Smoked Chicken Thighs on a Ninja Grill

Smoke chicken thighs on your Ninja Grill with this easy recipe. The meat is super juicy and the skins crisp up great!

If you’re looking for an easy dinner that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, you’re going to love this recipe for smoked chicken thighs cooked on the Ninja Woodfire Grill.

All you have to do is season up the thighs, start the smoker and get cooking. You don’t even need to preheat the grill.

The chicken thighs will be smoked to perfection in just 30 minutes. The meat will be dripping with juices and the skin will be nice and crispy.

Ingredients

• Chicken Thighs: This recipe calls for bone-in chicken thighs with the skin still attached.
• Oil: Vegetable oil, olive oil or avocado oil.
• Chicken Rub: There are many great chicken rubs on the market. You can also make your own dry rub with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and herbs like thyme and oregano.

SUBSTITUTIONS: This dish is super versatile. If you want Latin flavors, use taco seasoning to season the chicken. For Asian smoked thighs, use Chinese five spice. the variations are endless.

See the full recipe card below for servings and a full list of ingredients.

How to smoke chicken thighs on a Ninja Grill

There is no need to preheat the Ninja Woodfire Grill when you’re using the smoker setting. Just insert the grill pan and add pellets to the side box.

1. STEP ONE: Trim away any obvious excess fat from the chicken thighs. Brush them with oil. Then, season both sides liberally with rub.

2. STEP TWO: Set your Ninja Woodfire Grill to the smoker function. Set the temperature to 375F degrees. You will only need 30 minutes of cook time for this recipe, but I set the time to 45 minutes, just to have some cushion.

3. STEP THREE: Add the seasoned thighs to the smoker with the skin side up. Leave some space between them, so they smoke evenly on the sides. There is no flipping required with this recipe. The convection fan will cook the thighs evenly on both sides.

4. STEP FOUR: After 30 minutes, the skin should be crispy and the internal temperature of the meat should be around 195F degrees.

PRO TIP: Technically, chicken is cooked through at 165F degrees. But I like cooking dark meat chicken like thighs to an internal temperature of 195-205F. To measure the temp, insert an instant-read thermometer through the side of the thigh. Be careful not to touch the bone. 

How to serve smoked chicken thighs

If you like saucy chicken thighs, you can brush them with sauce during the last 5 minutes of the cook.

Once the thighs are cooked through, remove them from the grill and pile them on a platter. Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy.

Storage

Store leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. The skin won’t stay crispy, but the meat will still be delicious.

Reheat the meat in the microwave oven or enjoy cold. You can pull the meat from the bone and toss it in a salad or on a quesadilla.