Traeger Chile Lime Chicken - Easy Wood-Fired Grill Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long to cook chicken on pellet grill at 225? ›

Place the thermometer probe into the thickest part of your chicken breast, and position it at the center of your pellet grill. Smoke your chicken breast at 225°F until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. This should take about 1 hour.

Rub with the minced garlic and Traeger Big Game Rub. Next, stuff the cavity with the lemon, onion, garlic and thyme. Tie the legs together. Place chicken directly on the grill grate and smoke for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until an instant-read thermometer reads 160℉ when inserted into the thickest part of the breast.

Just set your grill to Low Smoke, then placing the frozen chicken directly on the grate. After about 30 minutes, the surface area is wet enough for seasoning. Let it smoke and thaw for another 30 minutes and then continue to cook as you normally would.

Smoker temps for smoked chicken

Cook your chicken at 225–250°F (107–121°C) for an hour to imbue the meat with smoky goodness. The slow smoking not only gives us flavor, but it also cooks the meat quite gently for that first hour. Once that's done, though, it's time to crank up the heat.

In an attempt to prepare a perfectly smoked whole chicken, shoot for temperatures between 225 degrees Fahrenheit to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Some methods (including the Brisk It Grills smoked chicken recipe) start lower (225 or 250 degrees) and later raise the temperature to finish the bird and crisp the skin.

Smoke at 225 °F for 1 hour. Then increase the temperature to 350 °F to crisp up the skin. Cook to 165 °F internal temperature.

When ready to cook, set the Traeger temperature to 375°F and preheat with the lid closed for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the brine; do not rinse. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Spread the butter mixture all over the outside of the chicken.

Smoke for 1 hour at 225°F. Increase the heat on your grill to 375°F and continue roasting approximately 30-60 minutes, or until the white and dark meat reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to rest for 15–20 minutes.

Technically, you don't need to turn chicken breast when smoking them, but I think it helps to cook them more evenly and prevent the one side from drying out more than the other.

How long to grill chicken on wood pellet grill? ›

Many grillers brine their chicken to keep it juicy during the smoking process, but I prefer the texture of a chicken breast that isn't brined. If you use a good meat thermometer and cook to the correct temperature then your chicken will turn out juicy and full of flavor without needing to brine it first.

Brining the chicken thighs before smoking them helps to keep the texture tender and juicy.

How Do You Keep Chicken Breasts Moist When Smoking? The key to juicy chicken breasts when you're smoking instead of grilling is the temperature you use. The chicken breast meat will get a rubbery texture on the outside if cooked lower than 250, which is why I like to smoke at 275 for breasts.

Using an approximately 4lb whole chicken (fully thawed and cavity empty) and smoking at 225 degrees F. it will take approximately 3.5 – 4.5 hours to smoked a whole chicken. That being said the best way to track when your bird is done is to keep track of the internal temp.

Place the whole chicken in your Traeger and cook at it at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-60 minutes. This low and slow start will let the smoke flavor penetrate the bird.

Smoke chicken for 30-40 minutes at 225F to maximize the smoke infusion. Raise the temperature to 275F and cook for another 80-90 minutes—or until breast meat near bone registers 160-165°F and thigh meat registers 180°F, about 2 hours total depending on size.

Smoking chicken thighs at 225 degrees F. will take about 1 ½ - 2 hours. I like to start by smoking the chicken low and slow until they are 10-15 degrees away from being fully cooked, then I crank up the heat to crisp the skin.