Skip low-and-slow. Skin needs heat.
375° whole chicken
Weeknight · 60–90 min · Hickory or pecan
- Time
- 60–90 min
- Pit
- 375°
- Wood
- Hickory or pecan
- Serves
- 4
Spatchcock, dry skin, 375°F until the breast is 160°F and the thigh is 175°F. Juicy meat, actually crisp skin — the thing low-and-slow chicken never gives you.
Cook-along
Watch it cooked
The method on this page is ours. The video is the pitmaster walking the same cook.
How to Cook Whole Chicken
Traeger Grills
Ingredients
Bird
- 1 whole chicken, 4 lb
- Kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic
- 1 tbsp oil
- Optional: herb butter under the skin
Method
- 1
Spatchcock: cut out the backbone, press the breast flat. Pat very dry. Salt under and over the skin.
- 2
375°F. Bird skin-up, no crowding.
- 3
Roast until breast 160°F, thigh 175°F+. About an hour.
- 4
Rest 15 minutes. Carryover finishes the breast at 165°F.
Dry-brine uncovered in the fridge overnight for louder skin.
Thighs by themselves want 180°F, not 165°F.
