Whole Smoked Chicken
A whole chicken is brined with aromatic herbs, lemon, garlic, and spices for a day, then smoked until juicy and golden. The result is tender, flavorful poultry with crisp skin and deep smoky notes—perfect for carving and sharing.
Total time: 26 h 45 min • Active: 2 h 15 min • Inactive: 24 h 30 min
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Ingredients
- 1 ea lemon
- 5 ea garlic
- 1.968 l water
- 2.5 oz kosher salt
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 4 lbs chicken
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp dried italian herbs seasoning
Steps
Prepare the flavoring ingredients: Quarter the lemon and smash the garlic cloves.≈ 5 min Dissolve salt and extract flavors for the brine: Bring 1 quart of the water, kosher salt, dried thyme, dried rosemary, quartered lemon, whole black peppercorns, and smashed garlic to a boil. Stir until salt dissolves and flavors infuse.≈ 8 min Add the remaining water to the boiled brine and cool to room temperature.≈ 25 min Fully submerge the chicken, breast side down, in the cooled brine and refrigerate for 24 hours.≈ 24 h–24 h Preheat pellet grill to 325°F (163°C).≈ 15 min Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.≈ 3 min Rub chicken all over with olive oil and coat with dried Italian herbs seasoning.≈ 4 min Smoke/grill the seasoned chicken in the preheated pellet grill until it reaches 165°F (74°C) internal temperature, about 90 minutes.≈ 1 h 30 min Rest the smoked chicken under foil for 15 minutes before carving and serving.≈ 15 min–15 min
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Yields
- 4 lbs chicken