Perfectly Smoked Whole Chicken

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot, all opinions are my own

Smoked Whole Chicken coming right up! Guys, we’re almost entering November, and holiday season is right around the corner. I don’t know about you but we’re not going to be doing a big thanksgiving shabang this year with Covid cases still on the rise in Houston. However, we do plan on having our closest friends, who we are quarantining with, over for an outdoor dinner. What’s on the menu? A perfectly smoked whole chicken!

More than anyone else, Hassaan is most excited about this dinner because he’s going to get to use our new Traeger Pro 34 grill which he’s been experimenting with for weeks now. Hassaan has literally been wanting a smoker or a wood pellet grill for years and I think he dreams of brisket and ribs on the regular. Okay but here’s what I have for you guys today: the perfect smoked whole chicken that will knock your socks off! Also amazing is that Home Depot offers FREE Delivery on ALL online grills and FREE assembly on all grills over $399!

What is a Wood Pellet Grill?

So here’s the deal, a wood pellet grill like the Traeger Pro 34 is not like your typical grill. It’s a multi-functional grill that you plug into a power outlet and uses compressed wood pellets as a fuel source. You want a wood pellet grill for that unmatched smokey flavor that it gives with different kinds of wood pellets you use! So far we’ve tried a bunch of different wood pellet types and Hickory has been a top favorite for chicken.

Alright so let’s get into how we smoked this whole chicken! Before you prep the chicken, fill the hopper with Hickory wood pellets and turn your Traeger Pro 34 on to 300 degrees.

How to Prep the Chicken

We got a 4lb skin on chicken for this cook and prepped it by washing and drying it thoroughly with paper towels – you want it as dry as possible to get that crispy skin. 

Once dry, season the whole chicken with your favorite dry rub. We used the Traeger Chicken Rub which is seriously one of the best dry rubs I’ve tried for poultry. Make sure to evenly cover the chicken with the rub (leave no skin showing!)  and sprinkle generously inside the cavity as well. We lifted up some of the skin to sprinkle some underneath as well. Gently pat the rub in and now it’s time to fill up the cavity with flavorings. 

I stuffed it with half an onion (cut into half again), about 10 sprigs of thyme and 2 sprigs of rosemary. Along with that I threw in about 12 cloves of garlic and slipped some under the skin as well. Now here’s the best part: you do not need to let the chicken rest or anything! It is ready to go in the grill right after you season it!

How to Smoke Whole Chicken

Place the whole chicken directly on the grill rack and close the lid. Set an alarm for 45 minutes to check the internal temperature of the breast meat using the temperature probe provided with the grill. If it is about 130-140F you have roughly about half an hour to go. At this point, crank up the temperature to 350F

Check in another 20 minutes after raising the temperature and if the internal probe reads 165F in the breast meat, your chicken is done!

Socially Distant Outdoor Dinner

Now that your main is ready, set up the patio for a socially distant dinner with friends and don’t hesitate to ask for help if someone offers to bring sides 😀 We decorated our patio with mums and other seasonal flowering plants and used pots in varying heights to create a pretty arrangement. String lights are always a plus and give your outdoor space a festive look. I hope you guys enjoyed this holiday special grilling recipe and that you’ll try it and let me know what you think!

We cannot wait to entertain more with the Traeger wood pellet grill and next on our list is a texas style brisket which would definitely feed a crowd!