How long do you cook Chicken Thighs on the Traeger Grill?

These bone-in chicken thighs grill in 35 minutes to grill at 400 degrees for that crispy chicken skin. I did not “smoke” them (smoking meat is usually done at a low temperature like 225 degrees) – but these grilled chicken thighs still get that smoky flavor because we’re using a pellet grill! What about different cuts of chicken?

• Boneless skinless chicken thighs – 15-20 minutes
• Boneless chicken breasts – 20-25 minutes
• Chicken wings – 20-25 minutes
• Chicken legs – 25-30 minutes
• Chicken Kabobs – 15 minutes
• Whole chicken – check out my recipe for Beer Can Chicken for full details on time & temp

Always temp check your meat – chicken should cook until the internal temperature reaches 155-160 degrees when you remove it from the grill. They’ll continue to heat up once you remove them and get to 165.

How can I add smoke flavor when grilling at a higher temperature? 

If you want to smoke chicken thighs – but still grill them at a higher temperature (so they’re done more quickly) – you can do it! Here are a couple of ways to get the best smoked chicken thighs:

• Wood chips – Soak wood chips in water for 30 minutes before starting the grill. One cup of Traeger wood chips will last for about 20 minutes. Place the soaked chips in a disposable aluminum foil pan and place on the grill. 
• Pellets & Smoke Tubes – If you’re looking for a quicker smoke – especially if you’re at a grilling temp (350+) vs a slow smoke temp (225) – the easiest ways are to use smoke tubes and pellets! Fill a smoke tube with your favorite wood pellets, light the pellets on one end and then once they light, blow out the flame. Place smoke tube on the grill (behind the meat or on the top rack) and shut the lid. The pellets will smoke throughout your cook and add that smokiness into your meat!

How do you reheat leftover Chicken Thighs?

My favorite way to reheat grilled chicken is in my air fryer – it cooks and reheats more quickly so you won’t dry out the meat. I would advise cutting a bone-in chicken thigh into at least a couple of pieces and reheat at 250º for 5-7 minutes.

What flavor of Traeger smoker pellets go with chicken?

Pecan, Apple and cherry wood are the best for chicken because chicken is not a very strongly flavored meat so you can use lighter flavored pellets. I tend to use the Traeger Signature Blend of pellets which are a combination of Maple, Cherry and Hickory. It goes well with everything from pork to chicken to beef!

What to serve with Traeger Grilled Chicken Thighs?

• Copycat KFC Coleslaw
• Creamiest Macaroni & Cheese
• Traeger Grilled Herbed Potatoes

Easy recipes for leftover chicken?

• Weight Watchers chicken salad
• Chicken Casserole with Ritz Crackers
• BBQ Chicken Salad

Other delicious Traeger recipes

• Grilled Chicken Kabobs
• Beer Can Chicken
• Grilled Cheese Stuffed Brats
• Traeger Smoked Queso
• Grilled Corn on the Cob
• Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
• Smoked Cream Cheese

What You Will ❤️ About Smoked Cheesy Corn

• Cheesy! It doesn’t get any cheesier than this recipe!
• Side Dish or Dip! This is great as a side dish for any BBQ or an appetizer dip!
• Easy to Make! You can put this together in about 15 minutes and then on to the smoker for less than an hour.

Recipe Variations

Even as I made this dish I was thinking of ways to jazz it up:

• Jalapenos – dice up jalapenos and saute them with the bacon for a spicy kick!
• Serve as a Dip – grab some corn chip scoops and serve this as a hot dip!
• Cheeses – swap out Pepper Jack for more spice or smoked gouda for richness
• Onions & Peppers – sauteed onions and bell pepper would be great and add another texture into the corn
• Ham – diced ham would be delicious in this as well in addition to or instead of the bacon. I would saute it lightly before adding in the cheeses.

How to make Smoked Cheesy Corn Bake

This is a combination stove top & Traeger recipe – but all of it is super simple! Here’s how to do it:

1. Preheat Traeger to 275º
2. On the stove over medium heat In a cast iron skillet, add diced bacon. Stir bacon often, until it’s starting to get crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel. Let drain and set aside.
3. Add garlic to pan with bacon fat and stir for about 30 seconds. 
4. Lower heat to medium-low and add half and half, cream cheese, American cheese & GRATED cheddar cheese. Whisk until cheeses are melted. 
5. Remove from heat and add the bbq seasoning, hot sauce and bbq sauce. Whisk to combine. Add corn and half of the reserved bacon and stir to combine. 
6. Place cast iron pan onto the preheated Traeger. 
7. Add in the diced cheddar cheese and poke into the corn and close the Traeger. Smoke for 45 minutes. 
8. Remove pan from oven and garnish with remaining bacon pieces and green onion. 

