Smoked Chicken Thighs

Tender, juicy and delicious Smoked Chicken Thighs start with a homemade rub, are smoked and then finished off with BBQ sauce. They make an easy dinner on your pellet grill that can’t be beat!

We love making dinner on our smoker, but some chicken recipes seem to take so long. That’s why we love these Smoked Chicken Thighs that only take about a hour and a half which is perfect for a weeknight.

Can we talk about that rub? We use our favorite BBQ Chicken Rub on them and it gives them so much flavor. Just like our Smoked Whole Chicken! I highly recommend mixing up a batch of that dry rub and using it on all your grilled, baked or smoked chicken. It’s my go-to!

Finish these chicken thighs off with a brush of BBQ sauce that makes them perfectly sweet, sticky and mouthwatering. The BBQ sauce finish is optional so you can skip it if you just want to enjoy the crispy chicken skin.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Smoked Chicken Thighs!

• It’s kid friendly! That’s right, the kids will love these because they can eat them with their hands.
• Sooooo easy to make and smoke with only 4 ingredients. All you need is chicken thighs, oil, BBQ sauce and our delicious BBQ Rub!
• Quick enough for an easy dinner. They only take about an hour and a half on the smoker and are hands off.

Ingredients for Smoked Chicken Thighs

• Chicken Thighs – Use skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs for best results. You could use boneless but they won’t be quite as juicy. They must be skin-on chicken thighs.
• Olive Oil – Any oil will work!
• BBQ Chicken Rub – Our favorite homemade rub is full of pantry staples like brown sugar, salt, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and ground oregano. You can also use any rub you already have on hand.
• BBQ Sauce – Any BBQ sauce will work, mix it up with different flavors!

Make sure to grab a bottle of our famous BBQ Rub so you have it on hand anytime you smoke or grill chicken!! You can check out all our spices and rubs in our Gimme Some Grilling store.

How to Smoke Chicken Thighs

• Prep Smoker – Preheat pellet grill to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. We used competition blend pellets in the pellet grill.
• Prep Chicken Thighs – Trim off any excess skin on chicken thighs. Rub olive oil all over chicken thigh then sprinkle BBQ Chicken rub so it coats the chicken.
• Smoke – Place chicken thighs on grill grates skin side up. Insert temperature probe into thickest part of chicken thigh. Close pellet grill lid and cook at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Baste chicken with your favorite BBQ sauce and smoke for 10 more minutes.
• Rest – Remove from smoker and let rest for 5 minutes then serve!

What kind of pellets are best to smoke chicken?

Our go to pellet is the competition blend which blends nicely with anything you smoke. If you want to get a specific type of wood, we prefer a pecan, mesquite, cherry or applewood pellet which will give you a nice mellow taste without overpowering the chicken. Hickory is another great option that has a sweet to strong taste.

How long does it take to smoke chicken thighs?

This will vary depending on how big of a chicken thigh you have and how thick it is. It will take from one hour to one hour and 30 minutes with your smoker set to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an instant read meat thermometer to help you determine whether or not your thighs are finished smoking.

How do I know when a chicken thigh is done?

The internal temperature of the chicken thigh needs to be 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of a thigh. Make sure you have an instant read thermometer or your smoker has a probe with built in thermometer to monitor this.

We actually cook them to 175-180 degrees Fahrenheit. They are still super tender and juicy, but cooking them to a higher temperature ensures they don’t have some of those bloody spots around the bone.

Do I need to use BBQ Sauce?

No, you don’t need the BBQ sauce. The rub will give them lots of flavor, but we love that sticky, sweet finish on them which comes from the sauce in addition to the spice rub.

How do i get a nice crispy skin?

If you skip the barbecue sauce, your chicken skin will stay nice and crispy! You might even do some with and some without to have a little variety on the table.

Can I use chicken breast?

I recommend following this recipe specifically for chicken thighs so you can get a nice sticky sweet finish on the skin but you can definitely smoke chicken breast too. You will need to heat your pellet grill to a lower temperature, so mixing the different parts of meat might take a little more patience.

How to Store Leftover Chicken Thighs

Store any cooled leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

How to Reheat Leftover Chicken Thighs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chicken thighs on a wire rack with baking sheet under it. Bake for about 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Another option is to preheat an Air Fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit then bake the chicken thighs for around 5 minutes or until heated through.

You can microwave the chicken thighs to reheat them, but the skin will be rubbery and they might dry out.

This smoked chicken thighs recipe is so quick and easy for a delicious weeknight supper on the smoker. Everyone is sure to love the sticky, sweet barbecue sauce finish.

What To Eat With Smoked Chicken Thighs

• It doesn’t get easier than these quick and delicious Grilled Foil Packet Potatoes with Onions! It’s the perfect side dish on the grill for an easy weeknight dinner.
• If you are grilling this summer you need to try these BBQ Baked Beans On the Grill for a quick and easy side dish recipe. With three different types of beans, seasonings and BBQ Sauce they are delicious.
• Grilled Corn Salad is a summer salad that is packed with flavor from grilled corn, fresh tomatoes, avocados, lime juice, red onion and cilantro. This salad has a delicious homemade lime vinaigrette that really brings out the flavors of the fresh vegetables.

Ideas for Leftovers

I love to repurpose my leftovers! These smoked chicken thighs are great in salad, used in sandwiches or tacos or even added to your favorite pasta dishes.