Best Smoked Whole Chicken Without Brine (Traeger Demo)

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Make the best Traeger smoked chicken without brine (you don’t need one!). My recipe is packed with flavor and is a very easy smoker recipe for beginners. So join me today to learn exactly how to make the best smoked whole chicken. Let’s smoke some tasty food!

Table of Contents

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• Why my smoked chicken is the best recipe
• Ingredients
• How long does it take to smoke a chicken?
• How to make smoked whole chicken
• Popular Smoked Chicken Recipes from Sip Bite Go
• FAQs
• Tasty whole chicken recipes from Sip Bite Go
• Smoked Whole Chicken Recipe With Traeger Instructions | Sip Bite Go
• YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE

Why my smoked chicken is the best recipe

• SO easy, with very simple ingredients.
• Big time tasty. You’ll make super juicy chicken with a deep smoky flavor.
• Use your favorite bbq rub or poultry seasoning.
• It’s a great family style smoker recipe – my version of smoked whole chicken tastes just like eating at a BBQ restaurant. It’s right up there with whole smoked turkey and my beginner-friendly smoked brisket flat.
• Get the best chicken smoker time for moist chicken.
• New to smoking a whole chicken? Scroll to the bottom of the page for my full-length Youtube video.
• You’ll make it again and again!

New to smoking food? Check out the full step by step video at the bottom of this post – it’s about 3 minutes long and will walk you through the whole thing!

Try these smoked chicken lollipops…

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make Traeger smoked chicken.

1. Whole chicken (about 2-3 LBs whole bird)
2. Olive oil
3. BBQ seasoning

Flavor note: in this demo, I used ​​Meat Church Holy Cow BBQ Rub, but you can use any BBQ dry rub or poultry seasoning)

How long does it take to smoke a chicken?

With my recipe, you’ll get 2 different cooking temperatures for smoked whole chicken: 375°F (about 1-1.5 hours) and 250°F (about 2-3 hours). See the steps for details on how long to cook chicken based on the weight of the bird.

See how to make smoked pulled chicken…

How to make smoked whole chicken

Now I’ll walk you through it…

1. Prepare the whole chicken. Rinse and pat the whole chicken dry with a paper towel.
2. Season the whole chicken all over by adding the olive oil and bbq rub seasoning, massaging the seasoning into the skin along the way. Tie the legs together with twine and tuck the wings into the thighs if desired. Let chicken skin dry out a bit (optional) If you have time, refrigerate the seasoned whole chicken before smoking it for 15 minutes to 2 hours (or overnight). Drying out the chicken skin is always great, but if you are in a rush you can skip it.
3. Turn on the Traeger grill or pellet smoker you’re using, to preheat for 15 minutes at 250°F OR 375°F. (Set temperature based on how fast you want it to cook, based on the next step. The smoked chicken in the Sip Bite Go demo was cooked at 250°F for a couple hours).
4. Add seasoned whole bird to the smoker and smoke Traeger whole chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. At a smoking temperature of 250°F this will be about 30-45 minutes a pound. Or a smoker temperature of 375°F for about 20-25 minutes a pound.
5. Transfer smoked whole chicken to a cutting board to rest, covered with foil, for at least 20 minutes to let the juices settle. Carve and enjoy.

Next up? Learn how to smoke a ham…

For a side dish, see this smoked corn on the cob seen in this recipe video or this smoked mac and cheese.

Popular Smoked Chicken Recipes from Sip Bite Go

• Smoked whole chicken
• Traeger smoked chicken thighs
• Smoked wings
• Smoked cornish hens
• Beer can chicken on the smoker
• Smoked butterflied chicken legs
• BBQ smoked chicken breast skewers
• Traeger smoked chicken lollipops
• Smoked pulled chicken
• Smoked chicken breast
• Smoked spatchcock chicken
• Traeger smoked split chicken breasts
• Buffalo chicken dip
• Chicken temperature guide

FAQs

How long does it take to smoke a chicken at 375°F?

Smoke chicken at 375°F for about 60-90 minutes, until it reaches a safe initial temperature of 165°F.

How long does it take to smoke a chicken at 250°F?

