Smoking a whole chicken is quite possibly the most popular meat that I smoke. It may how long do you smoke chicken pork ribs that I smoke more often than a whole bird. We love smoked chicken and it is far superior to any rotisserie chicken you can purchase at the grocery store. The meat is moist and juicy with a wonderful smokey flavor.
One other thing we love about about smoked chicken is that it is outstanding for leftovers. We always make extras, knowing that the meat will be great in wraps, sandwiches or on pizza. Use the carcass to make some smoked chicken broth for a soup with so much flavor. Here is a recipe for my Smoked Chicken Chowder Soup. Make sure that you generously rub the chicken with a good bbq spice rub before placing it in the smoker. If that is the case, keep it over 250F.
Poultry is great with many different wood choices. Some of the wood I usually use are hickory, apple, oak, pecan and maple. For this particular smoke, I used Bradley’s Whiskey Oak wood bisquettes. They resulted in a really nice flavor. Smoke the chicken until the internal temperature of the leg reaches 165F. Some electric smokers struggle to crisp up the skin.
The taste of the meat is amazing but the skin can be on the rubbery side. If you love a crispy skin, it may be necessary to transfer the chicken to your oven for the last 30 minutes or so. I have done this and it works really well. In this case, remove the chicken from the smoker when the internal temperature is around 145-150F. Place the bird in a 375F oven and cook until the internal temperature is 165F. Let the chicken rest 15-20 minutes before carving. This will draw all the juices back into the bird.