Now that summer has somewhat shown up in Seattle, my husband is always asking me what he can grill or smoke. This juicy Traeger grill smoked chicken is one of our favorite go-to’s for many reasons:
- Smoking the chicken adds SO MUCH FLAVOR
- Always yields a super moist and juicy chicken
- Tastes just as good (if not better) cold the next day
- No dirty dishes or hot stove needed during hot summer months
- Gives me more time to sit back and enjoy a cocktail while my husband (or maybe I should say the Traeger?) does all the hard work
There really isn’t much that goes into “smoking” a chicken— as long as you brine your meat first, you really can’t mess it up. Brining the meat is important because this is where all your flavor is going to come from and what’s going to keep your chicken moist and juicy (it’s also the secret in my no-fail Thanksgiving Turkey). Since you’re not coating your chicken in sauces or marinades, this is really an essential step.
Brine is a simple solution of salt and water. From there you can add in any spices and herbs that you like.
I’m keeping it simple for this recipe because there is a lot of flavor that comes from the smoke and that’s really the star of the show. Try this juicy Traeger smoked chicken for your next summer BBQ (I know we will!).
Ingredients for Juicy Traeger Grill Smoked Chicken:
1 whole 5 lb roast chicken
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon peppercorns
5-6 bay leaves
Directions for Juicy Traeger Grill Smoked Chicken:
Use a container big enough to hold your chicken and fill it halfway with warm water. Add in salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Stir until dissolved and allow to cool completely.
*Optional but recommended: Remove the backbone of the chicken by using kitchen shears along each side as shown in the picture. This will help the chicken cook a lot more evenly and faster.
Place chicken inside container with brine, cover, and refrigerate for 6-24 hours. I usually leave my chicken to brine overnight.
Preheat Traeger Grill on “smoke” with the lid open for 5-10 minutes.
Remove chicken from brine and pat dry. Place directly on grill grates with breast side up.
*Optional: season with desired spices, such as a mesquite BBQ spice blend. This step is optional because the meat will already have lots of flavor from the brine.
Cook on smoke setting with lid closed for 3 hours.
Raise temperature to 375 degrees and finish cooking the chicken for approximately 1 hour or until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165 degrees. Skin should be nice and crispy while the inside is juicy and packed with smokey flavor.
Slice chicken into pieces and serve either hot or cold.
Juicy Smoked Chicken with Traeger Grill
Ingredients
- 1 whole 5 lb roast chicken
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 5-6 bay leaves
Instructions
- Use a container big enough to hold your chicken and fill it halfway with warm water. Add in salt, peppercorns, and bayleaves. Stir until dissolved and allow to cool completely.
- *Optional but recommended: Remove the backbone of the chicken by using kitchen shears along each side as shown in the picture. This will help the chicken cook a lot more evenly and faster.
- Place chicken inside container with brine, cover, and refrigerate for 6-24 hours. I usually leave my chicken to brine overnight.
- Preheat Traeger Grill on smoke with the lid open for 5-10 minutes.
- Remove chicken from brine and pat dry. Place directly on grill grates with breast side up. *Optional: season with desired spices, such as a mesquite BBQ spice blend. This step is optional because the meat will already have lots of flavor from the brine.
- Cook on smoke setting with lid closed for 3 hours.
- Raise temperature to 375 degrees and finish cooking the chicken for approximately 1 hour or until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165 degrees.
- Slice chicken into pieces and serve either hot or cold.