The best way to enjoy this meaty 7-layer dip is to serve it at room temperature. Everyone can just plunge in once you spread it out on the table with tortilla chips.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 3 hrs 45 mins |
| Additional Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 4 hrs 10 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 (3 1/2) pound whole chicken
Instructions
- Preheat a smoker to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
- Mix paprika, chili powder, cayenne, black pepper, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl with a fork until thoroughly combined.
- Spatchcock chicken by placing the breast down on a work surface. Starting at the tail end, cut along both sides of the backbone with kitchen shears. Remove backbone. Grabbing hold of both sides of the chicken, open it like a book. Turn the breast so it’s facing up. Push down on each side of the breast with your hands until you hear it crack; press to flatten. Rub chicken all over with seasoning blend.
- Smoke chicken in the preheated smoker until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, reads 140 degrees F (60 degrees C), about 3 1/2 hours. Turn up the heat to 350 to 400 degrees F (175 to 200 degrees C) and get direct heat on the skin to finish up with an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (71 degrees C), about 15 more minutes.
- Remove chicken from the smoker, cover in foil, and allow to rest until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 10 minutes. Cut and serve.
- Spatchcocking the chicken prior to smoking is optional.
- You can also rub the chicken with the spices up to 24 hours ahead of time and refrigerate. If you can’t handle heat, I’d suggest 2 teaspoons of cayenne instead of 2 tablespoons.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 319 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 133 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 45 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 1118 mg |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Highly recommend this recipe! We love spice, and the rub definitely packed a punch (if you’re not keen on heat make sure to use the recommended two teaspoons instead of tablespoons of cayenne!) This was our first time using our janky old smoker that had missing parts and no temperature reader- and even with seemingly everything stacked against us, we still ended up with an amazing chicken!
Excellent recipe! I use my Master Built Propane Smoker and Hickory wood chunks. The chicken was very moist and flavorful. I will make again soon. Must try this with a Turkey. I bet it will be great as well! Thanks!
I cut back on the salt and cayenne pepper by 1/4 with great results. The flavor was outstanding and the meat was tender and juicy. Bumping up the temp at the end was critical to getting the skin crispy. But it wasn’t so long that it dried out the meat. Everyone loved it!