Our Smoked Chicken Thighs recipe begins in your own backyard with your pellet grill, simply seasoned with salt and pepper and smothered in a sticky BBQ sauce.
Perfectly tender and juicy every time, it takes 10 minutes to prepare your chicken and then let your smoker cook low and slow.
BBQ Smoked Chicken Thighs smoked
You will love smoked chicken thighs for their ease and delicious smoky flavor, especially because this simple recipe only requires 4 ingredients plus chicken.
It starts with a simple dry rub (or spice rub) to season the chicken skin, then the smoked chicken pieces are placed on the pellet grill and brushed with a barbecue glaze at the end of cooking.
Just like competition smoked chicken thighs, I prefer to use dark meat over white because smoked chicken legs and thighs have more flavor and are just juicier than chicken breasts.
Moist on the inside with a crispy, caramelized outer sticky skin, it couldn’t be easier to smoke chicken thighs tonight and enjoy leftovers for later.
Why We Love This BBQ chicken Thighs Recipe
- Quick and easy to prepare in 10 minutes.
- Only uses 4 ingredients plus chicken.
- Moist, flavorful, tender meat can be made on any kind of smoker.
- A brush of your favorite barbecue sauce makes this meal savory, sweet, and sticky.
- It’s fun to eat with your fingers; no fork and knife are needed but a napkin is necessary!
- Chicken thighs are tastier and less expensive than chicken breasts.
- Leftovers are perfect for meal prep, lunches, or for quick meals throughout the week.
- Delicious dinner that your friends and family will devour.
Delicious Side Dish Recipes
Ingredients
- Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- BBQ sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Coarse salt
- Coarse black pepper
Substitutions and Additions
- Choose Your Chicken: This recipe can work for chicken wings and legs as well as boneless chicken thighs. Just be sure they are whole chicken wings and not just the sections. The cooking time can vary, but the process is essentially the same. Your chicken will be done when the internal temperature reaches 185 degrees.
- Some Smoke Ideas: Some great options for the smoke wood are pecan, applewood, or hickory. This recipe used pecan wood and they were so smoky and tasty.
- Add Some Seasoning: Feel free to make your own brine or dry rub instead of using a simple salt and pepper seasoning. You can add brown sugar to your favorite spice rub for a sweet taste or add some chili pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the spice rub for a bit of heat.
Recommended Tools
- Smoker
- Meat Thermometer
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring tools
- Whisk
- Brush
- Tongs
See Full Recipe Card Below
Jump to RecipeHow to Smoke chicken thighs
This easy BBQ Smoked Chicken thighs recipe makes the best meal in your own backyard with your smoker! These simple steps will have your serving perfectly juicy, flavorful chicken pieces at any get-together or special celebration.
- Prepare The Protein: Generously season both sides of the chicken thighs and let the pieces smoke for 1 hour. Increase the temperature and let the chicken smoke for another hour, or until the internal temperature of the chicken hits 185 degrees.
- Smother In Sauce: Mix together the bbq sauce and apple cider vinegar and then coat the cooked chicken in the glaze. Place the pieces back on the smoker for another 30 minutes, or until the glaze is tacky.
Pro Tip: You are just looking for a thinner sauce consistency for easy glazing. - Serve: Let the chicken rest for about ten minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Tip From Our Recipe Developer
- When it comes to the sauce, you can use anything you want. Just be sure it has a thinner consistency so it glazes nicely. If you use a thin BBQ sauce, then you can skip the vinegar.
- If you wish, you can peel the skin back on the thighs and apply the seasonings directly to the meat. This makes the preparation a little longer, but the results are worth it!
- I used a pellet smoker for this recipe, but any type of smoker is just fine as long as you control the temperature and get those thighs to the 185 degrees mark, internally.
- Resting the chicken for at least 10 minutes is essential to keeping the meat moist and flavorful. If you fork into it right from the grill, you will lose the juiciness.
Storage
- To Store: Store your cooked and cooled leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Other Easy Chicken Recipes
- Crack Chicken Sliders
- Pulled Crockpot BBQ Chicken Recipe
- Queso Chicken Tacos
- Hawaiian Grilled Chicken Kabobs
- Chicken Fajita Quesadilla
- Chicken a la King
- Chicken Cordon Bleu
Smoked BBQ Chicken Thighs
Serves — 10
Smoked BBQ Chicken Thighs are easy to make using a simple low and slow method. Tender, juicy meat with sticky, crispy skin, these chicken pieces are perfect for serving to guests at any party or gathering.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 10 Bone-In Skin-On Chicken Thighs
- 1 cup BBQ Sauce
- ⅓ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- Coarse Salt
- Coarse Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees.
- Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken thighs. Do not be shy with the seasoning.
- Place your chicken on the smoker and let them smoke for 1 hour.
- While the chicken smokes, mix the bbq sauce and apple cider vinegar. You are just looking for a thinner sauce consistency for easy glazing.
- After the first hour of smoking, bump the temp up to 300 degrees and let the chicken smoke for another hour, or until the internal temperature of the chicken hits 185 degrees.
- Once the chicken has finished cooking, dunk them in the glaze and cover them entirely. Then place them back on the smoker for another half hour, or until the glaze is nice and tacky.
- Remove the chicken from the smoker. Let the chicken rest for about ten minutes and enjoy!
Jenn’s Notes
Storage :
- To Store: Store your cooked and cooled leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- When it comes to the sauce, you can use anything you want. Just be sure it has a thinner consistency so it glazes nicely. If you use a thin BBQ sauce, then you can skip the vinegar.
- If you wish, you can peel the skin back on the thighs and apply the seasonings directly to the meat. This makes the preparation a little longer, but the results are worth it!
- I used a pellet smoker for this recipe, but any type of smoker is just fine as long as you control the temperature and get those thighs to the 185 degrees mark, internally.
- Resting the the chicken for at least 10 minutes is essential to keeping the meat moist and flavorful. If you fork into it right from the grill, you will lose the juiciness.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 406mg | Potassium: 368mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 177IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg
