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pulling smoked chicken thighs with two forks in a baking dish on a pellet smoker
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Hot Honey Smoked Pulled Chicken with Pickle Slaw

Smoked and pulled boneless skinless chicken thighs in a sweet and spicy chili crisp honey sauce with a chopped pickle slaw.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings 16 Servings
Calories 185kcal
Author Mason Woodruff

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
  • 4 teaspoons Kosher Salt
  • 4 teaspoons Black Pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
  • 2 teaspoons Paprika
  • ½ cup (168g) Honey
  • ¼ cup (60g) Chili Crisp or Chili Oil
  • ¼ cup Rice Vinegar
  • ¼ cup Chicken Broth or Water
  • Pinch of Dried or Ground Thyme

For the Pickle Slaw

  • ½ White Onion thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup Pickles
  • 2 Tablespoons Pepperoncini
  • 2 Tablespoons Pickled Jalapeño Peppers
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • Juice of 1 Lemon
  • 1-2 handfuls Fresh Parsley chopped
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

For Serving (optional)

  • Toasted Buns
  • Ranch

Instructions

  • Preheat your smoker to 225ºF with the lid closed.
  • Season the chicken thighs with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika on all sides.
  • Once the smoker is up to temperature, add the chicken and cook for 90 minutes. (If your smoker has a Super Smoke or SmokeBoost function, use it in this step.)
  • Mix the honey, chili crisp, vinegar, broth, and thyme together.
  • Transfer the chicken to a baking dish or smoker safe dish. Pour the sauce over the chicken and toss to evenly coat. Cover the pan with foil or a lid and cook for 1.5-2 hours or until the chicken shreds easily with a fork.
  • Reduce the temperature on your smoker to its keep warm function or 180ºF to 200ºF. Pull the chicken and toss in the remaining juices. Cover and let the pulled chicken rest in the juices for 15-20 minutes before serving.
  • While the chicken rests, prepare the pickle slaw by roughly chopping the pickles and pickled peppers and tossing with the sliced onion and remaining ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve the chicken on toasted buns with the slaw and ranch, if desired.

Notes

I smoked the chicken using Weber Grillmaster Blend pellets (maple, cherry, hickory) on a Weber Searwood XL pellet smoker.
The nutrition facts provided are for the chicken on its own.

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz of chicken | Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 7g