Our homemade Smoked Buttermilk Fried Chicken is going to officially blow your mind. Fried chicken lovers don’t know what they’re missing until they’ve tried chicken that’s been smoked before hitting the oil. I love doing chicken this way, and so will you when you bite in!

Smoked Buttermilk Fried Chicken

In the beginning, there was a chicken. Not an egg. That would be a different recipe. In this recipe, we take your traditional fried chicken two steps further and brine it in buttermilk overnight before letting it hit the smoker for several hours until the chicken is smoked and cooked. Then, the chicken gets refrigerated before hitting the breading mixture and frying it to golden brown, crispy, and perfect chicken.

You get another layer of flavor when you add smoke to the mix, and your chicken is easier to fry because the meat is already cooked. You only need to crisp up that breading, and you’ll bite into perfectly cooked chicken before you know it!

More Easy Traeger Recipes here!

Smoked Fried Chicken shopping list

Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here’s the list of items you’ll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Chicken pieces
• Buttermilk
• Hot sauce
• Salt
• Granulated garlic
• Pepper
• Flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Onion powder
• Cayenne pepper
• Mustard powder
• Ground thyme
• Paprika
• Eggs
• Whole milk
• Peanut oil
• Butter

More Chicken Recipes to enjoy!

How to make Smoked Fried Chicken

This is just the overview so you can see what you’re actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

Try our Smoked and Fried Chicken Wings too!

Tips for great fried chicken

When you get to the frying portion of this recipe, keep in mind a few of these tips for getting the fry just right.

Fry at a higher temp than you normally would cook fried chicen

Of course, this is a bit different than regular fried chicken. With buttermilk smoked chicken, your chicken is almost cooked already. Therefore, you can use a slightly higher temperature to brown up the batter coating.

Ordinarily, you fry chicken at about 335°. However, you can fry at 350° with smoked chicken since you don’t need as much time in the oil. The meat is already cooked. Getting the batter nice and brown without overcooking the meat is the goal.

Don’t skimp on the brine time

If you can, let the meat brine in the buttermilk brine for two whole days. It is worth the wait.

Use the right oil

Make sure to use the right oil for the job. Oils with higher burn points like peanut, avocado, and canola oil work best.

Drain on a rack

When you pull pieces out of the oil, don’t set them on a plate or paper towel. Set them on a wire rack above a baking sheet. That way, the steam escapes without getting the crunchy batter exterior soggy. It also permits all the excess oil to drip off quickly and easily.

You get a nice piece of fried chicken all around!

Keep warm in the oven

Keep the pieces of fried smoked chicken in the oven at 225°F. It will keep the chicken warm enough while you cook the rest. The exterior will stay crispy too.

Double-dredge your chicken and use highly seasoned flour. If you want a bit of kick, then add some cayenne powder into the flour along with salt and pepper. The double dredge technique gives you extra crispy chicken.

Put the smoked chicken into flour, then through the egg wash, back into the seasoned flour. Then, do it all over again.

Try our Crispy Smoked Chicken Thighs too!

What are the best sides to serve with fried chicken?

You put the effort into making phenomenal buttermilk batter fried smoked chicken. So, naturally, you will need some perfect sides to accompany it!

This Smothered Green Beans recipe is perfect next to a plate of fried chicken! A big scoop of Traeger Mac and Cheese would add some creamy cheesiness to the mix, too. It plays off of the crunch of the chicken really well! This Coleslaw recipe is one of our favorites and one of the most popular BBQ sides on the site! People rave about it every time we bring it! Another classic side for fried chicken is this Classic Potato Salad recipe. So delicious (and simple!)