Smoke chicken at 250°F for about 2-3 hours, until the chicken does completely reach 165°F internally. The photos and video feature chicken in my Sip Bite Go recipe demo was smoked at 250 degrees for a couple of hours.

How do you check the temperature of smoked whole chicken?

Use a digital meat thermometer, stuck into the thickest part of the meat (without touching bones). Once the internal temperature of smoked chicken reaches 165°F, the smoked whole chicken is ready to take off the Traeger.

What type of pellet chips do you use for chicken?

Use either the Traeger blend or apple wood pellets to smoke whole chicken.

What sauces go with smoked whole chicken?

Make a simple pan sauce with chicken broth, or try this romesco sauce, a simple peppercorn sauce, or even this cool, a bit spicy, creamy jalapeno ranch dressing.

Also see how to make smoked peaches.

Tasty whole chicken recipes from Sip Bite Go

• Pellet smoker beer can chicken
• Smoked whole chicken
• Smoked spatchcock chicken
• Air fry whole chicken
• Sous vide whole chicken
• Crock pot whole chicken
• Vacuum seal whole chicken
• How to spatchcock chicken

See how to roast turkey breast in the oven and smoked turkey breast

Next, spice things up with the best chicken tacos packed with peppers, onions, and corn.

Can’t wait to hear what you think!

I’d love to know how your version turned out! Drop a rating and leave a comment below to help the Sip Bite Go community. And if you snapped any photos, tag me on Instagram—I love sharing reader pics in my Stories!

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Smoked Whole Chicken Recipe With Traeger Instructions | Sip Bite Go

Make the best Traeger smoked chicken with a simple BBQ rub. This flavor-packed smoker recipe is one of the fastest, too. You’ll learn exactly how to make the best smoked whole chicken without brine. Let’s smoke some tasty food! 5 from 33 votes Print Pin Course: Main DishCuisine: AmericanKeyword: smoked chicken wings, Smoked Whole Chicken, Smoked Whole Chicken without brine, traeger smoked chicken Prep Time: 30 minutes minutesCook Time: 2 hours hoursFinish Time: 20 minutes minutesTotal Time: 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes Servings: 4 Calories: 457kcal Author: Jenna Passaro

Video

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 whole chicken about 2-3 LBs – the whole bird
• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1.5 tbsp BBQ seasoning any BBQ dry rub or use poultry seasoning

Instructions

• Prepare the whole chicken. Rinse and pat the whole chicken dry with a paper towel.
• Season the whole chicken all over by adding the olive oil and bbq rub seasoning, massaging the seasoning into the skin along the way. Tie the legs together with twine and tuck the wings into the thighs if desired. Let chicken skin dry out a bit (optional but recommended if you like super crispy skin) If you have time, refrigerate the seasoned whole chicken before smoking it for 15 minutes to 2 hours (or overnight). Drying out the chicken skin is always great, but if you are in a rush you can skip it.
• Turn on the Traeger grill or pellet smoker you’re using, to preheat for 15 minutes at 250°F OR 375°F. (Set temperature based on how fast you want it to cook, based on the next step. The smoked chicken in the Sip Bite Go demo was cooked at 250°F for a couple hours).
• Add seasoned whole bird to the smoker and smoke Traeger whole chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. At a smoking temperature of 250°F this will be about 30-45 minutes a pound. Or a smoker temperature of 375°F for about 20-25 minutes a pound.
• Transfer smoked whole chicken to a cutting board to rest, covered with foil, for at least 20 minutes to let the juices settle. Carve and enjoy.

Notes

See the recipe: https://sipbitego.com/smoked-whole-chicken See the recipe video for smoking a whole chicken on Sip Bite Go’s YouTube.

Nutrition

Calories: 457kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 135mg | Potassium: 398mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 413IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 4mg Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SipBiteGo or tag #sipbitego!

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• Spatchcock Smoked Turkey
• Smoked Turkey Legs on a Traeger Pellet Grill
• Burger Puff Pastry Bites (Oven-Baked or Smoked)

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Pro tip: One of my go-to tricks for perfectly cooked food every time is using the right BBQ meat thermometers.