Apple-Smoked Greek Lemon & Oregano Whole Chicken

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A whole chicken rubbed with oregano, garlic and lemon zest, then smoked low and slow over apple wood until the skin is bronzed and the meat pulls away from the bone. A cold garlic-dill yogurt spooned over the carved pieces keeps it feeling Greek rather than barbecue-sauce sweet. Eleven ingredients, one long lazy afternoon, almost nothing to do once the lid is down.

Ingredients

• 4 lb whole chicken
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 lemons (1 zested and halved, 1 juiced)
• 3 apple wood chunks (fist-sized)

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

Instructions

1. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking and bring it to a steady 275°F (135°C). Add 2 apple wood chunks once the coals are ashed over, holding back the third; you want thin blue smoke, not thick white.
2. Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels, inside and out. Mix 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder and the zest of 1 lemon, then rub it all over the bird and under the breast skin where you can slide your fingers in.
3. Tuck the 2 zested lemon halves into the cavity and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders so they don't burn.
4. Place the chicken breast-up directly on the grate and smoke at 275°F for 90 minutes without opening the lid. Add the third wood chunk at this point if the smoke has died off, and baste the skin with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil whisked with the juice of the second lemon.
5. Continue smoking 45 to 75 minutes more, until an instant-read thermometer shows 160°F (71°C) in the thickest part of the breast and 175°F (79°C) in the thigh, avoiding bone. Total time is usually 2 to 2.5 hours for a 4 lb bird.
6. While it finishes, stir the Greek yogurt with the grated garlic, dill and a pinch of salt, then chill until serving.
7. Rest the chicken uncovered on a board for 15 minutes; the breast will carry over to a safe 165°F (74°C) and the juices will settle. Carve and serve with the garlic-dill yogurt and any resting juices poured over.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-Pot Chicken Creole

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem