Try these great Pit Boss smoker chicken recipes for some great dinner and BBQ starters options for your pellet grill.

Chicken is one of the best meats to smoke on your pellet grill – it’s inexpensive, takes on smoke flavour well and can feed quite a few people at once. You can even smoke 2-3 chickens at once if you plenty of people to feed.

10 Great Pit Boss Smoker Chicken Recipes

How Long to Smoke a Chicken on a Pit Boss Pellet Grill?

If you smoke the chicken at 225F or 107C it will take around 3-4 hours on a Pit Boss pellet grill aiming for a target internal temperature of of 165F or 74C. If you smoke at the slightly higher temperature of 250F or 121C it will take 2-3 hours.

Smoking a whole chicken in 2 stages in your Pit Boss grill is a great option too. Smoke it for an hour at 250F or 121C and then turn up the heat to 300F or 149C for another hour – so 2 hours altogether. This also helps crisp up the skin.

How Do You Cook Chicken on a Pit Boss Smoker?

• Preheat your Pit Boss smoker to 250F or 121C using apple, cherry or hickory wood pellets
• Dust your whole chicken all over with your favourite BBQ rub and place in your Pit Boss then close the lid
• Smoke the chicken for around 2-3 hours until the internal temperature registers 165F or 74C in the thickest part of the breast meat – spry with apple cider vinegar every 45 minutes or so to stop it drying out
• Rest for 10 minutes and then slice and serve!

How Long Does it take to Smoke Chicken Thighs on a Pit Boss Smoker?

Assuming you are smoking at a temperature of 225F or 107C it will take around 1 1/2 to 2 hours to smoke chicken thighs on a Pit Boss smoker. Your internal target temperature is 165F or 74C in the thickest part of the thigh away from the bone.

If you smoke the chicken thighs at the higher temperature of 275F or 135C it will take closer to 1 hour.

1 Pit Boss Whole Chicken Recipe

This great recipe comes directly from Pit Boss grills themselves. If you have never spatchcocked a whole chicken before it involves cutting along both sides of the spine and then at its base with a shapr pair of kitchen scissors.

Removing the spine of the bird allows you to push down on the chicken and open it out which allows the bird to cook evenly and take on smoke flavour evenly too.

You have a few options for what wood to smoke over (hickory, cherry, apple etc) but Pit Boss recommend their Pit Boss Apple Blend Pellets which are definitely high quality and a great choice.

Method

• Spatchcock the chicken by removing the spine
• Dust the chicken with your favourite BBQ rub (e.g. Pit Boss Maple Chipotle Rub) – you can use mayo as a binder (this also helps to baste the bird) if you like
• Fill the hopper of your Pit Boss grill with apple or hickory pellets and preheat to 400F or 204C
• Place the spatchcocked chicken breast side up into your smoker and close the lid
• Cook until the internal temperature of the chicken registers 165F or 107C(around 40-50 minutes) – turning the chicken over every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooking. At this high temperature the skin will crisp up nicely
• Rest for around 10 minutes and then slice and serve

2 Pit Boss Smoked Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs are juicier than chicken breasts and less likely to dry out during the smoking process. Try this straightforward but delicious smoked chicken thighs recipe on your Pit Boss:

• Take the chicken thighs out of the fridge around 45 minutes before smoking
• Pat dry with kitchen paper and liberally cover in your favourite BBQ poultry dry rub (or make the homemade one below) – optionally use a little mustard or honey as a binder for the rub to stick to
• Preheat your Pit Boss grill to 250F or 121C – add wood pellets of choice (e.g. Pit Boss Hickory Blend Pellets) use the smoke setting (S)
• Place the thighs in the smoker with the lid closed for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the internal temperature of the meat is 165F or 74C
• Brush with your favourite BBQ sauce during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking if desired or serve with sauce on the side

Homemade Poultry Rub

Combine the following ingredients in a bowl and mix together with a fork.

• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chilli powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons onion powder

3 Pit Boss Recipes for Beginners – Honey Chipotle Wings

Smoked chicken wings are an awesome appetizer and especially suited to beginners because of the short smoke time of 1-2 hours. This Pit Boss chicken recipe is even quicker when done at high heat and only

The delicious honey chipotle marinade is easy to make but delivers big in terms of taste.

Ingredients For Marinade

• 2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/4 cup of Brown Sugar
• 2 1/2 Lbs of Chicken Wings
• 1/4 cup of Honey
• 1/2 cup of Ketchup
• 2 tablespoons of your favourite BBQ rub or Pit Boss Sweet Rib Rub
• 2 Tsps of Worcestershire Sauce

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the chicken wings to the marinade and place in the fridge overnight for up to 12 hours (1-2 hours at least)

Honey Chipotle Wings Method

• Preheat your Pit Boss smoker to 350F or 177C, adding your wood pellets of choice (hickory, apple or cherry are great here)
• Place the wings on the grills for around 5 minutes a side until they reach 165F or 74C internal temp (make sure you take a reading away from the bone or it will be inaccurate) – alternatively use a wing rack and rotate 180° after around 5 minutes to cook for another 5 minutes in your Pit Boss smoker
• Serve the Honey Chipotle wings as a killer appetizer or side dish

4 Pit Boss Beer Can Chicken

This is a great recipe to try out on your Pit Boss smoker and it’s really straightforward to do.

