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.
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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.
What to Serve with Grilled Chicken
Recommended Products
- One 15 fl oz bottle of Wish-Bone Zesty Robusto Italian Dressing
- Brings bold flavor to your favorite dishes
- Made with the signature Wish-Bone recipe, garlic and oregano
- Contains no high fructose corn syrup and made without artificial preservatives or flavors
- Zesty Italian salad dressing adds exciting flavor to pasta salad, marinades, fresh greens and more
- CHAMPIONSHIP BBQ SAUCE – The sauce duo was developed and is used by our award winning Killer Hogs Championship BBQ team.
- HIGHEST RATED SAUCE – We've been making these sauces for over 10 years, shipping tens of thousands across the United States, and satisfying professional pit masters, amateurs, backyard BBQ enthusiasts, chefs, and everyone in between
- DESIGNED FOR CONSISTENT RESULTS – We developed these sauces so you don't have to worry about getting the perfect flavor at your BBQ. This Sauce duo provides a consistent and delicious flavor you can count on time and time again
- NO RISK AND NO HASSLE – For almost a decade, we have been delighting customers. If you are not satisfied with your purchase of any Killer Hogs product, please contact us and we'll gladly refund your money. That's it – no questions, no hassle, no risk.
- MADE IN THE USA – We pride ourselves in manufacturing all our products in the USA using the highest quality ingredients
About The Author
Z Grills
Z Grills is a grill manufacturer with over 30 years of experience within the industry. With over 650,000 pellet grills sold and 85 million cooks made, trust us.
