Grilling a whole chicken on a gas grill is easier than it looks. This simple indirect-heat method gives you juicy meat and crispy, golden skin while keeping the chicken intact.
Season it your way—from classic salt and pepper to BBQ—and let the grill do most of the work. You get an impressive dinner without fussy prep or hovering over the flames.
⏱️ Quick Answer: How Long to Grill a Whole Chicken on a Gas Grill
Grill over indirect heat at 350°–400°F until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F and the thighs reach about 185°F.
- A 5-pound whole chicken usually takes 80–90 minutes.
- Smaller chickens will cook a little faster, while larger chickens will take longer.
- Rest for 5–10 minutes before carving.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🤔 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- 🐓 Ingredients
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: Grilling a Whole Chicken on a Gas Grill
- ⏲️ How Long to Grill a Whole Chicken
- 🧂 Seasoning: Classic, BBQ, and More
- 🔥 Gas Grill Setup for Indirect Cooking
- 🍴 How to Serve Grilled Whole Chicken
- ❄️ How to Store Leftovers
- 🍗 More Whole Chicken Recipes
- ⚕️ Food Safety
- 📖The Recipe Card
Featured Comment by Janice :
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"Best. Ever. Why would you ever BBQ a whole chicken any other way? No changes to the recipe. Perfect the way it is. Thanks!!"
🤔 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- What: A whole chicken grilled intact on a gas grill and seasoned your way—from simple salt and pepper to BBQ.
- Why: Indirect heat cooks the chicken evenly without spatchcocking, flipping, or constant attention.
- How: Grill at 350°–400°F over indirect heat, rotate once, and cook until the breast reaches 165°F and the thighs reach about 185°F.
🐓 Ingredients
- Whole chicken: A 4–6-pound chicken cooks most evenly with this method. Larger birds may overbrown before the center is done.
- Butter: Helps the skin brown and become crisp.
- Seasoning: Use coarse salt and black pepper, with optional garlic powder.
- Optional variations: Add rosemary, thyme, or lemon-garlic seasoning, or use a BBQ dry rub.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Grilling a Whole Chicken on a Gas Grill
1. Set up the grill for indirect cooking, with a surface temperature of 350°–400°F in the indirect zone.
2. Prepare the chicken: Pat the chicken dry, truss the legs, and tuck the wings under. Brush with melted butter and season with kosher salt and pepper.
✅ Pro Tip: Trussing pulls the legs toward the center so the chicken cooks more evenly. Use kitchen twine.
3. Start grilling: Place the chicken in the indirect zone with one thigh angled toward the direct heat. Close the lid and grill for 40 minutes.
4. Rotate and finish: Turn the chicken so the other thigh faces the direct heat. Brush with more butter, close the lid, and continue grilling until the breast reaches 165°F and the thighs reach about 185°F.
5. Rest: Let the chicken rest for 5–10 minutes before carving.
👇 For complete step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card, or keep reading for helpful tips and flavor options.
⏲️ How Long to Grill a Whole Chicken
A 5-pound whole chicken usually takes 80–90 minutes over indirect heat at 350°–400°F. Start checking the internal temperature at about 75 minutes. Smaller chickens may finish sooner, while larger chickens will take longer.
Cooking time varies with the chicken’s size and shape, the actual grill-surface temperature, and how often you open the lid. Use the clock to estimate when to check—not to determine doneness.
✅ Pro Tip: The chicken is done when the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F and the thighs reach about 185°F.
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🧂 Seasoning: Classic, BBQ, and More
Brush the chicken with melted butter, then choose your seasoning:
- Classic: Coarse salt, black pepper, and optional garlic powder.
- Herb: Rosemary, thyme, lemon-garlic seasoning, or your favorite poultry blend.
♨️ BBQ Whole Chicken
Replace the salt and pepper with your favorite BBQ dry rub. During the final 10–15 minutes, brush the chicken lightly with BBQ sauce; repeat once if desired. Add sauce only near the end because its sugar can burn.
