This smoked lemon pepper chicken is super delicious! My whole family loves it. The chicken is moist and tender inside with a crispy and delicious skin. This chicken has a lemon pepper compound butter that the chicken gets smothered in and then seasoned with paprika and cayenne pepper on the outsides. The cayenne pepper doesn’t make this spicy but just enhances all of the other flavors.
The lemon can be placed on top for a slightly caramelized lemony look and taste and a slightly less crispy skin. If you love crispy skin like me then the lemon can be placed inside of the chicken for a steamed lemon flavor and extra crispy skin. It’s all a matter of preference and it’s delicious either way.
I make mine on a pellet grill but it can also be made on a smoker or in the oven. If you want to add a smokey flavor to this chicken while cooking in the oven, you can take some smoking wood chips and place them in an aluminum foil pouch that is slightly open at the top.
How to make smoked lemon pepper chicken:
makes 1 whole chicken
- 1 large chicken – around 4-6 pounds
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 lemon – 1/2 sliced, 1/2 juiced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- paprika
- cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Heat pellet grill or smoker to 400 F.
- Remove neck and gizzards from inside of chicken and pat chicken dry with a paper towel.
- In a bowl, add butter, juice from 1/2 of the lemon, salt and black pepper and blend together.
- Place chicken in a pan that can go on the smoker.
- Lift up the skin on the chicken breast and pack with butter mixture and then rub the rest of the butter mixture all over the chicken.
- Take the slices of lemon and place either in the internal cavity or on the skin, if placing on the skin the skin will not get as crisp in those areas. I prefer crispy skin so I place the lemon in the inside of the chicken so it steams lemon flavors into the meat.
- Sprinkle the tops of chicken with paprika and cayenne pepper.
- Cook for roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes or until internal temperature at the thickest part reaches 165 F.
- The last 20 minutes of cooking, spoon or baste on the juices and melted butter over the top of the chicken.
- Remove from grill, cover and let rest from about 10 minutes so juices can recirculate.
- Enjoy!
Here are a few other smoked recipes you might love:
- Smoked Prime Rib RECIPE HERE
- Whole Smoked Chicken RECIPE HERE
- Sage BBQ Rub RECIPE HERE
Smoked Lemon Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken – around 4-6 pounds
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 lemon – 1/2 sliced 1/2 juiced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- paprika
- cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Heat pellet grill or smoker to 400 F.
- Remove neck and gizzards from inside of chicken and pat chicken dry with a paper towel.
- In a bowl, add butter, juice from 1/2 of the lemon, salt and black pepper and blend together.
- Place chicken in a pan that can go on the smoker.
- Lift up the skin on the chicken breast and pack with butter mixture and then rub the rest of the butter mixture all over the chicken.
- Take the slices of lemon and place either in the internal cavity or on the skin, if placing on the skin the skin will not get as crisp in those areas. I prefer crispy skin so I place the lemon in the inside of the chicken so it steams lemon flavors into the meat.
- Sprinkle the tops of chicken with paprika and cayenne pepper.
- Cook for roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes or until internal temperature at the thickest part reaches 165 F.
- The last 20 minutes of cooking, spoon or baste on the juices and melted butter over the top of the chicken.
- Remove from grill, cover and let rest from about 10 minutes so juices can recirculate.
- Enjoy!