Dry Rubbed Smoked Whole Chicken

Published 6/5/2022

The Tastiest Smoked Whole Chicken

Welcome to another delicious smoked chicken recipe. You love our smoked chicken legs and smoked chicken thighs and now we are finally adding a whole smoked chicken recipe. Get excited! Smoking a whole chicken is finger-licking good and once you prepare your chicken with a delicious dry rub, all you have to do is throw it on the smoker for a few hours and cook it to perfection.

What Kind of Smoker Should I Use?

There is a wide range of smokers out on the market now and we suggest using the smoker that you are the most comfortable with. Any smoker should work as long as it can fit a whole chicken! We used a the Traeger 575 Pellet Grill. A pellet grill uses wood pellets to heat the chamber. We love our Traeger pellet grill because the grill automatically adds pellets to the smoker to keep the heat at the desired temperature. Other kinds of smokers you can use are below.

Offset Smoker (we have tested this recipe on an offset smoker, too!) Vertical Water Smoker Drum SmokerSmoker Oven

How to Make a Smoked Whole Chicken

Looking to make a whole chicken in smoker? Here’s a quick rundown. Scroll down for the full written recipe!

The Best Smoked Chicken Dry Rub

We chose to rub this chicken down in a delicious dry rub because we wanted crispy and crunchy chicken skin. We used a delicious chicken dry rub of sweet and savory spices.

Should I brine my chicken first?

While this recipe doesn’t call for a brining, you’re more than welcome to do so. A chicken brine will infuse your whole chicken with even more flavor and help it stay nice and moist on the smoker. Smoked Chicken Dry Rub Do note that it will add about 12 hours of prep-time, but it’s definitely worth it and something you can do the day before. Check it out: here’s a post on how to brine a chicken for your reading.

What to Serve with Smoked Chicken

Serve this whole smoked chicken with any of the delicious sides below for a complete meal! Smoked Turkey Grilled Brussel Sprouts- This Grilled Brussel Sprouts Recipe is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner side or meal-prep for the week! Baked Potatoes in Foil- One of our favorite dinner sides is a baked potato in foil. Whether you’re hoping to make a grilled baked potato in foil or oven baked potatoes in foil, we’ll teach you how to make a perfect baked potato every time! Greek Salad Recipe- This Greek salad is made with sweet cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta, and homemade Greek salad dressing! It is perfect for meal prep, a summer picnic, or just a healthy summer meal! Broccoli Salad- This recipe for a broccoli salad gets its sweetness from dried fruit and a sugar/vinegar dressing. Plus, it’s a good way to trick children into eating their veggies.

Got leftovers?

If you have leftovers (I’m sure you do!), try our smoked chicken salad recipe. It is one of our favorite things to make for lunches because the smoked chicken is so flavorful. Here are some other ways to use your leftovers:

Chicken TacosChicken SoupChicken BurritosBuffalo Chicken Salad