More Corn Recipes

• Skillet Creamed Corn
• Street Corn Dip
• Air Fryer Corn Ribs

More Traeger Side Dish Recipes

• Smoked Stuffed Mushrooms
• Smoked Potatoes Au Gratin
• Creamy Traeger Mac & Cheese

What to serve with Cheesy Smoked Corn?

• Beer Can Chicken
• Traeger Country Style Ribs
• Brisket on a Traeger

What You Will ❤️ About Smoked Stuffed Mushrooms

• Cheesy – these are a cheesy good time with cream cheese, mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan!
• Any Size Mushroom – you can use any size mushrooms for this recipe which is convenient because button mushrooms are so many sizes!
• STUFFED – I love any stuffed recipe and these mushrooms are at the top of the list!

Recipe Variations

Most filling recipes for stuffed mushrooms are a combination of butter, cheese and breadcrumbs – but you can take the reins and mix it up! Here are a few ideas:

• Sausage – add pork or Italian sausage into your cream cheese mixture. I would recommend uncooked sausage as it will cook while smoking.
• Seafood – Olive Garden Stuffed Mushrooms have a mixture of shrimp and scallops in their filling
• Bacon – Bacon goes with everything – mix it in with cream cheese & cheese for some porky goodness
• Cheeses – cream cheese & shredded cheese is in this recipe but you could also use ricotta or many other cheeses for a variety of flavors

How to make Traeger Stuffed Mushrooms recipe

These Stuffed Mushrooms are an easy to make side dish and then smoke in less than an hour. They don’t absorb too much smoke but if you’d like add more smoke flavor – use a smoke tube or lower the temp and smoke for longer.

1. Preheat Traeger to 250º. Spray cast iron skillet lightly with nonstick spray. This is a very cheesy recipe so it’s not a great one to put on racks or directly on the grill grates.
2. Rub mushrooms with a damp paper towel to clean dirt from the mushrooms. Pat dry with a paper towel. Remove mushroom stems and discard.
   • You can set mushroom stems aside and chop into small pieces and add to the filling if you like. 
3. In a mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, cheddar cheese and garlic salt.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together bread crumbs, melted butter, Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper. 
5. Take 1-2 teaspoons of the cream cheese mixture and place it into the center of each of the mushroom caps. Slightly overfill each mushroom so it mounds over the top. You can use a spoon, or place the filling in a ziploc bag and squeeze out. I found it easier to just use my hands.
6. Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over all of the filled mushrooms. 
7. Place cast iron pan on Traeger and bake for 45 minutes. 
8. Remove baking dish from Traeger. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve
9. Fills 15-25 mushrooms depending on size and serving size is 3/pp

More Mushroom Recipes

• Traeger Smoked Mushrooms
• Longhorn Stuffed Mushrooms
• Cheesecake Factory Stuffed Mushrooms
• Air Fryer Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

More Smoked Appetizer Recipes

• Smoked Pickle Poppers
• Candied Bacon Crackers
• Smoked Shotgun Shells
• Traeger Jalapeno Poppers

What You Will ❤️ About Bacon Wrapped Oreos

• Easy to Make – This sweet & salty treat is easy to make and kinda fun!
• Sweet & Salt – I love the combo of the sweet Oreo with the smoky & salty bacon
• Guilty Pleasure – I mean both are guilty pleasures – lets have them together! The flavor that the bacon brings out of the Oreo was amazing! It all just melted together!

• Oreos – always go for Double Stuff or even Golden Oreos. If you’re making a whole package of Oreos – you’ll need a couple of packages of bacon.
• Bacon – I would go for long “regular” thickness so you can use a half slice of bacon for each Oreo – thick cut are going to take longer to cook.
• BBQ Seasoning – my favorite is Historic BBQ Red – it’s a little sweet & a little smoky
  • You could also sprinkle with a little brown sugar.

How do you Smoke Bacon Wrapped Oreos?

This is so easy! This delicious treat are perfect for any barbecue or your next party!

• Set your Traeger at 225 – you don’t need the pellets to be too full because you’re only smoking for 45 minutes.
• While the Traeger is heating up – get your cookies out!
• Wrap a slice of bacon around each Oreo cookie.
  • If you have center cut bacon, you’ll probably use one slice per cookie. I used regular and cut off about 1/3 of each piece. I saved them for BLTs.
  • As you wrap it around the cookie – no need to hold it together – you’re not flipping the cookies – it will stay folded on top.
• By this point, your smoker should be ready! Before we head out to the grill, sprinkle on your favorite sweet rub seasoning.
• Place Bacon Wrapped Oreos directly on the grill grates – bacon seam-side up.
• Smoke on the Traeger for 45 minutes and your bacon-wrapped delights are ready!!

What are other Bacon Wrapped Delights?

