Smoked Mexican Chicken

Smoked Mexican Chicken

This recipe for Smoked Mexican Chicken is amazing!

I am borderline obsessed with smoking things in our Traeger Pellet Grill and Smoker.

My husband tells me that’s not necessarily a bad thing to be obsessed over 😉

I am making chicken tacos for dinner tomorrow.

So I decided to smoke the chicken today (since it’s Sunday) and when I get home from work tomorrow dinner will be ready in a snap.

Smoked Mexican Chicken is easy to prepare and is totally delicious with a smoky-spicy-sweet flavor trio 🙂

I made a paste to rub all over the chicken by combining lime juice, honey, olive oil, garlic paste, and some Mexican seasonings.

I used what I had, which was chili powder, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and kosher salt and pepper.

You could certainly add some ground red pepper for heat.

Some oregano would also be a nice addition.

Smoked Mexican Chicken

I rubbed this paste on all sides of a whole chicken.

A trick I learned is also separating the skin from the breast and adding the paste/ seasoning in between the breast and skin to add even more flavor.

Smoked Mexican Chicken

Into the smoker or Traeger pellet grill it goes for about 4 to 5 hours at 225 degrees.

I always use an instant read thermometer to make sure the temp is 170 degrees.

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You could also bake it in the oven of course, it just wouldn’t have that smoky flavor.

In the oven it would take about an hour in a 400 degree oven.

Smoked Mexican Chicken

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The honey caramelizes the skin, so if you’re a chicken skin junkie like my husband, that’s the best part!

This Smoked Mexican Chicken by itself would be a perfect dinner, or you could use it in casseroles, wraps, on nachos, or chicken tacos 🙂

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We had leftovers as chicken tacos with Corn and Poblano Salsa…so good!

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Smoked Mexican Chicken
5 from 4 votes
Print

Smoked Mexican Chicken

A sweet, spicy, and smoky chicken dish that's very flavorful and unique!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword best, Chicken, Easy, Meal Prep, Pellet Grill, Recipe, smoked, Smoked Chicken, Smoker Recipes, Summer Recipes, TikTok, Traeger, Traeger Recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Servings 4
Calories 445 kcal
Author Cheri Renee

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp garlic paste (or fresh minced garlic)
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp paprika
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 Tbsp pepper
  • 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 whole chicken (4-6 pounds)

Instructions

  1. Combine first 10 ingredients (lime juice through cinnamon) in a bowl and stir until it forms a paste.

  2. Rub the paste over all sides of the whole chicken, separate the skin on the breasts and rub some of the paste between the skin and chicken breasts as well.

  3. Place in a smoker set to 225 degrees for 4-5 hours or until the internal temp is 170 degrees.

    Note: Can also be baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour, or until internal temp is 170 degrees.

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