Crispy Smoked Chicken Thighs Recipe (reverse sear)
Smoked Chicken Thighs - delicious smoked chicken thigh recipe that is juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside! Optional brine and dry rub!
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Prep: Turn smoker to 225℉. Pat 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs dry with a clean paper towel.
- Dry Rub: In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger. Mix to combine.
- Season Chicken: Season the chicken thighs generously with the smoked chicken dry rub (note: you can season with kosher salt and ground black pepper instead of the dry rub, if you prefer).
- Smoked Chicken: Place chicken on smoker (directly on grill grates) and close the lid. Let chicken cook for approximately 50-70 minutes or until chicken reaches 165℉ at the thickest part. Remove chicken from smoker and let rest 5-10 minutes.
- Searing: Turn your gas grill on high heat when your chicken almost reaches an internal temperature of 160℉. Once your chicken reaches 160℉ remove it from the smoker and sear it for 1-2 minutes per side on your gas grill.
- Rest + Serve: Let chicken thighs rest 5-10 minutes before cutting. Through the sear and the rest time the internal temp will reach 165℉.
Notes
- Optional brine: you can brine your chicken first, see your recipe for smoked chicken brine.
- Searing: the searing is totally optional, but that is how you can ensure the outside of your chicken isn't rubbery and is, instead, crispy and delicious.
- Cook Time: how long it ultimately takes to smoke meat has so many variables at play (like wind, air temp, humidity, hot spots, thickness of chicken, etc.). These took an hour for me, but I provided a range to account for these other variables impacting your cook time.
- Best type of wood chips: really any kind will work, but I tend to rotate between maple, hickory, apple or cherry wood.
- Make it spicy: feel free to add some cayenne pepper to the dry rub if you want more of a spice.
- Internal temp: use a thermometer probe or meat thermometer to track the internal temp.
- BBQ Sauce: if you want to add on a bbq sauce simply brush on your favorite bbq sauce towards the last 10 minutes of cooking and turn up the heat all the way so the sauce gets tacky and almost forms a glaze.
Nutrition
Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 1276mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 458IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg
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