Smoked Chicken Thighs

These Smoked Chicken Thighs are tender, juicy, and packed with flavor from a homemade dry rub, then finished with BBQ sauce for an easy and mouthwatering dinner on your pellet grill.

We love making dinner on our smoker, but some chicken recipes seem to take so long. That’s why we love smoking chicken thighs – they only take about an hour and a half which is perfect for a busy weeknight. Our homemade rub enhances the juicy flavor of the chicken so much, you’re going to want to add this rub to all of your smoked and grilled chicken.

Finish these chicken thighs on the smoker off with a brush of BBQ sauce that makes them perfectly sweet, sticky and mouthwatering. These are a crowd pleaser and you’re going to love watching them disappear from the table!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s kid friendly! That’s right, the kids will love these because they can eat them with their hands.
• So easy to make and smoke with only 4 ingredients.
• Quick enough for an easy dinner. This is the best way to cook chicken thighs in an hour and a half on the smoker plus they are hands off.

Ingredients for Smoked Chicken Thighs

• Chicken thighs – Use skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs for best results. You could use boneless chicken thighs but they won’t be quite as juicy. They must be skin-on chicken thighs so they stay nice and juicy.
• 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!

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.

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 to Smoke Chicken Thighs

1. Trim off any excess skin on chicken thighs. Rub olive oil all over chickens thigh then sprinkle BBQ Chicken rub so it coats the chicken.
2. 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 barbecue sauce and smoke for 10 more minutes.
3. Remove from smoker and let rest for 5 minutes then serve.

Storage and Reheating

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

Freezer: You can store smoked chicken thighs, once cooled, in the freezer. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag.

Reheat chicken thighs on a wire rack with a baking sheet under it for 15 minutes in the oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 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.

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 a more 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 do I know when a chicken thigh is done?

The internal temperature of the chicken thigh needs to reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the 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 thighs 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.

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.

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

How To Serve Smoked Chicken Thighs

Smoked chicken thighs go with every side, so pick your favorites! We love quick and delicious Grilled Foil Packet Potatoes with Onions on the grill for an easy weeknight side dish.

BBQ Baked Beans are a quick and easy side dish recipe on the grill that you’ll be making all summer long. With three different types of beans, seasonings and BBQ Sauce they are delicious. Another dish we make on repeat is Grilled Corn Salad. It 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.

Leftover smoked chicken thighs are also great in salad, used in sandwiches or tacos or even added to your favorite pasta dishes. So double up the batch and you’ll have great chicken ideas for lunches this week.

More Great Smoked Chicken Ideas

• If you are a weekly meal prepper, you’ve got to try a Smoked Whole Chicken while you’re setting your week up! Add chicken to lunches all week long for a great protein boost.
• A super unique and delicious way to enjoy chicken legs is by smoking Chicken Lollipops. They are seasoned with a savory BBQ rub and have the perfect smoky finish. Impress your guests with this dish!
• Another great way to smoke a whole chicken is with a beer can! Once you try Smoked Beer Can Chicken, you will have a hard time going back. It is so juicy and flavorful and the smoke just takes it up a notch.
• Your new favorite contribution to the game day potluck is going to be Smoked Chicken Wings. Finish them in sticky BBQ sauce or any of your favorite flavors and prepare to be wowed.