Smoked Chicken Thighs (without a smoker)
Treat yourself to juicy, BBQ, lightly smoked chicken thighs. No need for a smoker, wood chips or long cooking times. Just a simple wood plank to infuse the smoke flavor and make the grilling easy.
Don’t be intimidated by plank grilling – it’s surprisingly simple!
What to expect
Keep in mind that plank grilling will not give you the intense smoke flavor a smoker does since the smoke does not penetrate the protein as much. But…
- The mild smokiness still tastes undeniably yummy and the chicken looks so cool when served on a plank.
- The cooking process also takes way less time than a smoker – only about 25-30 minutes cook time in total.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
- Chicken: We’re using bone-in, skin on thighs for this recipe. I always prefer dark meat like thighs because it’s more forgiving, stays juicier and has a higher fat content, which makes it more flavorful.
- Dry rub: Smoked paprika, brown sugar, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon. It’s a delicious combination, but use your own if you have one.
- BBQ sauce – use your favorite sauce.
Substitutions
- Chicken: Instead of thighs, use bone-in chicken breasts or drumsticks. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly
- Dry Rub: Instead of the rub in the recipe, keep it simple with a sprinkle of salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika, or use our rub recipe in the recipe notes
- BBQ Sauce: Here’s a simple no-cook BBQ sauce recipe found in our sous vide baby back ribs post. Or try a different sauce/glaze like teriyaki or Thai sweet chili sauce (hot!).
Step by step instructions
Shortcuts
There are 3 great shortcuts for this smoked chicken thigh recipe.
- Buy kosher chicken which is already brined. It’s extra flavorful and juicy. This way you can skip brining the chicken yourself. Alternatively, skip the brining altogether.
- Use a good store-bought chicken rub instead of making one yourself. See instructions in the recipe notes.
- Buy a BBQ sauce and add a bit of water to thin it out for a glaze.
Best side dishes to go with the chicken
Grilled Side Dishes: I love that you can make these sides on the grill alongside the chicken. Especially when you don’t want to heat up the house. Also check out a list of delicious side dishes for grilled chicken and summer Sunday dinner ideas for other options.
- bread salad with charred snap peas
- grilled cabbage (slaw)
- grilled cauliflower
- sweet and tangy grilled eggplant recipe
Salads: Thai mango salad. peach salad with walnut dressing, or panzanella salad recipe with peaches
Plank Grilling Explained
What is plank grilling?
Plank grilling is cooking food directly on a soaked wood plank set on your grill, letting it absorb a subtle, smoky flavor.
How to plank grill (2 options)
- Pre-smoke method: Preheat both sides of the plank until it smokes, then add your food and cook through.
- My go-to: Place the food on the soaked plank, grill on high a few minutes until it starts to char, then switch to low or indirect heat to finish cooking. No need to flip the food with either method.
Choosing planks
- Use untreated, store-bought planks found at stores like Home Depot, Costco, Walmart, or any BBQ section.
- Match wood to your food: For smoked chicken, try hardwoods like cherry, maple, apple, or ash. Cedar is a classic, too. It’s best to experiment to find your favorite wood flavor.
- Thicker planks (½–¾ inch / 1.3–1.9 cm) can be reused a couple of times if cleaned, but I prefer thin planks (⅛–¼ inch / 0.3–0.6 cm) since they’re inexpensive, soak quickly, and can be tossed after one use for easy cleanup. I’m not a fan of reusing planks.
Tips for plank grilling
- Make sure to use untreated wood planks
- Soak the planks before grilling (20-60 minutes depending on thickness). You can add apple juice, white wine or beer to the water for soaking for extra flavor.
- Start the plank grilling on high for a few minutes to get the wood smoking.
- Keep the BBQ lid closed as much as possible to keep in the smoke.
- Keep a spray bottle or water handy in case the planks catch fire.
If you love plank grilling, try…
- Canadian maple cedar plank salmon
- Cedar planked grilled whole chicken
- Cedar plank chicken (spatchcock)
Of if you have a smoker, try our smoked brisket recipe (step by step).
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Smoked Chicken Thighs (without a smoker)
Treat yourself to juicy, BBQ, lightly smoked chicken thighs. No need for a smoker, wood chips or long cooking times. Just a simple wood plank to infuse the smoke flavor and make the grilling easy. And don't be intimidated by plank grilling – it's surprisingly simple!
Servings: 2
Equipment
- wood plank, gas grill
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pound (567g) bone-in, skin on chicken thigh meat, Note 1 about 4 thighs, trimmed of excess fat
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- kosher or sea salt for sprinkling at the end
Dry rub for chicken, Note 2
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or regular)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
BBQ sauce glaze
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce mixed with 1 tbsp water, Note 3
Instructions
- BRINE CHICKEN (Optional): Note 4. Or buy kosher chicken which is already brined.
- SOAK PLANK: Immerse a thin wood plank under water for 30 minutes (or 60 minutes if using a 1/2 inch/1.2 cm thick plank). Weigh it down with a pot or can to keep it under water. Feel free to add apple juice, white wine or beer to the water to enhance the flavors.
- MAKE DRY RUB: Combine all dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl or container. You may not need all of it.
- PREPARE CHICKEN AND GRILL: Heat grill to high (500F/260C). Remove plank from water, pat dry and spray one side with oil. For chicken, rub oil on chicken thighs, then coat with dry rub on all sides. Place chicken pieces, skin side up, on oiled side of plank.
- GRILL CHICKEN: Step 1: Place plank with the chicken on the grill and cook for 5 minutes on high heat. Keep a spray bottle or water handy in case the planks catch fire.Step 2: Turn heat down under plank to lowest setting and lower other burners so that chicken is cooking at about 400F/204C. Cook another 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160F/71C using an instant read thermometer. Note 5. Step 3: In final step, brush on BBQ sauce/glaze and cook another minute or two. Remove from grill. Add more glaze if you like. Let chicken rest, loosely covered to keep warm, for 10 minutes.
- SERVE: Serve chicken right on plank (placed on a baking pan or tray) for a beautiful presentation. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Recipe Notes
- Chicken: Instead of bone-in thigh meat, you can use bone-in skin on white meat (breasts). I would not use boneless chicken as it cooks more quickly and won’t pick up much smoke flavor. If possible, buy kosher chicken thighs as they are already brined.
- Dry Rub: Instead of this rub recipe, use 3-4 tablespoons of your favorite chicken rub.
- BBQ Sauce/Glaze: Use your favorite BBQ sauce or another type of sauce like teriyaki or spicy Thai sweet chili sauce. If you want to make your own, try this easy no-cook BBQ sauce from one of our rib recipes.
- How to brine chicken: Place 2 cups water, 2 tbsp kosher salt and 1 tsp sugar (plus a tsp of dried rosemary or thyme if you like) into a ziploc or airtight container. Swish around to dissolve the salt. Add chicken and marinate for 2-6 hours in the fridge. Discard water, rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
- How to tell when chicken is cooked: A meat thermometer is best, but if you don’t have one, pierce the chicken. If juices are clear and the meat is not pink or red, the chicken is cooked.
Nutrition
Calories: 759kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 278mg | Sodium: 1754mg | Potassium: 737mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 847IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3mg
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