• Bacon Wrapped Scallops
• Bacon Wrapped Taco Stuffed Jalapenos
• Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
• Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Shrimp

More Traeger Bacon Recipes

• Smoked Candied Bacon
• Smoked Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin
• Traeger Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

What You Will ❤️ About Smoked Bratwurst

• Smoky Flavor – The Traeger is perfect for grilling and smoking. This recipe to smoke brats is a bit of a combo of both. We’re not going super low and slow but we’ll still get that smoky flavor infused into the brats!
• Easy Peasy – Throw the brats on the Traeger, turn once and done!
• Variety – there are so many flavors of brats that you can get if you venture out to your local meat market. There’s more than Cheddar & Beer brats – you can get philly cheesesteak brats, mushroom swiss and even pineapple teriyaki!

How to Make Brats on the Traeger

This method for cooking brats on the Traeger infuses them with smoke but you can also turn the temp up on your Traeger to grill them at 375-400º if you’re looking to get them done more quickly. They’ll only take 12-15 minutes or so at that higher temp.

But here’s how to cook them a little more “low and slow”:

1. Turn Traeger on to smoke setting with lid open and let smoke dissipate
2. Set Traeger temperature to 300º
3. Once Traeger is up to temp, lay bratwurst on hot grill grates and close lid for 30 minutes.
4. Open grill and turn brats and cook 30 minutes more.
5. Check with instant read thermometer. Internal temperature of the brats should be 160º. I recommend only check brats once through the end of the brat so you’re not piercing the casing and letting the juices out.
6. Remove and serve with condiments like sauerkraut and mustard! Toast your hot dog buns before serving in the Air Fryer for just 1 minute!

More Traeger Recipes

• Traeger Grilled Pork Chops
• Smoked Stuffed Burgers
• Traeger Smoked Chicken Thighs
• Traeger Chicken Kabobs
• Cheese Stuffed Bratwurst

What to serve with Brats

• Corn Ribs in the Air Fryer
• KFC Coleslaw
• Mexican Macaroni Salad
• 5 Ingredient Mac & Cheese

What You Will ❤️ About Poor Mans Burnt Ends

• Melt In Your Mouth – these bites will literally melt when you eat them!
• More Affordable – a chuck roast isn’t exactly cheap – but it’s a lot less than a whole brisket
• Time Savings – brisket can take 15-24 hours but this is just a 4-5 hour cook!

What kind of meat is used for burnt ends?

Burnt Ends can be traditional or you can have some fun with them – I’ve even seen people use hot dogs to make burnt ends! Here’s some options:

• Brisket Burnt Ends are the traditional way to make burnt ends with a beef brisket
• Pork Butt – you can also use pork to make burnt ends by cooking the butt and then dicing and cooking those “ends” longer – here’s a recipe from Traeger for Pork Butt Burnt Ends to be used in a salad
• Pork Belly – you want a fatty cut of meat and pork belly fits that bill – here’s my recipe for Pork Belly Burnt Ends
• Bologna – heck yeah – why not make burnt ends from a chub of Bologna!

How to make Chuck Roast Burnt Ends on the Traeger

Some folks smoke the chuck roast as a whole piece of meat and then slice into chunks but I decided to smoke the pieces first. The most important thing with smoking is to go by the temperature of the meat and by the taste and feel. Try a piece along the way and its done when YOU love it!

1. Cube your chuck roast into 2” size cubes and place in a bowl.
2. Lather with canola oil and then season generously with Historic BBQ Seasoning or your favorite BBQ seasoning.
3. Place the cubes onto a baking tray with about ½” separation between each cube.
4. Preheat Traeger to 250F. 
5. Place the beef onto the smoker to cook for 1-2 hrs or until internal temperature is 165º. Use an instant read meat thermomer to check the temperature. Be sure to remove the cubes from the smoker and let them rest for a few minutes before testing. They tend to test hotter when they are in the smoker. They’ll begin to soften and develop a good outside bark. 
6. When cubes are 165º internal temperature, move to an aluminum pan. Top with pats of butter and drizzle honey over the top. Cover with aluminum foil. 
7. Place tray in the smoker for an hour. Open foil and add BBQ sauce. Replace foil and smoke and additional 1-2 hours until the temperature of the meat reaches internal temp of 205°F degrees and is very tender. Again – remove foil pan from the Traeger before testing temperature. 
8. When meat reaches 205º internal temperature, remove tray from the smoker. Cover the meat back up and let rest for 30 mins before serving.

