How long to smoke chicken thighs at 350

How about a board of fork-tender, bite-through smoked chicken thighs this weekend?

Or for Father’s day?

These chicken thighs are marinated first in my BBQ spice blend and then sit overnight in a mixture of soy and orange juice that adds a ton of flavour.

They’re then smoked 100% on a Weber Kettle and finished with a BBQ glaze cut with a little sherry vinegar.

But this recipe also works really well with a Traeger.

The only problem with this recipe is that 6 chicken thighs are not enough!

They went fast in our house and my advice is to make more.

How to Make Legendary Smoked Chicken Thighs

This method is borrowed from pitmaster Eric Lee from Fire Dancer BBQ on the How to BBQ Right youtube channel.

This was by far my favourite method and it yields some ridiculously tasty smoked chicken thighs.

This smoking method is combined with a braise that breaks down the chicken skin, resulting in that desirable “bite-through” chicken skin that you won’t get from normal smoked chicken.

As you can probably guess, braised meat is one of my favourite methods of cooking and the secret to this recipe.

Not Competition Smoked Chicken Thighs, But Pretty Close

Why are they not competition worthy?

Well, I’m no pit-master for one (Just a chef that LOVES BBQ).

And I couldn’t be bothered to cut out the knuckle bone and cartilage from the joints of the chicken which is expected in competitions. It doesn’t really bother me to eat around that.

The last and most important reason is that they typically cut off the chicken “oyster” to square it off. That’s one of the best parts of the chicken and I would never cut that off! It will smoke beautifully.

Let’s See Some Skin

It’s trendy in some supermarkets to take the skin off the chicken thighs which is frustrating. There’s almost never a time when I would choose to cook chicken without the skin because that skin is pure flavour.

Even if you don’t like eating the skin then it’s best to leave it on while it cooks and then remove it after cooking.

The secret to juicy smoked chicken is in the skin. The chicken skin provides a protective layer while cooking and I’d strongly advise buying chicken with the skin otherwise you’ll be eating dry meat.

What if I Can’t Find Chicken Thighs with the Skin?

If you can’t find chicken thighs with the skin on, you can buy chicken legs and butcher them yourself (it’s really easy!).

I made a quick video tutorial here on how to do that:

How to Smoke Chicken Thighs on a Weber Kettle

For anyone skimming here’s the quick recipe summary:

1. Marinate chicken thighs for 2 hours or overnight. (You could skip this if you’re in a rush but marinating adds a lot of flavour to the meat).
2. Put large cubes of butter over each chicken thigh.
3. Hard smoke for 30 minutes at 300℉/150℃.
4. Cover tightly with a lid and continue cooking for 1+½ hours at 300℉/150℃.
5. Dip in hot bbq sauce (cut with a little vinegar).
6. Finish on the smoker at the same temperature for 10-15 minutes.

How to Smoke Chicken Thighs on a Traeger (Pellet Smoker)

Making these smoked chicken thighs on a Traeger is slightly different, but even easier. Here’s how:

1. First, marinate chicken thighs for 2 hours or overnight. (You could skip this if you’re in a rush but marinating adds a lot of flavour to the meat).
2. Preheat the Traeger to 300℉/150℃. Fill a pellet tube smoker 1/3 full or use the super smoke function on your Traeger if you have it.
3. Put large cubes of butter over each chicken thigh.
4. Smoke for 30 minutes with the pellet smoker lit or the super smoke setting.
5. Cover tightly with a lid and continue cooking for 1+½ hours at 300℉/150℃.
6. Dip in hot bbq sauce (cut with a little vinegar).
7. Finish on the smoker at the same temperature for 10-15 minutes to set the sauce.

Why the High Heat for these Smoked Chicken Thighs?

You’ve probably seen other smoked chicken thigh recipes in the range of 200℉-250℉ so why 300℉? 

The reasoning is that we’re going for “bite-through” chicken skin.

That means that when you bite into the chicken, the skin will pull apart nicely, instead of pulling apart in one piece.

If you’ve tried other smoked chicken recipes, you’ll understand exactly what I mean as the skin can be a bit tough when smoked from start to finish.

The genius of this recipe is to actually cover them with a lid for part of the smoking process. This, coupled with the higher temperature renders the fat in the skin and results in softer chicken skin. 

How Does One Smoke Chicken Thighs?

The easiest way is to use a pellet smoker like a Traeger, which controls the smoke and heat level perfectly.

Although you’ll likely get less of a smokey flavour than with a Weber Kettle. That comes down to personal preference and taste.

A simple Weber BBQ Kettle will also create a great result, it just may be a little harder to control the temperature.

It really comes down to personal preference.

I Used These Weber Upgrades

If you’re going the weber route as I did, these tools are going to make it a lot easier, and a lot more fun.

Digital Thermometer

Smoking meat without a proper thermometer takes years of experience to achieve great results. Smoking meat with a thermometer helps you to control the temperature and understand when your BBQ fluctuates.

If you already took the time to marinate the chicken overnight and set up the grill it would be a huge shame if you overcooked it. A good thermometer will help you and is a lot more accurate than the one that came with your Weber.

I recently just picked up the Inkbird Bluetooth thermometer and just love it.

It’s got two probes, one for meat and one for the BBQ’s temperature. The best part is that it hooks up to my iPhone via Bluetooth which means I get alerts when the BBQ is at the perfect temp.

They’re relatively inexpensive and you can check the price here.

A word of caution, the Inkbird can only handle temperatures up to 482℉/250℃ for continuous monitoring, meaning it’s not suitable for high-heat BBQ grilling.

If you’re looking for something a little more serious I’d recommend this one.

Charcoal Baskets

These help to keep the charcoal to one side and provide perfect indirect heating. You can get these here.

