We have smoked chicken breasts, a whole chicken and chicken wings so it was high time we share our smoked chicken thighs recipe. Chicken thighs have the best flavor and we are ramping that flavor up in the Traeger!
We start with a sweet smoky marinade and allow the chicken thighs to soak in all that tasty flavor. Then we smoke them on the Traeger. Serve them with an elote corn and some mac & cheese, and you have the perfect summer meal!
Remember how we used our Traeger as our oven a few summers ago while our kitchen was being remodeled? We love our Traeger so much! Not only does it make delicious food (practically on its own), but it also saved us last summer and is a great way to avoid turning on the oven when it’s scorching hot outside!
What Ingredients are Needed for Smoked Chicken Thighs?
Grab your chicken thighs and all the rest of these ingredients for the best smoked chicken thighs:
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Honey
- Soy Sauce
- All Spice
- Cayenne Pepper
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Corn Syrup
- Water
- BBQ Spice Rub
If you are a sauce lover, like I am, you can dip this chicken in some homemade bbq sauce…store-bought or whatever your favorite barbecue sauce is! The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
How to Make Smoked Chicken Thighs
The first step in making these smoked thighs is to decide if you are going to smoke the meat in a pan in the smoker (this is the way I prefer to do it) or directly on the grill. If you want to cook them directly on the grill, save about a third of the marinade to use later.
The next step is to make the marinade. We like to pour everything directly into the ziploc bag that we are going to marinate the chicken in…less clean up! Put all the ingredients into the bag and then squish everything together to combine.
NOTE: If you’re grilling directly on the grill, reserve a third of the marinade for later now before adding the chicken.
Add the chicken to the bag and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 1-12 hours.
When you’re ready to start smoking, place all the chicken thighs and marinade into your pan.
Now it’s time to get that Traeger going! Heat it to 225 degrees Fahrenheit and let it come to temperature for 10 minutes. Place your pan of chicken into the smoker and close the lid.
Let it smoke for 10 minutes and then turn the heat up to 400 and cook for 15 more minutes.
Then flip the chicken over and let it cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees (10-15 more minutes).
Pull out the chicken thighs to a cutting board, tent it with foil, and let it rest. This is key to having the juiciest chicken!
Pour the leftover marinade into a pan and heat it to a boil on the stove top. In a separate dish, whisk together the water and cornstarch, and then add it to the marinade. This will thicken the marinade slightly and make if perfect to brush on top of the chicken before serving.
How Long to Smoke Chicken Thighs?
For this recipe, it should take about 40 minutes for your chicken thighs to come to a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees. It may take a little longer depending on the thickness of your chicken thighs and the consistency of the heat in your smoker.
Do You Flip Chicken Thighs When Smoking?
Yes, whether you’re grilling or smoking the thighs, they should be flipped once. No need to flip more than once though!
Why Choose Chicken Thighs?
Chicken thighs are very affordable and in my opinion, have the best flavor. They also tend to stay more moist and tender than a chicken breast might. Chicken breasts are more lean though, so if you are watching fat and calories, go with chicken breasts. We have a great smoked chicken breast recipe that you will love!
What Type of Wood is Best to Use for Smoking Chicken?
This is really up to personal preference, but we prefer either apple or a combination of apple and hickory. Cherry or oak pellets are also great options!
Do You Need To Brine Chicken Before Smoking?
You do not have to brine chicken before smoking it.
Brine does enhance the flavor of meats, but we prefer marinating for this recipe.
Can I Use Bone-In Chicken Thighs?
Yes, you can use bone-in chicken if you want. You will just need to increase the time on the smoker to get it to temperature.
How Long Will Smoked Chicken Keep?
Smoked chicken will keep for 7 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Does Smoked Chicken Have To Be Refrigerated?
Smoked chicken should be refrigerated within 2 hours of being removed from the smoker.
Can You Freeze Smoked Chicken?
Smoked chicken can be frozen for 3-6 months in an airtight container. If you have a Food Saver, that’s an even better option for freezing chicken!
How to Reheat Leftovers
Chicken can be a little tricky to reheat because it can dry out quickly and the flavor can change. I’ve found that the best way to reheat chicken thighs is in the oven. Place the leftovers in a a shallow baking dish add a little water or chicken broth and cover with foil. Place in the oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees and let it warm up until heated through. It will take about 10-15 minutes.
These leftovers are great in sandwiches or chopped up in a salad!
What to Eat with Smoked Chicken Thighs?
These are perfect for feeding a crowd at a gathering with friends or family. With any good smoked chicken dish, you need some classic BBQ side dishes! Here are a few of our favorites:
And just for good measure, you should make a batch of our Biscoff homemade ice cream for dessert!
Smoked chicken thighs in a sweet smoky marinade needs to be next up on your summer BBQ menu! They taste amazing and are so quick and easy too…just 40 minutes in the smoker and they’re ready to go!
