Smoked Chicken Thighs with Apple Cranberry Sauce

The flavor of these chicken thighs is out of this world! The first time I made these I only did 2 lbs of thighs and my family gobbled them up and wanted more. They were so good I still think about that flavor.  This is the first smoked chicken recipe that has worked awesome for me.

Chicken Ingredients

4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup chicken rub

Sauce Ingredients
2 cups cranberries
1 tsp fresh or 1/4 tsp dried orange zest
1/3 cup orange juice
2/3 cup sugar
1 granny smith apple, diced

Directions

1. Salt and rub chicken thighs at least 2 hours before you start cooking. When ready to start cooking, rub the thighs with the chicken rub until fully covered. 

2. Preheat smoker to 200°F. Roll thighs tightly and place into smoker for 30 minutes.

3. Raise the smoker temperature to 440°F and smoke until the internal temperature is 162-165°F, which takes about 40 minutes for me. 

4. While thighs are smoking, prepare the sauce by placing all the sauce ingredients into a saucepan. 
Bring to boil and then simmer for 8-12 minutes until cranberries have popped. Cool completely before serving.
5. Pull thighs off the smoker when their internal temperature is 162-165°F and let sit for 5 min before serving. Serve with sauce poured on top.

Serves 4-6

Pre-Wait time: 2 hrs-overnight Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 1 hr 15 min Total time: 3 hrs 25 min