Marinated Smoked Chicken Thighs on the Traeger

Name: Marinated Smoked Chicken Thighs on the Traeger
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 100 min
Ingredients: 5-7 Chicken thighs (Boneless, skinless); 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; 2 teaspoons Cornstarch; 1 teaspoon Water

4.56 from 27 votes

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.

A serving plate filled with juicy marinated smoked chicken thighs. Copped parsley is sprinkled on top of the chicken and a sliced chicken thigh is on the cutting board next to the plate of chicken.

Remember how we used our Traeger as our oven pretty much all of last summer 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:

Chicken Thighs
Honey
Soy Sauce
All Spice
Cayenne
Cinnamon
Ginger
Yellow Onion
Garlic
Dark Brown Sugar
Corn Syrup
Water
BBQ Rub

A plate with marinated, smoked chicken thighs. A brush dripping with marinade is next to the chicken and a bowl of marinade is in the background.

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 ziplock 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.

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.

A large dish with chicken thighs marinating in a dark brown sauce.

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.

A serving plate filled with marinated, smoked chicken thighs. There is juicy marinade on the plate and the thighs are sprinkled with fresh green herbs.

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.

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 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.

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.

How Long Will Smoked Chicken Keep?

Smoked chicken will keep for 7 days in the refrigerator.

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.

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 sides! 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 BBQing menu! They are so quick and easy too…just 40 minutes in the smoker and they’re ready to go!

More Smoked Recipes You’ll Love:

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Posted by: Sweet Basil on July 26, 2020

Filed under: 4th Of July, Chicken, Dinner, Fathers Day, Football Food, Grilled, Recipes, Smoker, Summer

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Comments

Jeremy
June 18, 2023

Reply
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
  
  June 19, 2023
  
  Reply
  Thank you so much Jeremy!
bob
January 23, 2022

Reply
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
  
  January 24, 2022
  
  Reply
  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
June 10, 2021

Reply
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
  
  June 10, 2021
  
  Reply
  Hi Bruce! That sounds so delicious! Thank you so much for the feedback!
dbstuff
January 7, 2021

Reply
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
  
  January 7, 2021
  
  Reply
  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
  
  March 28, 2021
  
  Reply
  What a nasty person you seem to be.
- Mae
  
  November 30, 2021
  
  Reply
  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
    
    December 1, 2021
    
    Thanks for the support Mae!
- Fish
  
  January 4, 2023
  
  Reply
  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
    
    January 7, 2023
    
    Thank you so much! We would love to hear what you think!