If your Traeger is calling to you, it may be time to cook up some Smoked Chicken Quarters. Chicken quarters are a great source of protein and dark meat also has iron. With over 37 grams of protein per chicken leg quarter, this is an inexpensive protein option. With the cost of meat going up and up, it’s great to have some inexpensive recipes on hand. Let’s take a closer look at these smoked chicken quarters.

What are the ingredients to make smoked chicken quarters?

To smoke chicken quarters in the Traeger, you’ll need the following ingredients:

● Chicken Leg Quarters

● Kosher salt

● Freshly ground black pepper

● Smoked paprika

● Garlic powder

● Onion powder

● Ground cumin

● Cayenne pepper

How do you make smoked chicken quarters?

Smoked chicken quarters are easy to make on the Traeger. The first step is to preheat the smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, you want to mix all the seasonings together and sprinkle on the chicken quarters. Rub the seasoning into the skin to evenly coat.

Why should you leave the skin on chicken when smoking?

It’s so important that you leave the skin on the chicken to not only add flavor, but the skin will also keep the meat moist as it smokes. You can always remove the skin after the chicken cooks, but you’re going to be removing all those great flavors the seasoning adds. 

Why is dark meat better for smoking?

Dark meat is better for smoking because it is less likely to dry out. Dark meat has a higher fat content than white meat, which will help keep the meat moist. You should also know that dark meat isn’t as bad for you as we were once led to believe. In fact, dark meat is more nutrient rich than white meat. Dark meat also holds up to different types of smoke, seasonings, etc.

Can you smoke chicken breasts instead?

Of course. Just be aware that it’s easier for white meat to dry out in the smoker. You will also need to adjust the time that you smoke the breasts. Chicken breasts should smoke for around 1 hour at 225 degrees. Because chicken breasts have a lighter flavor, you may also want to choose the lightest flavored wood to smoke with. This will ensure that the smoky flavor isn’t overwhelming. Smoking chicken breasts on the bone with the skin on will ensure more flavorful, juicy chicken. With all this said, don’t be afraid to eat chicken quarters. Dark meat isn’t as unhealthy as we were led to believe years ago. Chicken quarters are also extremely affordable. You can sometimes find a 10 pound bag for less than five-dollars while chicken breast costs many times more.

What wood should you use for smoking chicken?

For this recipe, it is recommended that you use cherry or apple wood. Both woods have a mild, fruity flavor that will work well with the chicken and the seasoning. Because chicken quarters smoke for such a long time, you want to make sure the flavor of your wood isn’t too strong. This means that you’ll want to avoid woods such as hickory and oak.

Place in the Traeger and smoke for 2-3 hours or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165 degrees when inserted near the thigh bone. Once cooked, remove from the smoker and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

What do smoked chicken quarters go well with?

Smoked chicken quarters are great with everything from baked beans to potato salad. They are also great with macaroni and cheese. Almost anything served with smoked pork would be great served with smoked chicken. If you have leftovers, you can also pull the chicken off the bone and toss with barbecue sauce to create pulled chicken sandwiches.

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Smoked Chicken Quarters

If your Traeger or Weber Smoker is calling to you, it may be time to cook up some Smoked Chicken Quarters.

Course Smoked Recipes

Cuisine Smoked Meats

Keyword Smoked Leg Quarters

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 440kcal

Author Mark Rogers

Equipment

• Wood Pellet Choices Cherry or Apple

Ingredients

• 8 Chicken Leg Quarters about 10 pound package

Seasoning Rub

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 4 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 4 teaspoons garlic powder
• 4 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F
• Combine all the dry ingredients together in a small bowl
  
• Sprinkle the seasoning rub on each leg quarter pressing the rub into the chicken to evenly coat the outside
  
• Place the chicken directly on the smoker
  
• Smoke until an instant-read thermometer placed near the thigh bone reads 165 degrees F. Usually takes 2-3 hours.
  
• Remove from the smoker and allow to rest 10-15 minutes before serving
• Store leftovers in refrigerator

Nutrition

Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 2478mg | Potassium: 481mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 884IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Smoked Chicken Quarters appeared first on Pit Nation BBQ.

You don’t need too many ingredients to prepare the best Traeger Chicken Wings that will have your family referring to you as the “King of the Smoker.” A blend of garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and a few other ingredients will give your chicken wings all the flavor you need to enjoy every last bite.

