What’s better than fried chicken? Smoked fried chicken.

An overnight buttermilk brine keeps the thighs tender and juicy, while a low-and-slow smoke adds a hit of wood-fired flavor. A final quick fry locks in a golden, crispy crust that shatters when you bite in.

Why Smoke-Fry Chicken?

• Smoke flavor without rubbery skin – Smoking chicken low and slow gives great flavor, but often leaves the skin soft and rubbery. Cranking up the smoker temp can help crisp it, but that sacrifices smoke flavor, especially on a pellet grill. Finishing in the fryer solves both problems: full smoke flavor and shatter-crisp skin.
• Buttermilk brine = juicy, tender meat – The acidity in buttermilk tenderizes the chicken and helps lock in moisture, even through two cooking stages.
• Flexible with cuts and wood types: Thighs work best, but you can also use wings, drumsticks, or even boneless cuts. Peach or apple wood complements the chicken without overpowering it.

If you like the sound of this technique you should try out smoke fried chicken wings as well.

To make these smoke fried chicken thighs you’ll need

• Smoker or grill – Needs to maintain a steady temp between 2225–250°F for indirect heat cooking.
• Fruit wood chunks or pellets – Peach, apple, or cherry all work well.
• Chicken rub – Use your favorite BBQ rub suited for poultry. Look for one with a balanced mix of salt, paprika, garlic, and pepper. I used Lanes Signature rub.
• Deep fryer or heavy pot – Must be deep enough for frying and allow temperature control of the oil
• Wire rack + sheet tray – Optional but helpful for seasoning, resting, and keeping fried pieces crispy in the oven.

Why Buttermilk Brining Works

If you want juicy, tender chicken, then you’re going to want to brine your chicken.

Because I use salt in the rub on this chicken, and also in the flour dredge when frying, I don’t recommend using a typical salt based liquid brine for this.

Instead, use buttermilk.

The science bit: The acidity of buttermilk actually opens up and splits the cell walls in the chicken, making it tender and juicy and helps to keep moisture in the protein.

This is especially helpful with really lean cuts like chicken breast which can easily dry out, and will have the same result of a tender, juicy thigh too.

How to make smoked and fried chicken thighs

1. Brine the chicken

For the buttermilk brine, you’ll need enough buttermilk to cover your chicken in a large plastic bowl. I used 2 ½ cups of buttermilk for 8 thighs.

Pour your buttermilk into a large plastic bowl, and then mix in your other brine ingredients.

It’s important that you use a plastic bowl, as the acid in the buttermilk can react with metals, and your chicken will taste metallic.

Add your chicken thighs (you can actually use any cut of chicken – legs and wings also work particularly well, as do tenderloins), and make sure your buttermilk is completely covering the chicken pieces.

Cover with cling wrap, and place into the fridge.

For best results, keep your thighs in the buttermilk brine overnight (the chicken thighs, or things get really messy!), but for at least 4-5 hours.

2. Set up your smoker

Set up your smoker to around 225-250°F indirect heat on your grill or a smoker for these thighs.

We’re only part-cooking them on the smoker to impart some smoke flavor, and chicken is a fairly light meat, so avoid using heavy wood flavors like hickory. 

Fruit woods give an excellent light, sweet smoke for the chicken. I particularly like peach wood, but experiment a bit to find a flavor you like. 

3. Prepare your chicken pieces

Take your chicken out of the fridge and wipe off as much excess buttermilk as you can. Be sure to reserve two cups for later.

If you have a wire rack, pop that over an oven tray, and put the chicken pieces on that to apply the rub.

Apply a liberal amount of your chicken rub to get a nice, even coating on every piece.

The residual buttermilk brine will act as enough of a binder, so apply the rub directly to the thighs.

4. Smoke your thighs

Your thigh pieces will only need 45 minutes to take on some color and flavor, so keep an eye on them. 

You don’t need to take the thighs all the way to 165°F in the smoker. Since they’ll finish cooking in the fryer, you can pull them once they reach 135–140°F or when you’re happy with the color. Just try not to let them go much higher to avoid overcooking.

Don’t worry too much if you go a little over, though; the buttermilk and extra fat content in the thighs will ensure a juicy result.

Getting the exact temp right is more important in breasts. If you are doing wings, you’ll need less time in the smoker. Legs/drums will be around the same, or slightly longer. Cook them to color and internal temp as above.

