Applewood Smoked Chicken

Smoking a chicken is EASY! Wow your taste buds with this melt-in-your-mouth Applewood Smoked Chicken! Prepped with a brown sugar, smoky paprika and garlic based rub, this Applewood Smoked Chicken tastes amazing!

Jump to:

• Quick Recipe Overview
• Why This Recipe Works
• Smokers
• How to Prepare Applewood Smoked Chicken
• Step 1 - The Rub
• Step 2 - Cutting the Chicken
• Step 3 - Marinating The Chicken
• Step 4 - Preparing The Smoker
• Step 5 - Smoking Your Chicken
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Expert Tips
• Smoker Cookbook
• Other Smoked Foods You'll Love
• Applewood Smoked Chicken

Who doesn't love the taste of smoked meat? I've never met anyone who didn't get excited about sitting down to eat a meal that involved any type of smoked meat. Smoked meat is absolutely amazing. And this Applewood Smoked Chicken is fantastic! Easy, fast to prep and super juicy. I tell you...it's DELISH!  

And guess what? Spring and summer are right around the corner! Memorial Day will be here before you know it and after that we run right into 4th of July! What's on your Memorial Day and 4th of July food menu? Have you thought about it? Are you grilling or smoking, or both?!? If you haven't thought it through, don't worry...it's not too late! I'll help you think of some AMAZING smoked foods! I'm sure you can guess what's on my menu...yep my Applewood Smoked Chicken!

I love to use my smoker. Smoking meat is one of my favorite things to do. A lot of people ask me what types of meat I like to smoke. Well let's see...I love to smoke salmon, tri tip, smoked baby back ribs, and smoked chicken quarters! Oh...and smoked brisket! OH!! And smoked baked beans!!! Did you know you can smoke side dishes?

I've been asked by my friends to post my Applewood Smoked Chicken recipe, so here it is guys right in time for the warm weather! And I'm going to walk you through how I smoke my chicken step-by-step so you know what to expect!

Smokers

By the way, this is MY smoker, not Mr. Mason's smoker. Most husbands have a smoker and a grill. Nope, not here at Mason Manor. I own the grill and the smoker. I asked my husband for a smoker one Christmas and he was like...really? You want a smoker for your Christmas present? Not clothes or jewelry? Nope. I was tired of only getting smoked meat when I went to a party or a friend's house. It was time to make my own smoked food!

Smoking meat has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. I grew up with my dad telling stories about how he and his dad and brothers used to dig a hole in the ground and smoke an entire hog. At Thanksgiving, Mr. Mason's family smokes their turkeys and they are so good! So naturally...I NEEDED a smoker! So what did Mr. Mason do? He bought me a smoker. He bought me a Smoke Hollow 38202G 38-Inch 2-Door Propane Gas Smoker. This is a gas smoker that runs off of a propane tank. There are a lot of different types of smokers you can buy...pellet, electric, charcoal....but guys, I wanted easy. I NEED easy in my life! And Mr. Mason knows that so he went with a gas smoker and I absolutely love it!

How to Prepare Applewood Smoked Chicken

So, let's jump into how I prep and smoke my Applewood Smoked Chicken. First, let me talk about my rub and wood I use for a minute. I use (and recommend) wood chunks instead of wood chips for this recipe. I find that chunks produce more smoke and the meat turns out more flavorful. There are so many different types of wood out there and so many different rubs! I have used several different kinds of wood for chicken, but I've found that apple wood chunks give me the best results when it comes to smoking a chicken. It gives the meat a subtle smoky apple flavor. Ok so let's going! Step-by-step instructions are below!

Step 1 - The Rub

The rub...oh man where do I start!?!? Let's start with the ingredients you'll need. This rub includes:

• Dark Brown Sugar
• Chili Powder
• Smoked Paprika
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Oregano
• Salt

Brown sugar is just a MUST when you are making a rub. I've tried making several rubs, but this one is my favorite when smoking chicken. It's the perfect mix of smoky and sweet.

Step 2 - Cutting the Chicken

I buy a whole chicken from either Costco or my local grocery store. I typically buy a 4 to 5 pound chicken. You'll want to first remove and toss out the innards, such as the neck and liver that's stuffed in the middle of the chicken. From there, you'll need to rinse the chicken inside and out. Once that's done, dry the chicken off with a paper towel. Place the whole chicken on a cutting board. NOTE: Rinsing is an optional step. Some people don't like to rinse a whole chicken due to water splashing that could contain bacteria from the raw bird.

Next, take a sharp butcher knife and slice your chicken in half by cutting down the breast. You're literally going to have to break the sternum so you can split the chicken. From there, pull the breasts apart. I call this step of the process "butterflying". You can also use the spatchcock chicken method.