Smoking Wings Ingredients

You probably already have these ingredients at home, which makes preparing this recipe for Smoked Chicken Wings even easier.

• Chicken Wing Sections – Four pounds is more than enough to feed the family.
• Olive Oil – You want the blend of seasonings to stick, so be sure to grab some olive oil.
• Garlic Powder – You can never have TOO much garlic on chicken wings.
• Onion Powder – It goes great with the garlic, making this seasoning combination ideal.
• Cayenne Pepper – Add a bit of a kick with some cayenne pepper in the mix.
• Black Pepper – You can’t go wrong with using a bit of black pepper when seasoning your wings.
• Paprika – Add some color to your wings with paprika!

You can even add salt to these wings.

How to Make the Smoked Chicken Wings Recipe

Preparing Traeger Chicken Wings is easy. You want to start by separating your chicken wings into drum and wing sections. You can learn how to cut chicken wings, it’s easy.

Grab you a small bowl, add your seasonings to it, and mix well to create the perfect blend that enhances the taste of your chicken.

Put your chicken wings in a large resealable bag, coat them in olive oil, and then sprinkle the seasoning on top of them, coating both sides with a generous amount of your blend. Next, put your bag full of chicken in the fridge and let it sit to marinate for at least an hour. 

Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F, set your chicken wings on the smoker, and let them cook for about two hours. Check the internal temperature and make sure those wings reach 165 degrees F before you remove them.

Smoked Chicken Wings Tips

• Let your smoker preheat for at least 15-30 minutes before you put your chicken wings on it. If you put them on too soon, the chicken wings will take even longer to cook because the smoker won’t be ready for them.
• If you like the skin real crispy, add 1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder to your seasoning blend. It works like a charm to get that skin crisp and crunchy.
• When using the smoker to prepare these wings, the best types of pellets to use are apple or pecan. They add an excellent smoked taste to the chicken wings that improves the flavor of the meat even further.

Apple or Pecan, Which Wood Pellets?

If you want to achieve a sweet and smoky taste, apple is an excellent choice. Although it has a fruitier taste than the pecan pellets, it still brings that smoky flavor to the chicken, and it’s naturally an excellent choice when cooking any kind of poultry, whether it’s chicken wings or something else. On the other hand, if you prefer a more mesquite, hickory taste, go with the pecan pellets. The pecan pellets aren’t as sweet and are more on the savory side.

What Sides to Serve with Traeger Chicken Wings?

Want to make a meal out of these chicken wings? The meat is versatile enough to serve with just about any side, but these are a few good options to consider serving with your smoked wings.

• Baked Mac & Cheese – Recreate that feeling of being at a famous BBQ restaurant by preparing some homemade baked mac and cheese to serve alongside your wings.
• Macaroni Salad – If you want to keep it simple and serve something that requires minimal effort, macaroni salad is a great choice. It’s easy enough and goes well with the chicken.
• Fries – Whether you want to pull out a bag of frozen fries and heat them up or make fries from scratch using russet potatoes, they go great with chicken wings and are another side to consider.
• Sauce – don’t forget several sauces to choose from for dipping. This Easy BBQ Sauce has only 3 ingredients, we love our Texas BBQ Sauce or this Alabama White Sauce would taste good too!

These Smoked Chicken Wings have the perfect blend of seasonings and cook well in the smoker. If you want tasty, fall-off-the-bone meat, give this recipe a try.

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Traeger Chicken Wings

Course Appetizer

Keyword Traeger Chicken Wings

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Chill Time 1 hour

Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 308kcal

Ingredients

• 4 pounds chicken wing sections
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Combine all the dry ingredients for the seasoning rub together in a small bowl.
• Separate chicken wings into drum and wing sections if not already separated.
• Add chicken wing sections to a large zip-top bag. Drizzle the wing sections with olive oil and coat all sides of the wings.
• Sprinkle the seasoning rub on the chicken wings, pressing the rub into the chicken to coat the outside evenly. Place in the refrigerator for one hour.
• Preheat the smoker to 225°F.
• Place the chicken wing sections directly onto the smoker and smoke for 2 hours at 225°F. Wings are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
• Serve with your choice of sauces.

Notes

You can add 1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder to the seasoning blend for a crispier skin.

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 236mg | Potassium: 213mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 272IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Traeger Chicken Wings – Juicy & Tender appeared first on Recipes For Dads, LLC.