5. Prepare your flour dredge

While your thighs are smoking (insert lick finger and touch leg and make ‘tsssss’ sound here), prepare your flour dredge.

You won’t be using breadcrumbs here. You’re aiming for a result similar to that of a famous Southern Colonel who also likes fried chicken, so we’re actually going to use flour mixed with herbs and spices. 

Not quite 11, but a few!

You’ll need to prepare two bowls, one with leftover buttermilk (you’ll need a cup or two worth) and the other with your flour mix. 

For your ‘secret recipe’ flour dredge, in another large bowl mix together:

• 2 cups of plain or all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp salt
• 3 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp of cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried ginger powder

Make sure it is all mixed well, and then turn on your deep fryer (or start boiling a pot of oil) 10 minutes or so before your chicken is ready to come off the smoker.

Once the chicken comes off the smoker, it’s time to get it coated. Submerge each thigh in the buttermilk, then toss it in the flour mix until completely coated.

Do another buttermilk dunk and flour dredge for ultra-crispy results, but you’ll still get great results with just one round through. 

6. Frying the chicken

Since it’s already partially cooked, you can safely heat the oil to 300–325°F, hot enough to finish cooking and crisp the coating without burning it.

GENTLY place the chicken pieces directly into the oil, laying the pieces away from you to avoid the hot oil splashing towards you.

Do not place directly into the fryer basket and lower into the oil as this will just cause your chicken to fry itself around the basket – your basket should be fully submerged in the oil before adding the chicken.

Your chicken thighs should only take a few minutes to finish and create a nice crisp golden coating to the chicken at the higher frying temperature, so keep an eye on it.

Don’t overcrowd the fryer! It works best in batches of 2 to 3 thighs at a time. As each batch finishes, transfer the chicken to a wire rack set over a tray and keep warm in a low oven.

Don’t put them directly on a tray, as the bottoms can turn soggy. And no one likes a soggy bottom, do they?

Serving your smoked and fried chicken thighs

You can then serve them drizzled with honey, with fries or potato salad, or with a spicy buffalo wing sauce, or even piled onto a burger bun with cheese, home-smoked bacon, and avocado.

An ice-cold lager is excellent with this.

Try these other smoked chicken recipes

• Nashville chicken sandwich
• Smoked Chicken Wings with Garlic and Parmesan Sauce
• Smoked Chicken Thighs
• Smoked Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce
• Easy Chicken Wing Brine (Plus The Best Way To Cook Them)

If you give this smoked fried chicken a try, let us know how it turned out in the comments. And don’t forget to leave a star rating. It helps more people find the recipe and gives us great feedback too!

Print

Smoked and Fried Buttermilk Chicken Thighs

What’s better than fried chicken? SMOKED Fried chicken!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Brining time 4 hours hours

Total Time 5 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 988kcal

Author Mat Cotton

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp BBQ rub Use our chicken BBQ rub

Brine

• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp black pepper ground

For the coating:

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1 tbsp  salt
• 3 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 2 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 ½ tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 2 cups buttermilk
• vegetable oil for deep frying
• honey or maple to serve

Instructions

• To make the brine, combine 2 cups buttermilk with salt, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper in a large plastic or glass bowl,
• Submerge the chicken thighs fully in the brine. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4–5 hours.
• Preheat your smoker to 225–250°F using a light fruit wood like peach or apple.
• Remove thighs from the brine and wipe off excess. Reserve 2 cups of buttermilk. Place on a wire rack over a tray and season both sides with chicken rub.
• Smoke for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 135–140°F or takes on a nice golden color.
• Smoke chicken thighs for around 45 minutes, or until you are happy with the color, or until chicken reaches 135-140F.
• While the chicken is smoking, in one bowl, mix all flour coating ingredients. In a second bowl, add the remaining 2 cups of buttermilk.
• About 10 minutes before the thighs finish smoking, preheat your oil to 300–325°F in a deep fryer or heavy pot.
• Dip each thigh in buttermilk, then dredge in the flour mixture. For extra crunch, repeat the dip and dredge.
• Gently place thighs into the oil, 2–3 at a time. Fry for 3–4 minutes or until golden and cooked through (165°F internal temp).
• Transfer to a wire rack over a tray and keep warm in a low oven while frying the rest.
• Drizzle with honey or maple if desired and enjoy.

Nutrition

Calories: 988kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 235mg | Sodium: 3794mg | Potassium: 812mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 663IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 203mg | Iron: 6mg