Smoked Chicken Thighs

5 from 29 votes

Smoked Chicken Thighs

If you're looking for the best-smoked chicken thighs, look no further. Smoking the perfectly seasoned slow-cooked chicken thighs yields tender, juicy, dark meat that your whole family will love. And with just a few minutes of prep, it's one of the easiest chicken recipes you'll ever make!

Prep Time2

Cook Time5

Total Time2 5

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 255kcal

Author: Chef Ryan Littley

Equipment

Smoker
wood chips
aluminum pan

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
2 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional - more or less depending on taste
1 cup barbecue sauce optional - use your favorite brand of sauce or my easy no-cook bbq sauce.

Instructions

Add your favorite wood chips to the smoker and preheat it to 250 degrees F.
Add the seasonings to a small bowl and mix to fully combine.
Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels.
Spread the dry rub generously over the chicken, making sure to season all sides of the chicken thigh for a well-balanced flavor.
For maximum flavor, let the seasoned chicken set for 30 minutes to give the seasonings time to penetrate the chicken and marinate it with the flavors. This also gives the chicken time to come to room temperature prior to putting it in the smoker.
*This step gives the rub time to soak into the skin and meat, but if you're in a hurry it can be skipped.
Place the seasoned chicken in a shallow foil pan and place the pan on a shelf in the preheated smoker and cook the chicken legs for 90 minutes or until an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees is reached.
*Alternatively, you can place the chicken directly on the rack in the smoker, placing a drip pan on the rack below the chicken.
Slather the chicken in my easy no-cook barbecue sauce or your favorite brand of sauce.

Notes

Other seasonings you could add are cumin, chili powder, dry oregano, ground ginger, turmeric, and coriander. You can also use your favorite seasoning blend. Cajun seasoning, Jerk seasoning, Barbecue seasoning, and Old Bay seasoning can be used instead of making your own dry rub. You can also add brown sugar to the seasonings to make a sweet rub.

For heat, cayenne pepper is usually the best way to kick up the flavor of your smoked chicken legs. But be careful because a little can go a long way.

*Use a digital meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the drumstick to make sure the internal temperature of the chicken legs is at least 165 degrees.

Nutrition