BBQ Pulled Chicken

Smoky, succulent, and crave-worthy. This wood-smoked pulled chicken so tender and saucy, you'll want to pile it high on everything from buns to nachos to salads. 4 ingredients and a 1 hour cook time in the smoker.

📝 Ingredients

• 3 to 4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs ((or any chicken pieces you prefer))
• kosher salt
• neutral oil ((such as canola or avocado oil))
• 1 cup BBQ sauce ((use 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup per pound of shredded chicken, or to taste))
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• made a little less than 1/4 cup

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Dry brine the chicken overnight to allow the salt to go all the way through and fully season the chicken. If you don't have time to dry brine overnight, season at least 1 hour before cooking.
2. 2Make the rub by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Pat the chicken dry and rub with a thin coat of neutral oil or mustard, then liberally apply the dry rub all over. Let the coated chicken sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking to allow it to take on the seasoning and come closer to room temp for more even cooking. Insert a remote probe thermometer into the thickest part of one of the thighs.
3. 3Set up your smoker for indirect heat cooking according to the manufacturer's instructions. Preheat the smoker to 275°-300°F (135°-149°C).Use a sweet fruitwood like apple or cherry, or use hickory or pecan pellets, wood chunks or chips for smoke.
4. 4Smoke the chicken. Place the chicken in the smoker. Smoke until the thighs reach 175°-180°F (79°-82°C) internal temperature. Start spot-checking with an instant-read thermometer around 45 minutes in, but expect 45 minutes to 1 hour total cook time depending on the smoker temp and the thickness of the chicken pieces. Bone-in thighs will take longer to cook.
5. 5Remove the chicken from the smoker and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes, covered, until cool enough to handle.
6. 6Shred/pull the chicken using two forks or tongs to pull it apart into shreds. For hands-off shredding, you can use paddle attachments on a stand mixer or hand mixer.
7. 7Mix the shredded chicken with your desired amount of BBQ sauce, approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup sauce per pound of pulled chicken. Tip: Warm sauce helps keep the pulled chicken hot.
8. 8Serve the saucy BBQ pulled chicken piled onto Hawaiian-style buns, topped with coleslaw and extra BBQ sauce on the side.