This recipe works best with a spatchcock chicken. You can buy one at some grocery stores (like Wegmans) or you can spatchcock the chicken yourself. Alternatively you can use a whole chicken cut into the typical 8 pieces.

• Brine
  • ½ cup salt
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
  • Pepper
• 1 spatchcock chicken (or a whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces)
• Rub
  • Meat Church: Honey Hog BBQ Rub
  • Just Spices: Chicken Allrounder
  • Traeger: Fin & Feather Rub

• Brine (optional, but recommended - at least 4 hours): dissolve the salt, sugar, and vinegar in cold water, submerge the chicken, weigh it down with a small plate, and refrigerate the whole time
• Apply your favorite rub
• Smoke for ≈1 ½ hours at 350°F, until internal temperature ≈170°F
• Rest for 20 minutes

While I really like using a smoker, this can also be done in an oven or on a grill. This would need a large enough roasting pan to hold a spatchcock chicken or you can cut up the chicken into the typical 8 pieces and use a smaller roasting pan. Never cook by time, always use a good thermometer (like the Thermapen ONE) to measure the internal temperature.