Step 3 - Marinating The Chicken

Take that rub and sprinkle it all over the chicken. When putting the rub on, make sure you press the rub into the chicken really well. This helps enhance the flavor. You literally want your chicken to be saturated with the rub.

Next, place your chicken in a glass pyrex dish, cover with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator. I like to let it marinate overnight.

Step 4 - Preparing The Smoker

There's a couple of things you should do before you start smoking your food.

If you are using a water pan, I like to wrap my water bowl with aluminum foil before I add the water. By doing this you’re saving yourself a lot of mess. Less cleanup is always better! I also add about a Tablespoon of Liquid Smoke to my water to help contribute to the smoky flavor. But that's optional.

Are you going to use wood chips or chunks? Are you going to soak them? I prefer using chunks when I smoke my chicken because it’s been my experience they produce more smoke for a longer period of time.

You need to fill the wood pan with wood chunks or chips. If you use chunks, they will last the entire smoke time without you having to refill the pan. If you use wood chips, they will burn out by the end of the smoke time so check them every 2-3 hours and add more if they have burned out.

I wrap my wood chunks in aluminum foil and poke holes in the aluminum foil with a knife. To me, the smoke pouch helps smoke release more consistently which provides a perfect flavor.

I preheat my smoker before I place the food on the trays. It takes about 30 minutes to warm up my smoker to 225°F.

So here's what you've accomplished in the process so far:

• You put the rub on your chicken,
• It's done marinating,
• You're smoker is prepped with the wood and water.

You're now ready to smoke your chicken! Go ahead and place that rubbed chicken on a rack in the smoker.

Step 5 - Smoking Your Chicken

Let's talk smoking time for your chicken and temperature for your smoker. I smoke my chicken at around 225°F for 4 to 5 hours. Towards the end of the smoking process, I always insert an internal thermometer to ensure the temperature of the chicken is 165°F. Expert Tip: I insert the digital thermometer at about the 3rd hour so I can start monitoring the internal temperature. You can also insert the temperature gauge when you place it in the smoker.

Make sure to watch the actual smoker temperature and don’t let it go over 250°F. Low and slow my friends....you want to smoke this low and slow! The method of smoking at a low temperature allows more flavor to build over a longer cook time.

Once the meat is done, you're ready to remove it from the smoker. Look at that gorgeous smoked chicken! Juicy and and delicious! Smoked to perfection! Look at that chicken leg! Perfectly cooked and full of flavor!

Frequently Asked Questions

Expert Tips

• I highly recommend letting your chicken marinate in the rub overnight.
• When you slow smoke a whole chicken, the skin can become dry and rubbery. And for those of you who love to eat the skin will want to make sure it's moist and delicious. Here's a trick you for a delicious and moist skin. Take a large cheesecloth and soak it in melted butter. Drape it over the chicken before you put it in the smoker. Smoke the whole chicken with the cheesecloth on the entire time and then remove it 30 minutes before it's done.
• When smoking your chicken, sometimes the smoker temperature will get up to 250°F, but I never let it go over that. You will need to manage your temperature to ensure the smoker doesn’t get too hot. I use this electrical temperature gauge  when smoking my meat...works amazing!
• You should expect to see a lot of smoke in the first 2 hours and then it will die down a bit. It will smell wonderful outside!

Smoker Cookbook

Are you looking for more smoker recipes? Not only do I have a lot on the food blog, but I also published a smoking cookbook! It contains 65 smoker recipes that anyone can do! Whether you're new to the practice or just want to brush up on the basics, Smoking Meat Made Easy is your ultimate guide to backyard smoking. Master the most flavorful techniques, with dozens of options that are easy to follow, and that work with any type of smoker.

Go order your copy on Amazon here.

Other Smoked Foods You'll Love

I love venturing outside the box and smoking new foods. I love this recipe for Smoked Cherry Tomatoes because it only takes 5 minutes to prep and they have a showstopper taste! And you should definately try making smoked potatoes! They are full of garlic with a velvet texture. They pair well with any of these main dish dinner recipes! And if you're looking for more things to smoke, check out my smoker roundup for some of my favorites!

I can't even explain how much my smoker means to me. I know that sounds silly but when I first got my smoker, my dad came over and we smoked several cuts of meat. Both my dad and I really enjoy cooking and I knew that if I got a smoker we could smoke meat together and compare and create new rub recipes. Daddy and I both smoked chickens today. He decided to take my rub recipe and double the amount of Smoked Paprika. Look at the color difference!

Feel free to play around with the amount of smoked paprika you use in this rub. It's fun to experiment! Regardless if you stick to my 1 Tablespoon of Smoked Paprika or double it, the taste is phenomenal!

Update Notes: This post was originally published in June of 2017, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions and tips in October 2021.