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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Grill Recipes ยป Smoker Recipes ยป Best Smoked Whole Chicken Without Brine (Traeger Demo)

    Best Smoked Whole Chicken Without Brine (Traeger Demo)

    Published: Mar 21, 2024 ยท Modified: Jul 24, 2024 by Jenna Passaro ยท This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Make the best Traeger smoked chicken without brine (you don’t need one!). My recipe is packed with flavor and is a very easy smoker recipe for beginners. So join me today to learn exactly how to make the best smoked whole chicken. Letโ€™s smoke some tasty food!

    smoked whole chicken traeger
    If youโ€™ve never made smoked whole chicken on a Traeger, prepare to blow your mind.

    Table of Contents

    Toggle
    • Why my smoked chicken is the best recipe
    • Ingredients
    • How long does it take to smoke a chicken?
    • How to make smoked whole chicken
    • Best chicken smoker recipes from Sip Bite Go
    • FAQs 
    • YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE
    • Tasty whole chicken recipes from Sip Bite Go
    • Are you a foodie, too?
    • Smoked Whole Chicken Recipe With Traeger Instructions | Sip Bite Go

    Why my smoked chicken is the best recipe

    • SO easy, with very simple ingredients.
    • Big time tasty. Youโ€™ll make super juicy chicken with a deep smoky flavor.
    • Use your favorite bbq rub or poultry seasoning.
    • Itโ€™s a great family style smoker recipe – my version of smoked whole chicken tastes just like eating at a BBQ restaurant. It’s right up there with whole smoked turkey and my beginner-friendly smoked brisket flat.
    • Get the best chicken smoker time for moist chicken.
    • New to smoking a whole chicken? Scroll to the bottom of the page for my full-length Youtube video.
    • Youโ€™ll make it again and again!

    New to smoking food? Check out the full step by step video at the bottom of this post – it’s about 3 minutes long and will walk you through the whole thing!

    Try these smoked chicken lollipops…

    Ingredients

    Hereโ€™s what you need to make Traeger smoked chicken.

    1. Whole chicken (about 2-3 LBs whole bird)
    2. Olive oil
    3. BBQ seasoning

    Flavor note: in this demo, I used โ€‹โ€‹Meat Church Holy Cow BBQ Rub, but you can use any BBQ dry rub or poultry seasoning)

    How long does it take to smoke a chicken?

    With my recipe, youโ€™ll get 2 different cooking temperatures for smoked whole chicken: 375ยฐF (about 1-1.5 hours) and 250ยฐF (about 2-3 hours). See the steps for details on how long to cook chicken based on the weight of the bird.

    See how to make smoked pulled chicken…

    How to make smoked whole chicken

    Now Iโ€™ll walk you through it…

    1. Prepare the whole chicken. Rinse and pat the whole chicken dry with a paper towel.
    2. Season the whole chicken all over by adding the olive oil and bbq rub seasoning, massaging the seasoning into the skin along the way. Tie the legs together with twine and tuck the wings into the thighs if desired. Let chicken skin dry out a bit (optional) If you have time, refrigerate the seasoned whole chicken before smoking it for 15 minutes to 2 hours (or overnight). Drying out the chicken skin is always great, but if you are in a rush you can skip it. 
    3. Turn on the Traeger grill or pellet smoker youโ€™re using, to preheat for 15 minutes at 250ยฐF OR 375ยฐF. (Set temperature based on how fast you want it to cook, based on the next step. The smoked chicken in the Sip Bite Go demo was cooked at 250ยฐF for a couple hours).
    4. Add seasoned whole bird to the smoker and smoke Traeger whole chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ยฐF. At a smoking temperature of 250ยฐF this will be about 30-45 minutes a pound. Or a smoker temperature of 375ยฐF for about 20-25 minutes a pound.
    5. Transfer smoked whole chicken to a cutting board to rest, covered with foil, for at least 20 minutes to let the juices settle. Carve and enjoy.

    Next up? Learn how to smoke a ham…

    For a side dish, see this smoked corn on the cob seen in this recipe video or this smoked mac and cheese.

    Best chicken smoker recipes from Sip Bite Go

    • Smoked whole chicken
    • Traeger smoked chicken thighs
    • Smoked wings
    • Smoked chicken breast
    • Chicken temperature guide

    FAQs 

    How long does it take to smoke a chicken at 375ยฐF?

    Smoke chicken at 375ยฐF for about 60-90 minutes, until it reaches a safe initial temperature of 165ยฐF.

    How long does it take to smoke a chicken at 250ยฐF?

    Smoke chicken at 250ยฐF for about 2-3 hours, until the chicken does completely reach 165ยฐF internally. The photos and video feature chicken in my Sip Bite Go recipe demo was smoked at 250 degrees for a couple of hours.

    How do you check the temperature of smoked whole chicken?