More Smoked Recipes You’ll Love:
- Smoked Whole Chicken
- Traeger Smoked Ribs
- Glazed Smoked Chicken Wings
- Smoked Brisket
- Dry Rub Smoked Chicken Wings
- Smoked Chicken Breast
- Pulled Pork
- Turkey
- Tri Tip
Marinated Smoked Chicken Thighs on the Traeger
Description
Equipment
- ThermoPro Digital Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
- 5-7 Chicken thighs, Boneless, skinless
Marinade
- 1/4 Cup Honey
- 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon All Spice
- 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, ground
- 1/2 Onion, yellow, minced
- 5 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, or up to 2/3 Cup (See Note)
- 1 Tablespoon BBQ Rub
Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Water
Instructions
- Before beginning, decide if you’d like to smoke the thighs directly on the smoker or in a pan, (which is how I choose to do it). If directly on the grill, you’ll need to save some of the marinade for serving.
- In a large ziplock bag, add the marinade ingredients. Seal the bag and squish to combine the ingredients.1/4 Cup Honey, 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce, 1/8 teaspoon All Spice, 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Ginger, 1/2 Onion, 5 Cloves Garlic, 1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, 1 Tablespoon BBQ Rub
- Open the bag and carefully drop in the chicken.5-7 Chicken thighs
- Allow to marinate in the fridge for 1-12 hours.
- Heat the smoker to 225 for 10 minutes.
- Pour the chicken and marinade into a disposable metal pan and close the lid. Smoke the chicken for 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat to 400 and cook for 15 minutes longer.
- Flip the chicken over and cook for 10-15 minutes more or until 165 degrees.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and tent with foil.
- Pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan and heat to a boil. If you smoked the chicken directly on the grill grates, use the marinade that you reserved for the next steps.
- In a small dish stir the water and cornstarch together, then whisk together with the marinade and cook until slightly thickened.2 teaspoons Cornstarch, 1 teaspoon Water
- Remove from the heat and serve with the chicken immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
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Lisa
Wondering how I should heat these if I smoke them the day before and serve them after church on Sunday? Sounds like a delicious recipe!
Sweet Basil
Hi Lisa! Great question! I’ve found that the best way to reheat smoked chicken thighs is in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the thighs in a baking dish in a single layer and add a few tablespoons of water or chicken broth to the bottom of the dish. Cover the dish with 2 layers of foil and warm them up until the internal temperature of 165 degrees. It shouldn’t take too long since they are already cooked. I’d start checking the temp at about 10 minutes.
Jeremy
Excellent marinade chicken thighs had excellent flavor and more importantly were very juicy. I did do one thing different. I cooked them low and slow 180 until they reached 150. Then I put them on my gas grill at 500 degrees until they reached 160 and let them rest for ten minutes.
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much Jeremy!
bob
So at what point do you take them out of the pan from smoking, and place them on the grill? I don’t see that in the recipe. It only mentions “flip the chicken”. I am assuming thats after its been on the grill?
Sweet Basil
Hey Bob! You can choose to smoke them in a pan or directly on the grill. Either way you do it, you’ll flip the chicken part way through the cooking time (either in the pan or on the grill). I hope this helps!
Bruce Erickson
I was using the recipe from Hawaii for SHOYU CHICKEN until I found yours MUCH BETTER. I use COCO AMINOS in place of the Soy Sauce to make it low salt plus I add 2 Tablespoons of fresh lime juice to the marinade which perks it up a bit.
Sweet Basil
Hi Bruce! That sounds so delicious! Thank you so much for the feedback!
dbstuff
So not only does this recipe not specify which ingredients are for the Marinade without reading the asinine novel that every boilerplate internet recipe needs to have these days (I mean I’m not dumb. I can tell. But plenty of people are that dumb), but this author also purports that you SMOKE SOMETHING WHILE ITS SUBMERGED IN A LIQUID.
I pretty much just grabbed this recipe for the ingredient list (Which is perfectly fine), but man this recipe smacks of a lack of editing.
Sweet Basil
Hello! Thank you for the feedback. I have clarified the ingredients list to make it more clear which ingredients are for the marinade. We do provide a “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of every post so you can skip past the post if that is not the way you prefer to learn a recipe. There are also instructions for smoking these on the grill or in a pan so are free to choose it either way. We have found smoking them in the pan keep them extra juicy and soaks in that smoky flavor. It also make a delicious smoky sauce to go on top!
Justin
What a nasty person you seem to be.
John Ball
Agreed. Who spends time blasting someone like this? I think we all know someone needs a hug.
Sweet Basil
Thanks for the support John!
Mae
The marinade will take on the smoke flavor, therefore adding smoky flavor to the chicken that it is cooking in. The same principle applies if you add a pan of baked beans on the smoker. The liquid absorbs the smoke and adds an extra dimension of flavor.
dbstuff, there is a real human on the other side of your screen who reads your harsh comment. If you need to critique, please be kind.
Sweet Basil
Thanks for the support Mae!
Fish
Wow what a sad life dbstuff must have criticizing free Internet content. I look forward to making this recipe soon. Thank you for taking the time to post!
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much! We would love to hear what you think!