These smoked chicken thighs are cooked in a homemade hot honey sauce to give you melt-in-your-mouth tender, sweet pulled chicken with just a hint of spice.

I think chicken thighs are one of the most underrated cuts of meat for barbecue. They’re quick, they’re forgiving and, unlike other cuts of chicken, they’re incredibly juicy after a couple of hours on the smoker. They’re also really versatile, as shown with these delicious hot honey pulled chicken thighs.

This recipe uses chicken thighs because they give us the juice and fat we need for flavor on the smoker, making the meat much easier to shred. Plus, by going for bone-in and skin-on thighs we get the shreds of smoky chicken skin for extra texture and a depth of flavor that’s hard to beat.

The other star here, of course, is the hot honey sauce. It delivers the perfect amount of sweet and heat, and a bit of tang to cut through the smoke. Made with honey and hot sauce, there’s enough here to cling to the meat without making it too heavy. The chicken is then cooked in essentially a braise of the sauce, sealed in foil so it steams and tenderizes in its own juices, and cooked until fall-apart tender.

This goes great in sandwiches or tacos, but sometimes I just love heaping it on a plate and going at it with a fork. I won’t judge you if you do the same.

Why Chicken Thighs Work So Well

Chicken thighs are perfect for smoked pulled chicken because they contain everything we need for the job. Being from the harder-working muscles of the bird, they contain more fat and connective tissue than, say, chicken breast. This extra fat breaks down and renders over the course of a low-and-slow cook, keeping the meat juicy and infusing it with flavor.

What’s more is that as the thighs slowly cook to higher internal temperatures (around 185-190°F), all that tough connective tissue melts down into silky gelatin. This natural gelatin works its way into the meat, making it incredibly easy to pull apart while still keeping it moist and flavorful. You get tender, juicy strands that practically fall apart on their own.

Quick Tips

Be Gentle with the Honey: The sugar in honey can burn easily so keep the sauce at a gentle simmer in the saucepan, and keep your smoker at a maximum of 275-300°F during the braise.
Don’t Skip the Rest: Even when pulling meat, it’s important to rest it properly to keep the juices as locked in as possible. Once you pull it from the smoker, rest it for at least 15 minutes.
Don’t Shred Too Fine: I like a mix of textures in shredded meat, so try to keep some variation with larger chunks of chicken instead of shredding it all into ultra-fine strands.
Reuse the Sauce: Reserve any leftover honey sauce that’s pooled around the chicken and pour it back over the meat as you shred it. We want as much flavor as possible in there.