Smoked Chicken Thighs
One of the keys to great Smoked Chicken Thighs is making sure that you have seasoned it properly with a great rub before it goes into the smoker. This recipe is super easy. You likely have everything in your pantry already.
I used bone-in thighs this time because that is what I had on hand, but you could certainly use boneless chicken thighs if you like. You definitely want to make sure that you do not use skinless chicken thighs. The fat from the skin also helps keep the chicken moist and adds so much flavor!
It doesn’t take long to prepare these babies, but you do have to be patient when you cook them. Unlike chicken that you are cooking on a grill, it takes time to smoke them in your smoker. Low and slow is always the mantra for smoking!
how to smoke chicken thighs
Smoking chicken thighs is not complicated; in fact, smoked chicken thighs are one of the easier meats to cook in your smoker. You do have some choices on how to prepare your thighs. You could use a brine for your thighs; I used a dry rub and found that it was perfect for this recipe.
As I have said, low and slow is the smokers’ mantra. You need to prepare your smoker to a temperature of 225 to 250 degrees F. I like to use a fruitwood like applewood or cherry wood. You can use either wood chips or wood chunks; in our area, the wood chips are much easier to source in stores.
Prepare your rub by combining brown sugar, paprika, black pepper, Kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, and cayenne pepper.
Take your spice rub and massage it onto your chicken. Make sure you rub some under the skin of each of the thighs. Place the thighs in your smoker skin side up and sit back and relax! Well, for a bit anyway!
HELPFUL ITEMS FOR THIS RECIPE
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18 Inch Grill Basting Mop with Wooden Long Handle
Guy’s Award Winning Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce – Variety 3 Pack
Premium Stainless-Steel Locking Grill Tongs 17-inch
how long does it take to smoke chicken thighs?
When you are smoking it is less about the cooking time and more about the temperature. This is why I recommend having a good meat thermometer. The best one I have found is the Thermapen instant-read thermometer.
Dark meat does take a little longer to cook than the white meat of the breast so you have to take your time. After the thighs have been in the smoker for about 45 minutes you need to spring back into action. To prevent the thighs from drying out I used a mop on them while they are smoking.
The mop is simply a vinegar-based liquid that adds not only moisture but flavor. Mix together apple cider vinegar, water, your spice rub, and your favorite barbecue sauce. Basically you just brush on the sauce after the first 45 minutes and every half hour after that until the thighs are done. It is called a mop because in large smokers they actually use a mop to splash it on the protein.
Ingredients
- 8 – 10 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- Brown sugar
- Paprika
- Smoked paprika
- Black pepper
- Kosher salt
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dry mustard powder
- Cayenne pepper
For the mop:
- Apple cider vinegar
- Water
- Spice rub (above)
- BBQ sauce
Once your thighs reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F they are done, it should take approximately an hour and a half to two hours. Take them out of the smoker and allow them to rest for 15 minutes or so before serving. I find that these smoked chicken thighs are much more flavorful than simple grilled chicken.
It doesn’t matter if you have an electric smoker like I used to have, a gas smoker, like I have now or a charcoal smoker. These competition-style chicken thighs will have your family and guests raving about the taste!
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!
Smoked Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 10 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
Rub
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp each black pepper & Kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp each garlic powder & onion powder
- 1 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Mop
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp spice rub
- 2 tbsp barbeque sauce
Instructions
- Prepare your smoker to 225-250 degrees F.
- Combine all the rub ingredients together.
- Rub the spice rub all over the chicken thighs, massaging some under the skin as well.
- Place the thighs skin side up in your smoker.
- Smoke using a fruitwood like apple or cherry, you can even toss in some hickory for a different flavor.
- Prepare your mop by mixing all the ingredients together.
- After the 45 minutes mop the thighs and then every 30 minutes after that until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Remove them from the smoker and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving. I like to serve them with a little BBQ sauce for dipping.
I love smoked chicken and I do smoke it most of the times, my recipe is different from yours but I’ll try smoking it just like you next time
I hope you like it!
I legit make this every weekend by request from my hubby the past 5 weekends. Best smoked chicken recipe we have tried. I smoke all of my meats and this is the best spice mix we have found for chicken. If you have a good one for a london broil let me know!!
Thanks! Glad you like it. Actually, I have a London broil coming up in the next few weeks, stay tuned.
Maybe add some measurements for the ingredients
In the body of the post, we talk about the ingredients, the details with all the measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
I’ve never gotten such rave reviews on my food. This was by far the best chicken I have ever made, and I cook a lot & know what I’m doing in the kitchen! I’ve made this chicken a few times and everybody loves loves loves it! It is now a staple in my house- its so versatile can be eaten with all sorts of other things. I cook mine a little lower and slower and I just use regular pellets, nothing fancy. 10/10 recommend!
Thank you so much for your kind words, this is one of our favorite recipes also!
Made it today! Delicious!!! Great flavour! Thank you for sharing will definitely make it again!
I’m a ‘brine’ girl but am willing to try your way. We will be smoking on an electric smoker, along with a ham for Christmas. I’ll keep you posted! Thank you!
Tried it… Amazing.
We loved this…BUT…. The skin came out super chewy. Now sure what we did wrong. Followed the recipe to a T.
The skin can be chewy when you smoke chicken low and slow as the temperature isn’t high enough to really get the skin crispy. You can try a few things to get it crispy. If you allow the thighs to sit uncovered in the fridge overnight the skin will dry out, this will help to crisp it up. You could also smoke the thighs at a higher temperature, 300 – 350 degrees, this will also help crisp up the skin. Or just before the thighs are finished smoking you can toss them on the grill over high heat for a few minutes until the skin is the way you like it.
These smoked thighs are awesome!! Super easy recipe!! Thanks!!
Awesome, glad you like them!
Couldn’t ask for a better recipe. This is just what I needed.
Thanks for posting this.
So glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Tasty and delicious… although my lil cousin complained that the skin is a bit hard… I have no problem with that, though.
For the mop – is it a 1/4 T or cup of water?
It is a 1/4 cup of water, thanks for catching that omission.
This is one amazing recipe that turned out well.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!