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Grandma's Chicken Grill Style

Grandma's Chicken Grill Style

One of our family traditions modified for baking on the Traeger Pellet grill. These are some of the most moist, tender chicken thighs ever. Grandma used thighs as they were usually the least expensive part of the chicken you could buy.  We manage to get bone-in thighs in family packs for $0.99/lb and boneless, skinless for $1.99/lb.  This could end up being a weekly favorite for you as well. This meal is super easy and takes less than 2 hours start to finish. You can prepare the chicken earlier in the day and keep in the refrigerator until ready to bake. We usually make more than we need as they make excellent left overs the next day.

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INGREDIENTS 
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Chicken Thighs (boneless or bone in) – (5 lbs)
Large Eggs - 4
Italian Bread Crumps – 4 cups
Apple, Alder or Maple Wood (pellets)


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PREPARATION
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  • You need a couple of small bowls and a larger size metal or glass baking dish.
  • Take 1 small bowl and add about 2 cups of the Italian bread crumbs.
  • Take your other small bowl and add the eggs. Mix very well with a whisk or fork.

  • Prepare your baking pan by ideally using a PhatMat non-stick silicone baking mat or if not available, use a non-stick cooking spray to coat all interior surfaces of your pan. Use more than one pan depending on how many chicken thighs you plan on baking.
  • Arrange your bowls and pan into an assembly line with chicken, egg dip, bread crumbs then baking pan last.  This will make it easier and less messy to prepare the chicken.

  • Start with the egg wash. Grab 1 chicken thigh using a fork and dip into the egg wash making sure you coat all surfaces with the egg mix.

  • Next remove the chicken from the egg wash and roll in the bread crumbs. Again make sure all interior and exterior parts are lightly coated with bread crumbs. The trick is to make sure all surfaces are lightly coated – too thick a coating of bread crumbs doesn’t allow the outside of the chicken to properly brown.

  • Remove the chicken from the bread crumbs and arrange in the baking pan. Its best if the chicken has a very small gap between pieces but if you are baking a lot of thighs as we usually do, pieces will and can touch just fine.

  • Once you baking pan is full, either take directly to the grill OR cover with saran wrap and place back in the refrigerator for baking later.

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COOK
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  • Get your smoker going and heat to 350F. For this dish, we prefer Apple, Alder or Maple wood pellets.
  • Place your baking pans directly on the grill grates and close grill.
  • These will bake at 350F until internal temperature hits 170F. This is a bit more than the normal 165F but will not dry out the meat.  Turn once after 30 minutes to ensure browning on both sides of the chicken. It is not mandatory to turn the chicken just personal preference.
  • Check your internal temperature after 60 minutes.  Depending on the size of your chicken thighs you may need 15 or 20 more minutes.  Smaller thighs are usually done at around 60 minutes while larger thighs take 75-80 minutes.
  • Use your Chill Gear gloves to safely remove the pans from the grill.
  • These chicken thighs are ready to serve straight from the grill! Enjoy!!

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