This smoked spatchcock chicken is cooked on the pellet smoker. It has extra crispy skin and delicious flavor from the wood smoke! Be sure to check out our smoked chicken salad recipe for leftovers!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfectly Smoked Chicken: This chicken is smoky, juicy, and has crispy skin, making it great for family dinners and BBQs.
- Flavorful: The spices and hickory smoke give it an amazing taste.
- Tender & Crispy: The dry brine and smoking make the meat super tender with that golden, crispy skin.
Ingredients
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Whole Chicken (Spatchcocked): Spatchcocking means removing the backbone to flatten the chicken, which helps it cook faster and more evenly on the grill or smoker.
- Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is perfect for seasoning the chicken because it has a larger grain, which helps it stick to the skin. If you’re using table salt, use less, as it’s finer and more concentrated.
- Avocado Oil: Avocado oil has a high smoke point, making it ideal for grilling or smoking. It also has a mild flavor, so it won’t overpower the chicken.
- Coarse Black Pepper: Coarse black pepper adds texture and a bit of heat. You can adjust the amount based on your personal preference for spice.
- Granulated Onion: Granulated onion is preferred for grilling and smoking because its coarser texture helps it stick better to the chicken and create a flavorful crust, while onion powder may not cling as well.
- Granulated Garlic: Granulated garlic has a stronger flavor and sticks better to the chicken’s surface, creating a better crust. Garlic powder can be milder and doesn’t hold up as well to high heat.
- Unsalted Butter: Unsalted butter adds richness and flavor. Kerrygold is our go-to; it’s a high-quality butter made from grass-fed cows, giving it a creamier, richer flavor that’s perfect for brushing on the chicken.
Spatchcock Chicken Recipe
Detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Prepare the chicken by patting it dry, removing giblets, and trimming excess fat. Spatchcock by cutting out the backbone, flipping it over, and pressing it flat. Tuck the wings to prevent burning.
Step 2: Dry brine the chicken with kosher salt, then refrigerate for 3-24 hours. Preheat the pellet smoker to 225°F, and season the chicken with avocado oil, pepper, granulated garlic, and onion before cooking.
Step 3: Smoke the chicken at 225°F until the breast reaches 140°F, then baste with butter. Raise the smoker to 300°F and cook until the breast hits 155°F and thighs reach 165°F, about 2.5-3 hours.
Step 4: Remove the chicken from the smoker just before it hits the target temperature. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute, making the chicken juicier and more flavorful.
How to Get Crispy Skin on Smoked Chicken
- In order to get spatchcock chicken with crispy skin, pat the chicken dry and then do a dry brine in the fridge. This helps get the skin super crispy by removing excess moisture.
- When you dry the chicken with paper towels, it removes any water on the surface, which keeps the skin from steaming while it cooks. The dry brine, which means seasoning the chicken and letting it sit in the fridge, pulls moisture from the skin and then helps it soak up the tasty juices.
- This process makes the skin even drier, so when the whole bird cooks, it crisps up nicely, giving you that perfect golden, crunchy skin. The longer the chicken sits in the fridge, the better it turns out!
What to Serve
- Spatchcocked smoked chicken goes great with classic comfort sides! Some of our favorites include baked beans and potato salad or pasta salad,
- For Southern classics, you can’t go wrong with collard greens with smoked turkey or greens with ham hock, and baked mac and cheese.
- We love to use leftovers to make this smoked chicken salad!
Storage and Reheating
- To store leftover spatchcocked smoked chicken, let it cool completely before putting it in an airtight container or wrapping it tightly in foil or plastic wrap.
- Keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you want to save it longer, store it in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- When you’re ready to eat, reheat it in the oven at 300°F until warmed through to keep it juicy. Avoid microwaving too long, or the chicken might dry out!
Commonly Asked Questions
Smoking a spatchcock chicken usually takes about 2.5 to 3 hours at 225°F to 250°F. The cooking time depends on the size of the chicken and your smoker’s temperature. To get perfectly cooked chicken, use a meat thermometer and cook until the breast reaches 165°F and the thighs hit 175°F.
To get crispy skin, start by patting the chicken dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Then, dry brine it by seasoning with salt and letting it sit uncovered in the fridge for at least a few hours (or overnight)—this helps draw out moisture from the skin so it crisps up better when cooking.
It’s better to spatchcock a chicken when smoking because it cooks more evenly and faster. The chicken gets crispy skin on the outside while staying juicy on the inside. Smoking a whole chicken takes longer and can sometimes cook unevenly.
Smoked Spatchcock Chicken (With Extra Crispy Skin!)
Equipment
- Pellet smoker
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 4-5 lbs
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 tablespoon coarse black pepper
- 1 tablespoon granulated onion
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted (we recommend Kerrygold Butter)
Instructions
- Dry Chicken: Take the chicken out of its packaging and dry it with paper towels. Remove any giblets from the inside. Trim off any extra fat or loose skin if needed.
- Spatchcock the Chicken: Place the chicken breast side down with the legs facing you. Use kitchen shears to cut along both side of the backbone from tail to neck. Remove the backbone (you can keep it for chicken stock). Flip the chicken over, breast side up, and press down firmly to flatten it. Tuck the wings under the chicken to keep them from burning. Watch this video for how to spatchcock a turkey.
- Dry Brine the Chicken: Sprinkle kosher salt all over the chicken. Hold the salt about 6 inches above to spread it evenly. Place the chicken on a rack in a pan and put it in the fridge for 3 to 24 hours. Letting the chicken rest helps dry out the skin which is necessary to make it crispy.
- Preheat the Pellet Grill: Fill the pellet smoker with hickory pellets and set it to 225°F.
- Season the Chicken: Take the chicken out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature. Rub the chicken with avocado oil until fully coated. Then cover it generously with pepper, granulated garlic, and granulated onion.
- Smoke the Chicken: Smoke the chicken at a lower temperature such as 225°F. When the breast reaches an internal temperature of 140°F, baste it with melted butter. Then raise the smoker temperature to 300°F and continue cooking. Use a meat thermometer to check the chicken. It’s done when the breast reaches 155°F and the thighs reach 165°F, which should take about 2.5 to 3 hours.
- Note: Take the chicken off the smoker just before it hits the target temperature. The heat will keep cooking it while it rests, bringing it up to the right temperature (165°F in the breast and 175°F in the thighs).
- Rest and Serve: Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. This helps the juices stay inside the meat, making it juicier and more flavorful.
Notes
- First, light your charcoal and set it up for indirect heat by pushing the coals to one side of the grill. This way, the chicken will cook slowly without direct flames underneath. Place a drip pan on the other side of the grill to catch any juices.
- Put the chicken on the grill with the breast side up, over the side without the coals, and cover the grill. Make sure the temperature stays around 225°F to 250°F. Add some wood chips or chunks to the coals for smoke, and let the chicken cook slowly for a couple of hours, checking the temperature with a meat thermometer.
- When the chicken reaches 165°F in the breast and 175°F in the thighs, it’s ready to take off the grill and rest before serving.