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

More Traeger Appetizer Recipes

• Smoked Bologna Burnt Ends
• Traeger Pig Shots
• Smoked Jalapeno Poppers

Traeger Side Dishes

• Smoked Potatoes Au Gratin
• Easy Creamy Traeger Mac & Cheese
• Smoked Green Bean Casserole

More Chuck Roast Recipes

• Dutch Oven Mississippi Pot Roast
• Easy Stove Top Beef & Noodles
• Dutch Oven Barbacoa

What You Will ❤️ About Smoked Bologna Burnt Ends

• Smoky Goodness! I had a hard time not eating all 32 oz of bologna!!! Let me tell you – they are tasty!
• Easy Recipe – This is so easy to make and just kick back and relax while it smokes for an hour!
• Fun Appetizer – Bologna burnt ends are fun little bite sized snacks! The texture on the inside even changes and is so tender but with that yummy smoky flavor!

Recipe Variations for Burnt Ends

You can use lots of kinds of pig and cow for burnt ends. Here are some of my favorites:

• Brisket – Brisket burnt ends were the first I ever got to try and it was at the Historic BBQ truck!
• Pork Belly – I’ve had Pork Belly Burnt Ends at a variety of restaurants and they are just melt in your mouth!
• Hot Dogs – pretty much the same as bologna if you think about it – but I’ve seen it done!
• Chuck Roast – this is next on my list to make – like literally next week! Gives you the idea of brisket without having to make the brisket first!

How to make Traeger Bologna Burnt Ends

This is an easy recipe to make – as are most things on the Traeger – just get it on there and let it smoke! Low and slow – then we’re going to bump it up at the end to set the sauce. Here’s how to make these Smoked Burnt Ends.

1. Using a sharp knife, slice whole bologna into 1.5” cubes
2. Place bologna in a large bowl and toss with mustard and bbq seasoning rub. Heavily coat all sides.
3. Preheat Traeger to 250º and be sure you have enough pellets in the smoker. I recommend Cherry or Hickory for this recipe.
4. Place bologna bites on oven-safe racks fat side up. For 32 oz – I used two racks. Place racks onto the Traeger.
5. Smoke for 1 hour until they have a nice color. Check the temp with your meat thermometer and remove when the bites are 200º.
6. Move bites to a grill skillet or disposable aluminum pan. Raise temp on traeger to 375º. Toss bologna bites with bbq sauce so they are lightly coated like you’re glazing them. 
7. When grill is at temp, place pan back in grill for 10 minutes and then remove and enjoy!

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

More Bologna Recipes

• Fried Bologna in the Air Fryer
• KMart Sub Sandwich

More Fun Snack-Sized Traeger Smoker Recipes

• Smoked Jalapeno Poppers
• Traeger Pig Shots
• Smoked Popper Pickles
• Pork Belly Burnt Ends
• Smoked Bacon Wrapped Oreos

Classic BBQ Sides

• KFC Coleslaw
• Smoked Cheesy Potatoes
• Traeger Baked Beans

What You Will ❤️ About Au Gratin Potatoes

• Cheesy – I love the homemade cheese sauce – with a lot of cheese in the sauce and then some on top – every bite is full of flavor and happiness!
• Easy to Make – making your own sauce is surprisingly easy and the mandolin made slicing this bag of potatoes super quick!
• Holiday Side – if you’re already cranking up the Traeger for holiday ham – you might as well add these potatoes at the same time!

Recipe Variations

You can change up your potatoes with just a couple of steps! Here are a few ideas:

• Scalloped – leave the cheese out of the sauce and just put it on top during the last 30 minutes
• Ham – sprinkle diced ham or layer in some thin sliced ham for a cheesy ham & potato casserole
• Onions – layer thinly sliced onions in with potato slices
• Fresh Herbs – laying fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary on top while the potatoes smoke adds flavor and fragrance and you can remove before serving

How to make Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes

I’ve made a few cheese sauces and this one is just as simple – and really that’s the main work involved with making this. Your whole family will love these cheesy potatoes! Let’s get started:

1. Preheat Traeger to 400°F.
2. Wash potatoes and slice into ⅛” thin slices. 
3. Layer potatoes in stacks around a greased casserole 2.5qt to 3qt dish. You could also use a cast-iron pan but it would need to be larger than a regular skillet.
4. Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add flour and whisk. Cook for 1 minutes. Add garlic, salt and pepper and whisk for 30 sec. 
5. Add half and half and cover. Whisk every 1-2 min until starts to bubble around sides. Then keep lid off and Whisk over medium low heat until thick and bubbly. 
6. Remove from heat and stir in all cream cheese and 1.5 cups cheddar cheese until melted into sauce. 
7. Spoon cheese sauce mixture over potatoes. Cover with foil (sprayed with cooking spray) and place on Traeger for 50 minutes. Your potatoes will be fork tender.
8. Remove foil and add remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Smoke an additional 30 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are cooked. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

What to serve with Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes

• Pork Loin on the Traeger
• Spiral Smoked Ham
• Traeger Smoked Pork Chops

More Holiday Side Dish Recipes

• Smoked Green Bean Casserole
• Creamy Traeger Mac & Cheese
• Smoked Brussels Sprouts