Superbly Spiced Smoked Chicken
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Serves: Serves 4 per chicken
 
Weight Watchers Info: 3 PointsPlus for a 3-ounce serving of cooked boneless skinless white meat. 4 PointsPlus for a 4-ounce serving of cooked boneless skinless dark meat.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
  • 1 4 to 5 pound whole chicken
  • ¼ yellow onion
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • Wood chunks (hickory, pecan, or apple are my favorites–mesquite is too strong for a slow smoke on chicken)
  • Spice rub (see below)
Spice Rub Ingredients:*
  • ¼ cup paprika
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 heaping teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
  1. Begin fire for smoker.
  2. Remove giblets from chicken, dry skin.
  3. Gently separate skin from breasts.
  4. Rub chicken inside and out with spice rub, including under skin.
  5. Put onion, rosemary, thyme, and garlic inside chicken cavity.
  6. Put foil on wing tips to prevent burning or drying out.
  7. Place chicken on smoker grid
  8. Add wood chunks to fire box. Re-add every 45 minutes to an hour.
  9. Try to keep smoke chamber at about 225 degrees.
  10. If you keep the chamber at about 225 degrees, it should take about 30 minutes per pound, but it will be done when your meat thermometer shows about 165 degrees in the deepest part of the breast (near where it connects to the thigh).
  11. Take chicken off grill, tent in aluminum foil for about 10 minutes.
  12. Carve and eat!
Notes
Smoked chicken (or turkey) meat will look pink. If you have a good meat thermometer and you hit 165 degrees, it is done. It will be even more obvious that it is done as the drumsticks come easily out of the joints.
If you haven’t done a lot of smoked meats, or don’t have a smoker yet, check out my primer on smoking meats here.
*Spice Rub Source: Robin Koury’s Spice of Life Beer Can Chicken
*Spice Rub Yield: Enough for 3 chickens
*Spice Rub Weight Watchers Info: 0 PointsPlus per serving.
Recipe by The Taste Place at https://www.thetasteplace.com/superbly-spiced-smoked-chicken/