Cooking Chicken
What Cuts of Chicken Can You Smoke or Grill?
A whole chicken is usually divided into four pieces: breast, wings, thigh, and legs. Every part of the chicken is ideal for grilling or smoking. We recommend smoking a whole, bone-in, skin-on chicken for added flavor and moisture.
How to Spatchcock a Whole Chicken
Spatchcocking a chicken is easier than it sounds and is a great way to speed up the cooking process. You’ll want to have some shears to slice out the backbone, but a large knife will work if you don’t have kitchen shears.
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Top Chicken Recipes
Many Traeger users start with chicken, and for good reason -- it’s fast, easy, and tastes great! Here are a few of our favorite chicken recipes including from easy, early grilling recipes to more advanced flavor combinations.
Smoked Pulled Chicken
Pulled chicken (aka shredded chicken) is as versatile as pulled pork, maybe even more so. Toss smoked pulled chicken with your favorite Traeger BBQ sauce and serve it with slaw for a classic sandwich. Or use it to make chicken salad, tacos, chili, nachos, burritos, and more. A stand mixer makes the shredding quick and easy.
How to Season Chicken
Chicken is a versatile meat that can handle almost any flavor you throw at it. Whether you’re looking for spicy Nashville-style heat, classic barbecue, or curry flavors, chicken can take those flavors without having to worry too much about the natural flavor of the meat clashing with its seasonings.
How to Season Chicken
Chicken is a versatile meat that can handle almost any flavor you throw at it. Whether you’re looking for spicy Nashville-style heat, classic barbecue, or curry flavors, chicken can take those flavors without having to worry too much about the natural flavor of the meat clashing with its seasonings.
How to Cook a Whole Chicken
Smoking a whole chicken is one of the first things new Traeger customers do on their grill. Here are a few of our top tips for getting the perfect chicken on your Traeger.
How to Choose a Chicken
Ensuring your chicken is healthy and fresh makes all the difference in your meal. Look for a chicken whose skin appears white and milky and doesn’t have many blood spots. These are the signs of healthy, well-fed chickens who didn’t endure too much stress in life. Chickens that appear gray or have a lot of blood spots will likely have unpleasantly tough or spongy meat.
How to Prepare a Chicken for Cooking
One of the reasons we like cooking chicken is that it doesn’t take a lot of prep time. When you’re cooking a whole chicken, the main steps are to pat the bird dry (don’t rinse it as that can spread germs throughout your kitchen), apply your seasoning of choice, and cook it to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
How Long to Smoke or Grill a Chicken
Cooking a chicken should take about an hour at 375 degrees, but it can vary depending on the size of the chicken, the outside temperature, and more. You should ensure that your chicken cooks to at least 165 degrees in its thickest part. Ideally, breast meat will be cooked to exactly 165 degrees as it dries out quickly when cooked to a higher temperature.
Video: How to Cook Whole Chicken
Do you learn better from watching the experts? Check out our video where pitmaster Matt Pittman walks us through every step of cooking a whole chicken on a Traeger.
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Side Dishes for Chicken
The perfect chicken deserves the perfect sides. Here are a few of our favorite things to serve with a chicken grilled on a Traeger.
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