The Best Pellet Grill Smoked Chicken Thighs

Crispy skinned smoked chicken thighs marinated with Italian dressing and seasoned with a homemade rub.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Marinate up to 12

Total Time 13 10

Servings people

Calories 462kcal

Author Breanna Stark

Equipment

Wire Rack

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
12 oz Italian dressing

Poultry seasoning

½ tbsp Kosher salt
½ tbsp black pepper coursley ground
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper optional

Instructions

Add your chicken thighs to a large Ziploc bag and pour in the bottle of Italian dressing until all of the chicken thighs are submerged in the dressing. Store in the fridge for a minimum of one hour, but preferably overnight.
Preheat your smoker to 300°F.
Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and season on the non-skin side. Flip them over, pull back the skin and season the meat. Put the skin back in place and transfer them to a wire rack with the skin facing up.
Sprinkle the remaining seasoning over the top of the chicken thighs and place the wire rack on the grates of your smoker.
Smoke for 1 to 1-½ hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 185°F and the skin is crispy.
Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes, then serve immediately alongside barbecue sauce.

Poultry seasoning

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl or seasoning shaker and mix well until evenly combined. This recipe makes enough to generously coat four thighs and is easy to scale up.

Notes

Crispy skin: By marinating the chicken and then smoking at a higher temperature, you should have no problem getting perfectly crispy skin. But if you want to guarantee it, add 1 tbsp of cornstarch.

Nutrition