These smoked chicken thighs are the perfect way to enjoy some wonderfully flavorful chicken with minimal effort! Simply coat your bone-in thighs with a delicious rub and then pop them into the smoker! It is completely hands-off yet ridiculously tasty!
Smoked Bone-In Chicken Thighs
When the weather is nice, and I'm hosting guests, I'm always excited to fire up my smoker! I love how easy it is to cook different meats and sides, and the wonderfully smokey flavor is truly delicious!
These chicken thighs take a couple of hours to cook, but they are completely hands-off! I promise they are definitely worth the wait!
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If you're new to smoking or just love using your smoker, make sure you check out more of my delicious smoker recipes!
🥘 Smoked Chicken Thighs Ingredients
You really only need 2 ingredients, the chicken and your favorite dry rub! Feel free to add in some barbecue sauce and/or liquid smoke, too!
- Chicken Thighs - 2 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
- Dry Rub - 2 tablespoons of BBQ chicken rub (see my recipe here), or use your favorite dry rub.
- BBQ Sauce (optional) - ½ cup of BBQ sauce (try my honey BBQ sauce) or your preferred kind.
- Liquid Smoke (optional) - 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke can be mixed into the barbecue sauce if desired.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Smoke Chicken Thighs
The best part about this recipe is how effortless it is! All you need is your smoker, a tray or cutting board, and some measuring spoons.
This recipe will make enough chicken thighs for about 4 servings, but you can easily scale it up to make more!
- Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 250°F (65°C).
- Season. Trim off any excess skin if needed, and then generously season all of the sides of 2 pounds (907 grams) of chicken thighs with 2 tablespoons (8 grams) of BBQ chicken rub.
- Place. Once hot, place your seasoned chicken thighs on to the smoker with the skin side facing up.
- Smoke. Close the smoker and cook the chicken for about 2-2½ hours, or until the internal temperature reads 175°F (79°C).
- Add sauce. *Optional: If desired, you can mix together ½ cup (143 grams) of honey BBQ sauce and 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of liquid smoke. Brush the chicken thighs with the mixture during the last 15-20 minutes of cooking.
- Rest. Remove the chicken thighs from your smoker, lightly cover them with foil, and then let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
If you want to make your chicken skin exceptionally crispy, check out my guide on how to get crispy chicken skin!
🥗 Sides
Since you're already using your smoker, you could easily pair your chicken thighs with some smoked corn on the cob and smoked baked potatoes! Of course, a green garden salad would make a great side as well! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- If desired, you can brush your chicken thighs with your favorite type of BBQ sauce (try this honey BBQ sauce) when there are only about 15-20 minutes of cook time remaining. You can mix in some liquid smoke, too, for an extra smokey flavor!
- While chicken thighs are fully cooked and safe to eat at 165°F (74°C), they definitely have the best texture and flavor when cooked until the internal temperature reads 175°F (79°C). After resting, they will have an internal temperature of 180°F (82°C) due to carryover cooking, which is when they are perfectly delicious! To learn more, take a look at my post on chicken internal temperatures.
- Cooking your chicken thighs at the low temperature of 250°F (65°C) is ideal for getting delicious, tender meat. Any higher, and you risk drying out your chicken.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Once cool, place your chicken thighs into a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating Chicken Thighs
Reheat your chicken by loosely covering it with aluminum foil and baking it in the oven at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4).
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
❓ Recipe FAQs
I like to smoke my chicken using fruit wood, such as apple, pecan, cherry, or maple. However, beech wood and pimento also make fantastic options!
Letting your meat rest is essential to keeping the thighs wonderfully juicy. After smoking, they only need 5-10 minutes to rest in order to let the juices redistribute into the meat.
Sure! However, I do think that bone-in chicken thighs are more flavorful and juicier. Just follow the same method, and the cooking time should remain about the same. Use a meat thermometer to determine when the thighs are done.
😋 More Smoked Recipes
- Smoked Duck - Tender duck is basted with a sweet combination of honey and maple syrup for an extra tasty dish.
- Smoked Baby Back Ribs - Fall-off-the-bone ribs are perfect for backyard barbecues, cookouts, and more!
- Smoked Meatloaf - Extra flavorful meatloaf that is totally hands-off and prepared in your smoker.
- Smoked Brats - Forget the grill; go ahead and whip up some hearty and delicious brats in your smoker!
- Smoked Hamburgers - Quick and delicious burgers that are seasoned with homemade burger seasoning.
- Traeger Smoked Turkey - Use your smoker for a tasty twist on traditional cooked turkey.
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📖 Recipe Card
Smoked Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
- 2 tablespoon BBQ chicken rub
- ½ cup honey BBQ sauce (optional, or your preferred variety)
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 250°F (65°C).
- Trim off any excess skin if needed, and then generously season all of the sides of 2 lbs chicken thighs with 2 tablespoon BBQ chicken rub.
- Once hot, place your seasoned chicken thighs on to the smoker with the skin side facing up.
- Close the smoker and cook the chicken for about 2-2½ hours, or until the internal temperature reads 175°F (79°C).
- *Optional: If desired, you can mix together ½ cup honey BBQ sauce and 1 teaspoon liquid smoke. Brush the chicken thighs with the mixture during the last 15-20 minutes of cooking.
- Remove the chicken thighs from your smoker, lightly cover them with foil, and then let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If desired you can brush your chicken thighs with your favorite type of BBQ sauce (try this honey BBQ sauce) when there are only about 15-20 minutes of cook time remaining. You can mix in some liquid smoke, too for an extra smokey flavor!
- While chicken thighs are fully cooked and safe to eat at 165°F (74°C), they definitely have the best texture and flavor when cooked until the internal temperature reads 175°F (79°C). After resting, they will have an internal temperature of 180°F (82°C) due to carryover cooking, which is when they are perfectly delicious! To learn more, take a look at my post on chicken internal temperatures.
- Cooking your chicken thighs at the low temperature of 250°F (65°C) is ideal for getting delicious, tender meat. Any higher and you risk drying out your chicken.
- To store: Once cool, place your chicken thighs into a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat: Reheat your chicken by loosely covering it with aluminum foil and baking it in the oven at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4).
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