Traeger Grilled Chicken Recipe - Traeger Chicken Challenge Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take a chicken to cook on the Traeger? ›

Place the whole chicken in your Traeger and cook at it at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-60 minutes. This low and slow start will let the smoke flavor penetrate the bird.

WHY ARE TRAEGER PELLET GRILLS SO EXPENSIVE? All Traeger's feature patented craftsmanship, premium materials, and industry-leading technology. All of our grills go through a vigorous testing process by our team of engineers.

Yes, anything you can cook on a gas grill, you can cook on a Traeger wood pellet grill. Plus, Traeger grills let you grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, & BBQ on one grill so you actually have even greater versatility, and they infuse your food with delicious wood-fired flavor.

First and foremost, smoke your chicken at higher temperatures. The ideal temperature to cook your chicken should be around 275 °F – 320 °F (135 °C – 160 °C). As you start to decrease temperature beyond this threshold, the skin will become rubbery.

Smoker temps for smoked chicken

Cook your chicken at 225–250°F (107–121°C) for an hour to imbue the meat with smoky goodness. The slow smoking not only gives us flavor, but it also cooks the meat quite gently for that first hour. Once that's done, though, it's time to crank up the heat.

In an attempt to prepare a perfectly smoked whole chicken, shoot for temperatures between 225 degrees Fahrenheit to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Some methods (including the Brisk It Grills smoked chicken recipe) start lower (225 or 250 degrees) and later raise the temperature to finish the bird and crisp the skin.

1. Preheat your pellet grill to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 2. Place the chicken breasts on the grill and cook for about 8 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

Drizzle the chicken with olive oil then season well with Sweet Rub. Grill. Place the seasoned chicken on the grates of the pellet grill, and cook for 15 minutes. Flip, and continue cooking until the temperature reaches 150 degrees F.

Researchers say there is a possibility the smoke from pellets could contain PAHs. Hardwoods, which Traeger uses for its pellets, tend to burn cleanly. But "if nobody's analyzed the smoke, it's all guesswork," says Michael Pariza, a scientist at the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

What is the life expectancy of a Traeger? ›

The life expectancy of a Traeger grill is between five to 10 years if you're cleaning and caring for it as recommended. That said, Traeger offers warranties for its grills. All grills made before October 2021 have a three-year warranty. Otherwise, flat-top grills have a five-year limited warranty.

Traeger manufactured the grills in the company's Oregon facilities until 2010, but started outsourcing manufacturing in China. In 2013, 240 people worked for Traeger with 120 in its headquarters in Oregon.

Con: You can't use them everywhere.

Pellet grills, on the other hand, generally need an outlet to function, so they're not portable. Moving them a lot may cause damage to electrical parts, and they tend to be heavy. It's also worth noting that, because they use electricity, they're not meant for wet-weather use.

Traeger Grills are protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical. In other words, a grill can function in the rain, but don't place a grill over a sprinkler or leave the lid open when raining. You may experience the following when grilling in rainy weather: Slower ignition times from humidity.

Traeger, however, earns a slight edge in temperature control with smaller increment settings and more precise heat management for the duration of cooks. There's also the matter of Wi-Fi compatibility with phone apps and other smart devices for mobile grill control, which Traeger features and Pit Boss doesn't.

Using an approximately 4lb whole chicken (fully thawed and cavity empty) and smoking at 225 degrees F. it will take approximately 3.5 – 4.5 hours to smoked a whole chicken. That being said the best way to track when your bird is done is to keep track of the internal temp.

Smoke for 1 hour at 225°F. Increase the heat on your grill to 375°F and continue roasting approximately 30-60 minutes, or until the white and dark meat reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to rest for 15–20 minutes.

Plan on about an hour per pound for smoked whole chicken at 250°F. Cooking time may have a lot of wiggle room for larger chickens, so be sure to monitor the internal temperature and use that as a guide. Once a probe thermometer reads 160-163°F, it's ready!

Smoking is always about internal temperature and not time, but a 4 to 6-pound chicken will cook in about 1 to 1 1/2 hours on a smoker, maintaining an even heat of 325 to 350 degrees F.