Smoked spatchcock chicken on the pellet grill makes it tender and juicy with crispy skin. Sip Bite Go’s EPIC recipe will show you how to smoke Traeger spatchcocked chicken to perfection. Time to fire up the smoker! | sipbitego.com
3tbspBBQ rubor any chicken / poultry dry rub seasoning you’d like
2tbspbuttersalted, melted (optional, for crisping skin toward the end of smoking it)
1tbspparsleyor fresh herbs of your choice, optional for serving
Instructions
Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 225 degrees F.
Prep whole chicken for smoking. (skip if you’re smoking an already spatchcocked chicken) Remove whole chicken from packaging and discard extra chicken parts (giblets). Rinse if desired.
Spatchcock whole chicken by flipping it so the back bone side is up (breast side down) on a large cutting surface. I like to use a baking sheet with a rim to catch chicken juice. And I like to use gloves and kitchen shears. Cut along each side of the backbone, remove and discard it.
Flip spatchcocked chicken upside down (breast facing up) and push on the breast, to flatten it out and help it smoke evenly. This should break the breast bone so it lays flat.
Season spatchcocked chicken by first patting it dry with paper towel, to help the seasonings stick. Then drizzle on olive oil and rub it in with a good ol’ massage. Lastly, sprinkle seasonings all over the chicken (as much as you’d like), and rub in the seasoning.
Smoke chicken for 30 minutes at 225 degrees F. Place the spatchcocked chicken in the smoker, directly on the grill grates, with breast side up. Close the lid to the Traeger and hit the “super smoke” button. This will help you get more smoke flavor from the pellet grill. Basically, you’re going to blast it with a smoky flavor for a half hour at a low smoke temperature, then crank it up in the next step.
Crank the smoker up to 400 degrees F, while leaving the partially smoked spatchcock chicken in there. Continue smoking the bird. NOTE: This is a good time to add a thermometer to the chicken, if you have a probe you can leave in while smoking (see my recommendations in this post).
Brush on melted butter (optional step for extra crispy skin) when spatchcock chicken smokes to about 15 degrees LESS than your desired done temp, it’s time to brush on melted butter. For this recipe demonstration, that targeted "done temp" for me was around 165 degrees F or 170 degrees F (so butter was brushed on around the chicken reaching 150-155 degrees F internally). (Now, some people like to smoke whole spatchcocked chickens to 180 degrees F. So do what’s right for you.)
Crank the smoker up to 450 degrees F to finish smoking with crispy skin.
Remove Traeger spatchcock smoked chickenwhen the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (or 170, 180 depending on your preference) as measured with an internal read thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken thigh. (Also see how to make smoked chicken thighs - they’re so good!)
Finish smoker spatchcocked chicken with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, if desired. Rest for 20 minutes, slice / carve, and enjoy.