Step 1: Prep the Chicken

Place the chicken thighs on a cutting board and clean up any loose or excess skin.

Starting with the back side of the chicken thighs, season evenly with kosher salt. Flip the thighs over and season the tops of the skin with kosher salt.

Allow the seasoned chicken to sit on the board for 10–15 minutes while you fire up the Z Grills pellet smoker.

Step 2: Fire Up the Z Grills

For this cook, I am using oak pellets, but you can use any Z Grills pellets you prefer. Oak, cherry, or your favorite blend will all work great.

Set the Z Grills to the Smoke setting or anywhere between 180°F and 200°F.

Step 3: Smoke the Chicken

Place the chicken thighs on the middle shelf with the skin facing up.
Smoke the chicken for one hour. The goal during this first stage is to get as much smoke flavor on the chicken as possible.

After one hour, check the internal temperature. The chicken should be somewhere around 150°F.

Step 4: Finish Cooking

Increase the temperature of the Z Grills to 350° F-400°F.
Continue cooking the chicken for approximately 15 minutes or until it reaches your desired internal temperature.

Chicken is safe to eat at 165°F, but for pulled chicken, I like to take the thighs closer to 185–190°F. The higher temperature helps render more of the fat and makes the chicken tender and easy to pull.

The total cooking time should be approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, but always cook to internal temperature rather than time.

Step 5: Pull and Chop the Chicken

Remove the chicken thighs from the smoker and place them on a cutting board.

Carefully lift and remove the skin from each chicken thigh. Using a fork, pull the chicken away from the bones.
Once all the meat has been removed, use a chef’s knife to give the chicken a nice, loose chop.

Add your favorite BBQ sauce and continue chopping until the sauce is evenly incorporated throughout the chicken.

Step 6: Build the BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Pile a generous handful of the smoked BBQ pulled chicken onto the bottom half of a sandwich roll.

Top the chicken with a nice handful of creamy coleslaw, then crown it with the top bun.

Finish the sandwich with two pickle slices and secure everything with a toothpick.

Serve immediately and enjoy!