Grill Pans

These cheap aluminum trays are great for keeping the grill clean by catching juices that pour from the chicken during the smoking. They’re also perfect for braising the chicken because they hold all of the delicious juices in.

You can find these here.

Weber Hinged Grill

You don’t need this but it makes it a lot easier to add the smoking chips and/or more charcoal. If you plan to do some real smoking this year then I think it’s worth the investment. 

You can find this on Amazon here. Just double-check that it’s the right size for your grill as they make different-sized BBQs.

Wood Chunks or Chips?

I don’t obsess too much over the type of wood but everyone has their own preference. I do like using wood chunks over wood chips because they tend to burn slower than wood chips and that means I don’t have to open the BBQ as much.

Wood chunks can be harder to find but are usually better for longer periods of smoking, like in this recipe. As a whiskey lover myself, I couldn’t resist buying these whiskey barrel wood chunks.

The smell of the smoking whiskey barrel wood when it first started was incredible and produced some intense smokey flavour. Next time, I’d like to try smoking these chicken thighs with some hickory wood and see how the flavour changes.

If you tried this recipe with a different wood let me know in the comments how it!

More Smoker + BBQ Recipes

• This Epic Reverse Seared Smoked Ribeye with Umami Butter
• My Ultimate Smoked Mac and Cheese
• This No-Fail Grilled Spatchcock Chicken
• These Delicious Grilled White Sweet Potatoes with Sesame and Maple
• This Awesome Smoked and Grilled Corn on the Cob
• These Epic Braised and Grilled Ribs (Not smoked)
• These Easy Charcoal Grilled Chicken Satays
• These Deliciously Sweet and Smokey Leeks with Raz el Hanout
• This Awesome BBQ Bloody Mary Cocktail
• These Epic Traeger Smoked Burgers

Ultra tasty bite-through smoked chicken thighs made entirely on a weber grill with a delicious smoky aroma you won't find with regular grilled chicken.

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Resting TIme 5 minutes

Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes

Servings 6 thighs

Calories 220kcal

Cost $12/ 10€

• Digital thermometer

For the Marinade

• 6 pc chicken thighs skin on, bone-in
• 2 pc oranges juiced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce

B&D BBQ Spice Rub

• 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
• 2 tbsp paprika mild
• 1 tsp celery salt
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp aleppo chili or ½ tsp normal ground chili
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ⅛ tsp cinnamon ground
• 1 tsp ancho chili powder

BBQ Dip

• 1 cup BBQ sauce use your favourite brand
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

The Rest

• 1 tsp salt
• 100 g butter 6 nice cubes

• Rub the BBQ spice blend in the chicken thighs and mix well. Don't season with salt until we are ready to bbq.

  

• Juice the orange and add it to the chicken thighs along with the soy sauce. Line them skin side up in a bbq tray with the marinade. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

  

• Fill the fire chimney a little more than halfway with charcoal and light it with one fire starter underneath.

  

• After about 15 minutes the coals should be red hot. Using heat-resistant gloves or a kitchen towel, carefully pour the hot coals to one side of the bbq.

  If using a thermometer, set it up now as close to the middle of the bbq as possible. Once the temperature reaches 350°F/176°C, add the wood chunks.

  *If using an electric smoker bring it to 300°F. The weber will lose a lot of heat once it's opened.

  I start the fire with all the air valves open to get it going and bring them down to about ¼ open once it's up to temperature. Keep a close eye on the temperature using your digital thermometer and either open the valves to increase the temp or close them slightly to tame the fire.

  

• Remove the chicken from the fridge. Season with sea salt on all sides. Put 1 cube of butter on each chicken thigh.

  

• Smoke the chicken, uncovered for 30 minutes at 300°F/150°C.

  

• Cover the chicken with a lid or with aluminum foil. Place back in the smoker for 90 minutes at 300°F/150°C.

  

• Once the chicken is ready, add the bbq sauce plus the vinegar together in a small pot and bring to a simmer.

  

• Let the chicken and sauce cool slightly until it's hot enough to handle. Carefully remove the chicken from the braising dish and dip into the warm bbq sauce using gloves or with a fork.

  Be careful when lifting the chicken as it's so tender it may fall apart!

  

• Move the charcoal around a little to give it some air and get it hot. If there's still some wood chunks left move them around to get them smoking again or add another chunk.

  Finish the chicken thighs directly on the grill with a final smoking at the same 300°F/150°C for about 10-15 minutes.

  

• Let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes before eating and wondering why you didn't make more of these. Enjoy!

  

Try not to open the weber unless you have to. It’s critical that the lid stays closed for consistent oven temperature.

Set the temperature alarm on the Inkbird to the range of 250°F-350°F. That way you’ll get an alarm if the temperature drops too low or gets too high.

I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m sure you could add some small potatoes with the chicken before you smoke them to make a delicious side-dish with minimal extra effort.

Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 1730mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 792IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg

Here Are a Few More Recipes That Go Well with Smoked Chicken Thighs

Chewy White Chocolate and Vanilla Blondies

Seriously Good Vanilla Brownies – A.k.a. Blondies

These rich, dense, cracked top vanilla brownies are made using a whole-egg meringue to give them the ultimate soft chew. Try not to eat them all at once!

Check out this recipe

This BBQ Bloody Mary Cocktail

An Easy BBQ Bloody Mary Cocktail

When you want a bloody mary, nothing else will do. This BBQ bloody mary is flavoured with some simple spices and gets a little extra sweetness from the bbq sauce.

Check out this recipe

Fall Off the Bone Grilled Ribs

Fall off the Bone Ribs

My ultimate recipe for actual fall off the bone ribs that will beat smoked ribs any day of the week. Brined, braised and finished over charcoal. Try these and you may never go back to smoked ribs!

Check out this recipe