Thighs
Prepare the Chicken Thighs
- Prep Thighs – Wash and pat dry your chicken thighs. Then trim off the excess fat. (Photo 1)
- Mix onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme, dried oregano, sage, black pepper, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, paprika, celery seeds, and salt in a small bowl until well combined. (Photo 2)
- Apply the Rub – Next, rub chicken thighs with seasoning so they are well coated.
- Marinate – Let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (overnight is even better) to allow the flavors to penetrate the chicken. (Photo 3)
Smoke the Chicken Thighs
- Room Temp – When you’re ready to start smoking, remove the thighs from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before smoking. (This allows for more even cooking.)
- Fill your pellet grill’s hopper with your preferred wood pellets, such as applewood or hickory.
- Preheat it to 225°F (107°C). This may take 10-15 minutes. Lightly oil the grates so the chicken doesn’t stick.
- Smoke – Place the thighs directly on the preheated grill grates. Close the lid and smoke the chicken thighs for about 60-90 minutes, or until the thickest portion reaches 165℉/75℃. (Flip them once during smoking if you’d like.) (Photo 4)
- Baste – Optionally, brush the thighs with barbecue sauce during the last 10-15 minutes of smoking. You could also brush them after the chicken is done.
- Ready – Once the chicken thighs have reached the desired internal temperature, take them off the grill and transfer them to a plate.
- Rest – Tent the meat loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute for tenderer, juicier chicken.
- Serve with your favorite sides, and enjoy! 🤩
Recipe Variations
- Custom Seasonings – Feel free to adjust the seasonings (brown sugar, ground ginger, allspice, etc., go great in the rub). And if you’re in a pinch for time, your favorite store-bought dry rub will work fine too.
- Different Cuts of Chicken – You can swap out thighs for chicken breasts or legs. Just adjust the cooking time to make sure the thighs reach an internal temperature of 165℉/75℃.
- Grilled – Use your regular grill to get smokey chicken thighs by adding some wood pellets in a foil envelope and slow-cooking the thighs away from the hottest part of the grill on indirect heat.
- Roasted – If the weather keeps you from breaking out your smoker, you can still enjoy these beautifully spiced chicken thighs. Just pop them in a 400℉/205℃ oven for about 45 minutes.
Tips and Tricks
- An instant-read meat thermometer ensures the chicken thighs cook through but don’t overcook.
- I use my Traeger pellet grill for this recipe. If using a different brand of pellet grill, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for preheating and grilling times.
- I mentioned apple wood or hickory earlier, but cherry and maple wood pellets also complement chicken thighs beautifully. 😋
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can make smoked chicken thighs ahead of time, no problem. Or you can prep them with the spice rub and keep them in the fridge for 24 hours before smoking. You can also freeze cooked chicken thighs for up to three months. Thaw them in the refrigerator the night before you plan to serve them.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve smoked chicken thighs hot, as soon as they’ve had a chance to rest, along with your favorite sides. You can refrigerate leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container (you don’t want them to dry out) for 3-4 days or freeze them for 3-4 months.
You can nuke them in the microwave, pop them on the grill, or even reheat them in the oven. For the last two options, keep the heat low and serve them up as soon as they’re heated through.
FAQs
I like to cook them skin-side up the whole time, but you can flip them if you want. If you mean rotating their positions on the grill, you can totally do that, especially if you know your grill tends to have hotter or cooler spots. This will aid in even cooking.
Some people advocate for foil wrapping to hold in the juices, but I vote for no foil. Why? Chicken thighs won’t get that beautiful smokey flavor if wrapped in foil. And that’s why we’re smoking them, right? Plus, if you keep an eye on the internal temperature, the thighs shouldn’t dry out. They’ll stay juicy and flavorful, no foil necessary.
Not for this recipe! The dry rub will give you all the flavor you need and then some. 😉
How long to smoke chicken thighs? That depends on the chicken’s internal temperature, the smoker, and your altitude. Generally, they take 1½-2 hours at 225℉/105℃.
What Goes With Smoked Chicken Thighs
Make your whole meal on the smoker if you’d like by whipping up some smoked baked potatoes and smoked Brussels sprouts. For dessert? Try grilled pineapple with a big old scoop of homemade rum raisin pineapple ice cream.
More Appetizing Chicken Recipes to Try
Conclusion
Crank up the pellet grill for this no-fuss chicken thigh recipe, and get ready to watch the compliments roll in! Already tried them? Let me know how you liked them in the comments below. 😁
Smoked Pellet Grill Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6-8 bone-in chicken thighs, (about 2½-3 pounds)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoons sage
- ½ tablespoon black pepper, freshly ground
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds, optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry your chicken thighs. Then trim off the excess fat.
- Mix onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme, dried oregano, sage, black pepper, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, paprika, celery seeds, and salt in a small bowl until well combined.
- Rub chicken thighs with seasoning so they are well coated.
- Let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (overnight is even better) to allow the flavors to penetrate the chicken.
- When you’re ready to start smoking, remove the thighs from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before smoking. (This allows for more even cooking.)
- Fill your pellet grill’s hopper with your preferred wood pellets, such as apple wood or hickory.
- Preheat it to 225°F (107°C). This may take 10-15 minutes. Lightly oil the grates so the chicken doesn’t stick.
- Place the thighs directly on the preheated grill grates. Close the lid and smoke the chicken thighs for about 60-90 minutes, or until the thickest portion reaches 165℉/75℃. (Flip them once during smoking if you’d like.)
- Optionally, brush the thighs with barbecue sauce during the last 10-15 minutes of smoking. You could also brush them after the chicken is done.
- Once the chicken thighs have reached the desired internal temperature, take them off the grill and transfer them to a plate.
- Tent the meat loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute for tenderer, juicier chicken.
- Serve with your favorite sides, and enjoy!
Notes
- An instant-read meat thermometer ensures the chicken thighs cook through but don’t overcook.
- I use my Traeger pellet grill for this recipe. If using a different brand of pellet grill, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for preheating and grilling times.
- I mentioned apple wood or hickory earlier, but cherry and maple wood pellets also complement chicken thighs beautifully.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
