This smoked spatchcock chicken is a whole chicken covered in a homemade, delicious dry rub and then smoked to perfection. The skin is nice and crispy, while the meat is still tender and juicy! You’ll never want to eat chicken any other way.
Add on a side of mashed potatoes and roasted yellow squash, or serve with some wonderfully tasty smoked corn on the cob or smoked mac & cheese.
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Best Way To Smoke A Whole Chicken
If you’ve never spatchcocked a chicken, it can seem pretty intimidating. Don’t worry, it is not difficult.
Just follow these simple steps and you’ll have a perfectly smoked, mouthwatering spatchcock chicken. The key to making the skin delightfully crispy is to make sure the chicken is completely dry.
🥘 Ingredients
With only 3 ingredients, you’ll be ready to cook in no time. The chicken rub also uses common spices you most likely already have.
- Chicken – 5-pound whole chicken.
- Olive Oil – 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).
- BBQ Chicken Rub – 2 tablespoons of BBQ chicken rub (approximately ½ of a batch - *see note).
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Make Smoked Spatchcock Chicken
Make sure to get your chicken as dry as possible to make the skin extra crispy. All you need to make your smoked spatchcock chicken is your smoker, kitchen shears, and a meat thermometer.
Written to make 6 servings, your entire family can have this for dinner.
Prep The Spatchcock Chicken
- Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 225°F (105°C).
- Begin preparing the chicken. Rinse the 5-pound chicken with cool water and pat it dry with paper towels. Keep some paper towels on hand to pat the chicken dry throughout the trimming process. Next, remove the giblets from the chicken (I had to trim the necks from my two fryer chickens).
- Remove the backbone. Flip the chicken breast side down and cut along each side of the backbone with poultry shears to remove it.
- Break the breast bone. Next, flip the chicken back over so that it is breast-side-up and push firmly down on the breast with the palm of your hand. Press firmly enough that you break the breast bone so the chicken can lay flat on the smoker grill. Using your fingers, gently go underneath the skin to separate it from the breast meat.
Oil & Season Your Chicken
- Oil the skin. Pat your chicken dry a final time (removing as much moisture as possible for extra crispy skin). Then, coat the chicken in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Use your fingers or a basting brush to get both sides of the bird as well as up under the skin and on the breast meat.
- Season. Season the chicken generously with 2 tablespoons of BBQ rub in all the same places that you coated the chicken with extra virgin olive oil.
Smoke The Chicken
- Smoke. To begin, lay your spatchcock chicken directly on the rack of your preheated smoker with the breast facing up, and then smoke it for 45 minutes.
- Increase temperature. After 45 minutes, crank up the temperature to 425°F (220°C) and continue smoking the chicken until the internal temperature reads 165°F (74 °C), which is about another 45 minutes.
- Rest. Remove your chicken from the smoker and cover it loosely with foil. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Use a ½ batch of my BBQ chicken rub per each 4-5 pound chicken. You can use more to taste.
- To make this recipe keto, omit the sugar from the chicken rub.
- Alternatively, you can finish the chicken in the oven for the best, crispiest skin. Smoke for 1 hour at 225°F (105 °C), then transfer it to your preheated oven and finish at 450°F (232 °C) for 30 minutes or until fully cooked.
- If you want to pull the chicken meat off the bone for things like salads or sandwiches, it is easiest to do while the chicken is still warm.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for 3-4 days.
If you'd like to freeze your chicken, it is easiest to shred it. Place the shredded meat in a heavy-duty freezer bag and squeeze out as much of the air as possible. Keep it frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheating
Place leftovers in a baking dish with a splash of broth. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20-25 minutes. To make the skin crispy again, remove the foil for the last 5 minutes.
❓ Recipe FAQs
For a 5-pound chicken, it would take about an hour and a half, with the temperature being increased after 45 minutes. It’s always best to make sure your chicken is fully cooked with a meat thermometer!
If you don’t have a handy pair of poultry shears to spatchcock your chicken, don’t worry! You can still spatchcock your chicken using a serrated knife.
Some great options for wood or pellets for smoking your chicken are hickory, pecan, apple, maple, oak, or cherry! Mesquite has a bold flavor, but some people love mesquite smoked chicken!
Yes! You most certainly can, and this will result in an insanely delicious, smoky chicken that everyone will rave about. The skin, however, will not be so rave-worthy.
This shortened cooking method is to preserve the best of both - get a great-tasting smoked chicken (the spatchcock cut allows the smoke to really permeate the chicken meat) AND crispy chicken skin! The high heat finish helps to crisp your chicken skin up, rather than getting rubbery results.
>>>See All Of My Tasty Recipes Here!<<<
🐔 Best Chicken Recipes
- Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Marry Me Chicken
- Chicken Marsala
- Baked Chicken Wings
- Mushroom Swiss Chicken
- Fried Chicken
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📖 Recipe Card
Smoked Spatchcock Chicken
Ingredients
- 5 lb whole chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
- 2 tablespoon BBQ chicken rub (approximately ½ a batch- *see note)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Prep The Spatchcock Chicken
- Preheat your smoker to 225°F (105°C).
- Rinse the 5 lb whole chicken with cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Keep paper towels on hand to pat the chicken dry throughout the trimming process. Remove the giblets from the chicken (I actually had to trim the necks from my two fryer chickens).
- Next, flip the chicken breast-side-down and cut along each side of the back bone with poultry sheers to remove it.
- Flip the chicken back over so that it is breast-side-up and push down firmly on the breast with the palm of your hand. Press firmly enough that you break the breast bone so the chicken can lay flat on the smoker grill. Using your fingers, gently go underneath the skin to separate it from the breast meat.
- Pat your chicken dry a final time (removing as much moisture as possible for extra crispy skin). Then coat the chicken in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Use your fingers or a basting brush to get both sides of the bird as well as up under the skin and on the breast meat.
- Season the chicken generously with 2 tablespoon BBQ chicken rub in all the same places that you coated the chicken with extra virgin olive oil.
Smoke The Chicken
- Lay your spatchcock chicken directly on the rack of your preheated smoker with the breast facing up and smoke for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, crank the temperature up to 425°F (220°C) and continue smoking the chicken until the internal temperature reads 165°F (74°C), about another 45 minutes.
- Remove your chicken from the smoker and cover it loosely with foil. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use a ½ batch of my BBQ chicken rub per each 4-5 pound chicken. You can use more, to taste.
- To make this recipe keto, omit the sugar from the chicken rub.
- Alternatively, you can finish the chicken in the oven for the best crispiest skin. Smoke for 1 hour at 225°F (105°C) then transfer into your preheated oven and finish at 450°F (232°C) for 30 minutes or until fully cooked.
- If you want to pull the chicken meat off the bone for things like salads or sandwiches, it is easiest to do while the chicken is still warm.
- To store: Leftover spatchcock chicken can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for 3-4 days.
- To freeze: If you'd like to freeze your chicken, it is easiest to shred it. Place the shredded meat in a heavy-duty freezer bag and squeeze out as much of the air as possible. Keep it frozen for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Place leftovers in a baking dish with a splash of broth. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20-25 minutes. To re-crisp the skin, remove the foil for the last 5 minutes.
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