When you have a big Traeger why smoke one chicken when you can do 2? On Sunday I decided to smoke 2 whole chickens to provide a base for meals all week. Not only is the smoked chicken excellent by itself but it works great in all kinds of dishes. Plus I use the bones to make chicken stock. With soup season coming up in Minnesota, you can never have enough stock!
I normally cook whole chickens on the Traeger at 350 degrees for about an hour but this time I decided to try smoking them. Cook at 225 degrees for 2 1/2 – 3 hours to add more flavor.
Start with a couple nice chickens – 4-5 pounds each. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Now I like to add Famous Dave’s Chikn’ Wing Seasoning. This stuff is seriously good! Do yourself a favor and pick some up for all your chicken. Now get the grill temp set at 225 degrees and start smoking!
2 Hours in and things are coming together. Once the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees, pull it off the grill. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. I like to cut all the meat off the bones and store it the fridge until ready to use. Be sure to save the carcass to make some stock. Check back later to see what we did with this chicken. Cheers!