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I have yet to cook a bad meal on my Traeger and this Smoked Chicken and Potatoes is no exception. Especially when smothered in this Alabama White BBQ sauce! The combination of flavours is gold, Jerry! Gold! (Seinfeld reference)
The chicken is rubbed in some hot sauce and dusted in a quick-and-easy homemade spice rub. First, I smoke the chicken on the Traeger at 225F for 30 minutes to allow some wood flavour to infuse the meat. It’s then finished at 400F so that the chicken skin gets nice and crispy. Just before it’s done cooking I brush the smoked chicken with some melted ghee (or spray it with this 4th & Heart Ghee Oil Spray), which adds amazing flavour and a beautiful, glossy coat. Since the grill was already running, I also threw on a tray of creamer potatoes simply seasoned with salt and pepper and tossed in EVOO. You could just as easily grill some veggies of choice!
While the chicken and potatoes were cooking, I also made a super easy and flavourful Whole30 Alabama White BBQ Sauce. I wanted something tangy that would balance the sweetness of the coconut sugar in the spice rub. Needless to say, it didn’t disappoint and will be a regular addition to my summer cookouts! I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to make some!
If you aren’t familiar with Traeger, they make incredible Wood Pellet Grills. Unlike conventional propane or natural gas grills, which use direct heat, Traegers operate on 100% natural, food-grade wood pellets and use an indirect heating method.
The easiest way to understand how Traegers work is to think of them as outdoor, electrical convection ovens that use 100% all-natural, food-grade wood pellets.
In a nutshell, an auger feeds pellets into a central fire pot that combusts the pellets. A fan then circulates air throughout the cooking chamber and heats it according to the temperature setting you desire. Everything is fully automated, which means you don’t have to nurse a fire or guesstimate how much fuel to add. Simply add the pellets to the grill hopper, adjust the heat and cook your food.
As if it weren’t easy enough, Traeger just redesigned their entire lineup to include standard WiFire technology (along with improved drivetrains and insulation), which allows you to control the heat with your phone. I was a skeptic of the added tech at first but the ability to have access to your grill from anywhere is unbelievably useful, especially if you are cooking cuts of meat that take upwards of 8 to 10 hours in the middle of winter! It’s a complete game changer!
Just about anything you make in an oven can be done on a Traeger, with the added benefit of wood flavour. The possibilities are truly endless, oftentimes more flavourful and it’s a great excuse to cook outside! I realize this all sounds like an advertisement, but it’s not. I 100% love these grills and wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to recommend them. My love was further cemented from having visited their HQ last week, meeting their team and learning just how much thought goes into their grills.
If you don’t own a Traeger, you can still make this recipe! As mentioned, a Traeger works just like an oven. The only differences are you won’t need to smoke the chicken at a low temperature first and you can add the potatoes right away.
Simply place the chicken on a roasting tray lined with parchment paper and cook at 400F until the thickest part of the thigh registers 155F on a digital meat thermometer (approximately 55-60min). Then, baste the bird with the rendered juices and cook an additional 8-10 min or until the same part of the bird registers 165F.
Traeger Smoked Chicken and Potatoes - Paleo
Ingredients
- 1 2.5-3 lbs free-range, organic chicken
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- hot sauce of choice - such as Cholula original
for Potatoes:
- 2 lbs creamer potatoes
- 2 tbsp EVOO, (Extra Virgin olive oil)
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 th tsp freshly-cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Run the start-up cycle on your Traeger. Once complete, preheat grill to 225F.
- Half-spatchcock chicken by cutting along one side of the backbone with a sharp knife or pair of kitchen shears. Place bird on cutting board, breast-side up, and use your hands to flatten. Pat dry with paper towel.
- Add a few dashes of hot sauce all over bird and massage to coat. Careful, the bones in the carcass are sharp and can prick you.
- To a small mixing bowl, add coconut sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper and kosher salt. Stir spices to combine. Liberally season all sides of the bird, including any nooks and crannies. If there is leftover spice rub, place in a sealable jar and save until next time.
- Lay seasoned chicken skin-side up in the centre of the preheated Traeger. Close lid and smoke at 225F for 30 min. Meanwhile add potatoes to a sheetpan lined with parchment paper. Toss to coat in EVOO, salt and pepper.
- Raise heat of Traeger to 400F, add potatoes on sheet pan, close lid and cook until thickest part of chicken thigh registers 155F on an instant read thermometer (approximately 60 min).
- Brush chicken with melted ghee, close lid and cook until same part of thigh registers 165F (approximately 10-12 min).
- Transfer smoked chicken to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 min before carving. Serve with potatoes, side salad and Alabama White BBQ sauce.
About the Author
Hi, i'm Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.
If I were to roast this, since I don’t have a smoker, what temp and how long would you recommend?
Hey Rachel! I mention the roasting instructions just above the recipe in the blog post. 🙂 “Simply place the chicken on a roasting tray lined with parchment paper and cook at 400F until the thickest part of the thigh registers 155F on a digital meat thermometer (approximately 55-60min). Then, baste the bird with the rendered juices and cook an additional 8-10 min or until the same part of the bird registers 165F.”
This chicken is unreal! Baked it in the oven instead of smoking, and was still so delicious with the white BBQ sauce! I may have even snuck a little of the BBQ sauce into some sautéed spinach to get my husband to eat it. He totally fell for it! So awesome to learn how to prep and serve a whole chicken, as well. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoyed!
I noticed in this video your white bbq sauce has mustard but no Worcestershire or hot sauce and in the white sauce link the recipe has no mustard. Which do you prefer? Love your work!
Glenn
Sorry about that, must have been an early typo. The White Sauce has mustard but no worcestershire because I wanted to keep it Whole30 and Paleo compliant. It does have prepared horseradish though.
do you mix the two sauces together? Thanks looks good Ron
Sorry, not sure I understand which other sauce you’re referring to (other than the Alabama White sauce).
You may have mentioned it and I missed it while reading the post but what flavor (not sure that’s the right word) wood pellets did you use? I just won a Traeger Pro 780 from a raffle and I’m going to test it out for the first time over the weekend. I’ve loved everything I’ve ever made from your blog and this sounded like a good recipe for my new grill’s maiden voyage 🙂
For chicken, I love hickory and apple. But I’ve also used the Big Game blend and have had great results.
Delicious!