    Use a digital meat thermometer, stuck into the thickest part of the meat (without touching bones). Once the internal temperature of smoked chicken reaches 165ยฐF, the smoked whole chicken is ready to take off the Traeger.

    What type of pellet chips do you use for chicken?

    Use either the Traeger blend or apple wood pellets to smoke whole chicken.

    What sauces go with smoked whole chicken?

    Make a simple pan sauce with chicken broth, or try this romesco sauce, a simple peppercorn sauce, or even this cool, a bit spicy, creamy jalapeno ranch dressing.

    YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE

    • BBQ Pulled Pork Empanadas Smoked or Baked in the oven
      BBQ Pulled Pork Empanadas (Smoked or Oven-Baked)
    • Freshly Traeger smoked or oven baked taco pizza rolls topped with sour cream, guacamole, shredded lettuce, cheese, diced tomato, and onion, arranged on a white platter
      Taco Pizza Rolls (Smoked or Oven-Baked)
    • Collage of Easy Smoker Recipes For Traeger Pellet Grill
      Easy Smoker Recipes
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    Sides

    Pro tip: One of my go-to tricks for perfectly cooked food every time is using the right BBQ meat thermometers.

    Tasty whole chicken recipes from Sip Bite Go

    • Pellet smoker beer can chicken
    • Smoked whole chicken
    • Smoked spatchcock chicken
    • Air fry whole chicken
    • Sous vide whole chicken
    • Crock pot whole chicken
    • Vacuum seal whole chicken
    • How to spatchcock chicken

    See how to roast turkey breast in the oven and smoked turkey breast

    Are you a foodie, too?

    Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about smoking chicken!

    See how to turn this recipe into buffalo chicken dip or chicken tostadas…

    Chat soon!

    – Jenna

    Next, browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collectionโ€ฆ

    smoked whole chicken traeger

    Smoked Whole Chicken Recipe With Traeger Instructions | Sip Bite Go

    Make the best Traeger smoked chicken with a simple BBQ rub. This flavor-packed smoker recipe is one of the fastest, too. Youโ€™ll learn exactly how to make the best smoked whole chicken without brine. Letโ€™s smoke some tasty food!
    5 from 31 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Main Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: smoked chicken wings, Smoked Whole Chicken, Smoked Whole Chicken without brine, traeger smoked chicken
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours hours
    Finish Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 457kcal
    Author: Jenna Passaro

    Video

    Ingredients

    • 1 whole chicken about 2-3 LBs – the whole bird
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1.5 tbsp BBQ seasoning any BBQ dry rub or use poultry seasoning

    Instructions

    • Prepare the whole chicken. Rinse and pat the whole chicken dry with a paper towel.
    • Season the whole chicken all over by adding the olive oil and bbq rub seasoning, massaging the seasoning into the skin along the way. Tie the legs together with twine and tuck the wings into the thighs if desired. Let chicken skin dry out a bit (optional but recommended if you like super crispy skin) If you have time, refrigerate the seasoned whole chicken before smoking it for 15 minutes to 2 hours (or overnight). Drying out the chicken skin is always great, but if you are in a rush you can skip it.
    • Turn on the Traeger grill or pellet smoker youโ€™re using, to preheat for 15 minutes at 250ยฐF OR 375ยฐF. (Set temperature based on how fast you want it to cook, based on the next step. The smoked chicken in the Sip Bite Go demo was cooked at 250ยฐF for a couple hours).
    • Add seasoned whole bird to the smoker and smoke Traeger whole chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165ยฐF. At a smoking temperature of 250ยฐF this will be about 30-45 minutes a pound. Or a smoker temperature of 375ยฐF for about 20-25 minutes a pound.
    • Transfer smoked whole chicken to a cutting board to rest, covered with foil, for at least 20 minutes to let the juices settle. Carve and enjoy.

    Notes

    See the recipe: https://sipbitego.com/smoked-whole-chicken
    See the recipe video for smoking a whole chicken on Sip Bite Goโ€™s YouTube.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 457kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 135mg | Potassium: 398mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 413IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SipBiteGo or tag #sipbitego!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rhonda Elder says

      May 05, 2023 at 2:58 pm

      Thank you for such a great recipe. The chicken was fabulous!5 stars

    2. Norman Liebert says

      July 12, 2022 at 8:10 pm

      Thanks for sharing this! I’ve been grilling all summer and looking forward to it again this weekend! Excited to try burgers for my next cookout.5 stars

    3. Lacey says

      January 12, 2022 at 5:28 pm

      Just had this tonight for dinner and WOW it was so good and juicey!! I’m gonna make it at my mom’s one day, how long would you suggest for 2 chickens?

      • Jenna Passaro says

        February 04, 2022 at 6:51 pm

        They should smoke during the same time.

    5 from 31 votes (29 ratings without comment)

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    Iโ€™m Jenna โ€” and I love to make food that tastes really goodโ€”without overcomplicating it.

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