Place a whole chicken on top of a half beer can and dust liberally with your favourite poultry rub. Place the whole chicken inside your Pit Boss grill at 225F 107C for 2-3 hours over your choice of wood (hickory, apple, or cherry are all good here).

Spritz the chicken with apple cider vinegar every 45 minutes or so to keep it moist.

You also have the option of wrapping it in bacon which we did in the Instagram video below.

5 Whole Chicken on Pit Boss Vertical Smoker

A Pit Boss vertical smoker works a little differently to a Pit Boss wood pellet grill, but it is at least as effective at smoking. A Pit Boss vertical smoker allows the smoke to circulate evenly around the food because it has your food sitting directly above smoking wood chips.

It may well suit your purposes if you want to just smoke at low and slow temperatures however it won’t allow for grilling at high heat like your pellet grill will.

This great video shows you how to smoke a spatchcock chicken in a Pit Boss vertical smoker step by step.

6 Pit Boss Smoker Chicken Recipes – Chicken Breast Jamaican Jerk Style

This is one of our favourite Pit Boss Smoker chicken recipes and it requires a simple but delicious marinade of 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, half a finely sliced onion, a finely chopped Scotch Bonnet chilli, Caribbean BBQ rub, the juice of 1 lime and 2 tablespoons of Levi Roots Reggae Reggae BBQ Sauce.

Smoke your chicken breast in your Pit Boss smoker at 225F or 107C for around 1-2 hours until the internal temperature reaches a65F or 107C. Serve with rice and leftover marinade brought to a boil in a pan or smoked along with the chicken in the smoker at the same time.

While this smoker recipe for chicken breast was done in our Weber Go Anywhere it will work in your Pit Boss at least as well if not better. Sometimes a transportable charcoal grill is just what you need! Check the Instagram video below.

7 Smoked Chicken Quarters with Bourbon Glaze

Chicken quarters are a great cut of meat to smoke on your Pit Boss pellet grill.

Smoke the chicken quarters at 275F or 135C in your Pit Boss smoker until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F or 74C. It will take 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours to smoke the chicken quarters depending on the size.

Brush the chicken with the glaze for the last 5-10 minutes of the cook and keep some of the glaze to serve on the side with your chicken.

Bourbon Glaze For Smoked Chicken

Bring the following ingredients to a boil in a pan and then reduce to a simmer for a delicious Bourbon glaze for your smoked chicken quarters.

• 1 ½ cups your favourite bourbon
• ⅓ cup of brown sugar
• 1 cup of fig preserves
• 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon garlic (grated)
• 1 ½ Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Franks’ Red Hot Sauce
• ¼ cup cold butter (cubed into small pieces)
• salt (to taste)

8 Korean BBQ Smoked Chicken

If you are a fan of the delicious fiery and sweet flavours of Korean BBQ this is going to be one of the best Pit Boss smoker chicken recipes you could possibly try out.

Once you have made the simple but tasty Korean BBQ sauce you smoke a whole chicken in the usual way you would in your Pit Boss pellet smoker – slow and low at 225F or 107C brushing with glaze every hour or so for around 2-3 hours.

Korean BBQ Glaze

• 1/2 cup of soy sauce
• 1/3 cup of Korean chilli paste (Gochujang)
• 1/3 cup of honey
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons of minced ginger
• 1/3 cup of good quality mayonnaise

Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and then brush the chicken all over with glaze. Brush the whole chicken with the glaze every hour or so during the cook.

9 Smoked Chicken with Alabama White Sauce

If you haven’t tried Alabama BBQ White Sauce then you really should give it a go. Your Pit Boss grill makes smoking any meat easy because it is designed to smoke evenly and consistently, and this chicken recipe is no exception.

Preheat your Pit Boss grill to 225F or 107C , cover your chicken in your favourite BBQ rub, and smoke your whole chicken for around 2-3 hours. You can also increase the heat to 250F or 121C to make sure the smoke lasts closer to 2 hours aiming for an internal temperature of 165F or 74C.

Serve basted with Alabama White Sauce made from the ingredients below whisked together in a bowl:

• 3 cups of Mayonnaise
• 1 and 1/4 cups of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 tbsps of Prepared Horseradish
• 3 tbsps of Brown Sugar
• 2 and 1/2 tbsps of Dijon Mustard
• Juice of 1 Lemon 
• 2 and 1/2 tsps of Cayenne Powder
• 2 tsps of Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
• Salt to taste

10 Smoked Pulled BBQ Chicken on the Pit Boss Grills

Pulled pork is an absolute BBQ staple although a lot of people don’t consider how tasty pulled chicken can be. Use it in all the same ways you use pulled pork – in tacos, sandwiches with coleslaw, burritos or fajitas.

Smoke some boneless chicken thighs seasoned with your favourite BBQ dry rub at 275F or 135C in your Pit Boss pellet grill for around 1 1/2 hours then transfer to a tray with chicken stock and BBQ sauce and place back in the smoker for another hour or so until the chicken is fork tender (around 185F or 85C.

If you enjoyed this article or tried out any of the recipes let us know in the comments below or tag us on Instagram @bbqgrillshub.