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These Smoked Chicken Thighs are one of my favorite barbeque bites. Chicken thighs are very affordable and great for feeding a crowd on a budget. If Im lighting my pellet grill you can bet I will be throwing on some chicken thighs.
My smoked chicken thighs have won awards and was my favorite category when competing. Go make these chicken thighs and see why the judges love them!!
Speaking of cookouts, make this Hawaiian macaroni salad to go with these smoked chicken thighs
If you don't want to smoke a whole chicken, these smoked bone-in chicken thighs are the best!!
If you need more tasty smoked chicken recipes, please check out my: Smoked Chicken Legs, Smoked Chicken Wings, and Smoked Half Chickens.
Why This Smoked Chicken Thigh Recipe Is the Best
My KCBS Competition BBQ team has been making smoked chicken thighs for years, but the process of getting chicken thighs to that level is a true pan in the ass.
This method is much easier but still gives you all of the tender, juicy flavors you want, along with that bite through the skin you keep hearing about without the hours of prep.
If you are looking for a healthier method or if you don't care for the skin on your chicken thigh recipe, you can always substitute boneless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken thighs.
What You Need To Make Smoked Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Thighs: Look for large chicken thighs that are uniform in size without any feathers or tears in the skin.
- Kosher Salt: Adds an extra boost of flavor and helps crisp the skin.
- BBQ Dry Rub : You want a rub that has a good balance of salty, sweet and spicy.
- Cooking Spray : This helps crisp up the skin
- ½ cup BBQ Sauce : Pick your favorite sauce there are so many good ones
If you are the DIY type, then by all means, check out my Chicken Taco Seasoning Recipe. It goes great on smoked chicken thighs!!
How to make Bone-in Chicken Thighs on Pellet Grill
- Remove Chicken thighs from the package, lay the thigh's skin on a cutting board, and spread them out. Trim off any excess fat and shape the thighs into a rectangular shape.
- Place the chicken on a sheet tray skin side up with paper towels underneath to absorb moisture. Lightly season the skin with kosher salt. Let the thighs sit uncovered for at least 6 hours, but overnight is best.
- The next day remove the chicken thighs from the sheet pan and pat dry with fresh paper towels. Season on both sides with dry rub, then tuck the edges of the thigh underneath of itself so the skin is stretched tight.
- Heat the Pellet Grill to 300 degrees F. The Higher temperature will help render the skin. Place the chicken thighs on the smoker about 3 inches apart from each other and smoke for 1 hour. Every 30 minutes, lightly spray with cooking oil.
- Heat the bbq sauce to about 180 degrees F and set aside. Once the Chicken has reached an internal temperature of about 180 degrees F, use heat-resistant gloves to dip the thighs in the bbq sauce, then set them on a board to rest.
- Once the chicken thighs have rested for 15 minutes, they should be the perfect temperature to serve and enjoy.
How Long to Smoke Chicken Thighs on Pellet Grill
Smoked Chicken Thighs don't take long compared to more significant cuts like pork shoulders and brisket that cook at a lower temperature.
You can smoke chicken thighs from start to finish in a little over an hour because we are smoking at a high heat.
Remember, the thigh meat will stay moist because of dark meat, unlike chicken breast, which tends to dry out quickly.
The Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the chicken thighs but only by 5-10 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- In BBQ competition, the number one goal of the competitors is to have "bite through" Skin.
- This means that when the judge bites into the chicken thigh, the skin doesn't pull away with the meat and leaves a perfect bite mark.
- Many people think of crispy skin when it comes to chicken thighs, but that really goes away as soon as you sauce the chicken thighs.
Bite Though Skin
There are lots of crazy methods to achieve bite though chicken thighs, but the 2 easiest steps you can take are:
- Letting the skin dry out in the fridge overnight before smoking your chicken thighs. This helps the skin render out fat and crisp up during cooking.
- Resting the chicken thighs for 15 minutes after cooking them. this allows the skin to relax so that you get a clean bite when you bite into the thigh.
If you do want to learn about the best way to trim competition chicken thighs, I left this video below for you to check out.
FAQ
Chicken thighs are best reheated in an air fryer at 350 for 5-10 minutes until the skin begins to crisp up. You can also broil in the oven on the bottom rack for 5-10 minutes.
Store in a sealed bag or air tight container for up to 5 days in the fridge or 90 days in the freezer. To prevent freezer burn wrap each thigh individually or vacuum seal for best results.
After you have sauced the Pellet Grill chicken thighs, you can set them on a wire rack with aluminum foil underneath to catch the excess barbecue sauce.
This last step is really key for the juicy dark meat to reabsorb the smoky flavor and for the skin to relax, so be patient. It's worth it!!
More Recipes You Will Love
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Pellet Grill Smoked Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- Pellet Smoker
- Tongs
- paper towels
- Sheet Pan
- Heat Resistant Gloves
- Instant Read Thermometer
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Chicken Thighs Bone in, Skin on
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 tbsp BBQ Dry Rub
- Cooking Spray
- ½ cup BBQ Sauce
Instructions
- Remove Chicken thighs from the package lay the thighs skin side down on a cutting board and spread them out. Trim off any excess fat and shape the thighs into a rectangular shape.
- Place the chicken on a sheet tray skin side up with paper towels underneath to absorb moisture. Lightly season the skin with kosher salt. Let the thighs sit uncovered for at least 6 hours, but overnight is best.
- The next day remove the chicken thighs from the sheet pan and pat dry with fresh paper towels. Season on both sides with dry rub then tuck the edges of the thigh underneath of itself so the skin is stretched tight.
- Heat the Pellet Grill to 300 degrees F. Place the chicken thighs on the smoker about 3 inches apart from each other and smoke for 1 hour. Every 30 minutes lightly spray with cooking oil.
- Heat up the bbq sauce to about 180 degrees F and set aside. Once the Chicken has reached an internal temperature of about 180 degrees F use heat-resistant gloves to dip the thighs in the bbq sauce then set them on a board to rest.
- Once the chicken thighs have rested for 15 minutes, they should be the perfect temperature to serve and enjoy.
Mike
These turned out great. Thanks for the recipe as the guests loved them. Yours looked a much better color (bright and glossy) than our did, but tasted amazing.
https://www.bbqgrillshops.com
Frank Campanella
Fantastic!! Thank you so much!!