The Easy Go-To

I’d been down for a while fighting bronchitis, and hadn’t smoked in two weeks. Even though it was cold, in the 20s, I decided I needed to smoke something — this was shortly before I traveled to Las Vegas for a vendor conference during Valentine’s Day week. Chicken thighs have become my go-to easy smoke lately. The price is right — only $6 for 10 thighs.

I seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and oregano.

The Process

I used cherry wood and smoked for approximately 2 hours at 275°F.

When smoking at a low temp, it’s essential to crisp up the chicken at the end. I accomplish this on the propane grill for about 5 minutes — the same finish I still use on skin-on chicken today.

The Result

Nothing complicated about these, but that’s the point. Chicken thighs are inexpensive, forgiving on the smoker, and the quick propane-grill finish takes care of the skin. This became one of my easy go-to smokes when I wanted something good without making a project out of it.

For more marinade-based approaches, see The Tequila-Lime Chicken Marinade, Smoked Margarita Chicken, and Teriyaki Smoked Chicken.

For the full story behind this method — including the marinade experiments, the sous-vide tests, and why the grill finish stuck — see The Complete Guide to Smoked Chicken.