How to Grill Chicken on a Pellet Grill

Grilled chicken is good, and chicken that grilled on a pellet grill is great. With a fast cook time, a delicious smokey flavor, and juicy meat, this pellet grilled chicken is sure to be a family favorite at the cookout every time.

How to Grill Chicken on a Pellet Grill

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Grilling Chicken on a Pellet Grill: The Basics

If you want to dive into the world of grilling chicken on a pellet smoker, here’s what you need to do. First, let’s cover the basics.

Choose Your Chicken

When making grilled chicken on a pellet grill, you first need to decide which cut of meat to make. Here, we’ll cover:

Choose Your Marinade

Although the pellets from your grill will give your chicken a smokey flavor, you don’t want to skip the marinade. Here are some of our favorite simple grilled chicken marinades:

Italian dressing
BBQ sauce
Buffalo sauce
Olive oil and basil, thyme, or rosemary
Ginger soy sauce glaze
Dijon mustard

When learning how to grill chicken on a pellet grill, a good marinade is essential.

How to Grill Chicken Breasts on a Pellet Grill

Chicken breasts are the most commonly grilled cut of poultry, thanks to their dense white meat. They’re easy to keep moist and are commonly sold skin-on and skin-off. Grilling a chicken breast on a pellet grill will yield a juicy, smoked cut of meat.

How to Grill Chicken Thighs on a Pellet Grill

Chicken thighs are a happy medium since they have less meat than a breast but more than a leg. They also have a relatively high-fat content, which means they have great flavor. They’re usually sold boneless and skinless, and chicken thighs are the clear choice if you care more about taste than presentation. You can check out our grilled chicken thighs recipe.

How to Grill Chicken Legs on a Pellet Grill

Also referred to as drumsticks, chicken legs have a small, thin bone running through them. This dark meat has a high-fat content and bone density, which means it takes longer to cook.

How Long to Grill Chicken on a Pellet Grill

When cooking on a pellet grill, there are many factors that might affect your cook time. So, use this information as a general guide rather than a strict bible. This guide gives you easy step-by-step instructions for cooking chicken breasts, thighs, legs, and wings. If you’re concerned about your chicken being overcooked, you can check out our How to tell if chicken is done article.

How Long to Grill Chicken Breast on a Pellet Grill

Preheat your pellet grill to 425-450 °F.
Cook for 9-12 minutes, flipping halfway.
Heat until the chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 165 °F.
Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes.

How Long to Grill Chicken Thighs and Legs on a Pellet Grill

Preheat your pellet grill to 400 °F.
Cook boneless thighs for 15-20 minutes and bone-in thighs for 35 minutes.
Heat until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F.
Allow the chicken thighs to rest for 5 minutes.

How Long to Grill Chicken Wings on a Pellet Grill

Preheat your pellet grill to 375 °F.
Cook chicken wings for 10-15 minutes on each side (for a total of 20-30 minutes).
Heat until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F.
Remove wings from your pellet grill and immediately toss in a sauce or rub.
Allow wings to rest in the sauce for 10 minutes before serving.

Further reading: Smoking times and temperatures chart

Final Thoughts: Z Grills Grilled Chicken

Cook the best grilled chicken you’ll ever have with a Z Grills pellet smoker. With smokers and grills for every experience level, Z Grills can help you can stun your guests with phenomenal smoked food at every cookout.