Perfectly Juicy Smoked Chicken Thighs
It is easy to dry out chicken in the electric smoker, but this recipe which is brinded and then finished on the grill gives perfectly juicy chicken every time.
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Idle Time/ Brining Time 5 hours hrs
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Brine
- ½ cup Coarse Kosher Salt
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp dried minced garlic
- 1 tbsp dried chives
Chicken
- 8 bone-in (skin-on) chicken thighs
- dry rub of choice we used Semiconservative Granola Girl Dry Rub
- 1 gallon water divided
Brine
Add salt, sugar, garlic, chives and 1 cup of water to a large pot (enough to hold chicken plus water to cover--we used a 4 quart Dutch oven). Heat on high until sugar and salt are dissolved.
Add about half the water (and ice, if desired) to cool the water before adding the chicken.
Place the chicken in the brine. Add the remaining water (to cover). Refigerate for 4-12 hours.
Preparing the Chicken
Remove chicken from brine to dry. We place the chicken on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet with paper towel on it). Pat the chicken dry. Add dry rub to both sides of the chicken.
Allow the chicken to come to room temperature (about an hour before you put it in the smoker).
Smoking the Chicken
Preheat the electric smoker to 225°F and add wood chips per manufacturer's instructions. We generally use hickory because it gives the deepest smokey flavor.
When the smoker is full of smoke, add the chicken directly to the racks and close the door.
After about an hour and a half, check the internal temperature of the chicken. At around 160°F, preheat the grill.