🔥 Gas Grill Setup for Indirect Cooking
Turn on the burner or burners on one side of the grill and leave the area beneath the chicken unlit. Adjust the active burners to maintain a surface temperature of 350°–400°F in the indirect zone where the chicken will sit.
Gas grills vary, so use a grill-surface thermometer rather than relying only on the thermometer in the lid. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the chicken near the end of cooking.
For more help, see A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill and How To Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking and Low and Slow Cooking.
Optional Wood Smoke
For a light smoky flavor, place wood chips in a smoker box or foil pouch over the active burner. Keep the lid closed and use a mild wood such as apple or hickory.
🍴 How to Serve Grilled Whole Chicken
Serve with Grilled Baby Potatoes, a simple salad, or Grilled Pineapple Slices for something sweet. For two, enjoy part of the chicken for dinner and save the remaining meat for another meal.
❄️ How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Use the leftovers in salads, sandwiches, basic chicken salad or Waldorf Chicken Salad.
🍗 More Whole Chicken Recipes
- Grilled Spatchcock Chicken: A faster grilling method that also works well for half a chicken.
- Oven Baked Whole Chicken: An easy indoor option when grilling is not practical.
⚕️ Food Safety
- Do not rinse raw chicken. It can spread bacteria around your sink and counters. See Why You Should Not Rinse Raw Chicken for more.
- Cook chicken safely. The USDA recommends 165°F in the thickest parts. For better texture, cook the thighs and legs to about 185°F.
- Do not stuff the cavity with food you intend to eat. The stuffing must also reach 165°F, which may overcook the chicken.
- Prevent cross-contamination. Wash your hands before and after handling raw chicken, and refrigerate it below 40°F, away from ready-to-eat foods.
📖The Recipe Card
Grilled Whole Chicken on a Gas Grill
Ingredients
- 5 pounds whole chicken - 4-6 pound range. Bigger will take longer.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste - or seasoning of your choice.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Set up the grill for indirect cooking. Clean and oil the grates. Heat the active burners and adjust them to maintain a surface temperature of 350°–400°F in the indirect zone.
- Remove any giblets, trim excess fat, and pat the chicken dry—do not rinse. Truss the legs and tuck the wings under.
- Melt the butter and brush it over the chicken, reserving some for later. Season with kosher salt and black pepper, or use your preferred seasoning or BBQ dry rub.
- Place the chicken in the indirect zone with one thigh angled toward the direct heat. Close the lid and grill for 40 minutes.
- Rotate the chicken so the other thigh faces the direct heat. Brush with the remaining butter and continue grilling until the breast reaches 165°F and the thighs reach about 185°F.
- Rest for 5–10 minutes before carving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- A 5-pound chicken usually takes 80–90 minutes. Smaller chickens may cook faster, while larger chickens will take longer.
- Chicken size and shape, grill temperature, and opening the lid can affect cooking time. Use internal temperature—not the clock alone—to determine doneness.
- Monitor the grill-surface temperature with a grill thermometer; the thermometer in the hood may not reflect the temperature beside the chicken.
- For BBQ chicken, season with dry rub before grilling. Brush lightly with BBQ sauce during the final 10–15 minutes, repeating once if desired.
- Chicken is safe when the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F. Thighs and legs have better texture at about 185°F.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Originally Published June 11, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and improved organization.
Hilary Silberman says
I just tried this recipe. It turned out great! Thank you!
Hilary
Mary Ann says
I tried this recipe, it came out good! I can’t believe it because usually my grilling doesn’t come out so good. I used your 7-2-2 recipe too, I added onion powder to it & that was great too. I’m so stoked!!
Lily Everett says
I am new to grilling. I have a Dyna-Glo gas grill and a Weber Bluetooth thermometer to monitor the surface heat. I cannot for the life of me get the indirect heat to get up to 350F and stay there, let alone getting anywhere near 400. The only way I am finding that I can keep the temp in the right range is by turning on and off one of the direct burners under the chicken, although I’m having to babysit it and adjust every 5 minutes. 😣 I do live in a semi-windy place, that’s the only thing I can think of that is making it so I cannot, for the life of me, get the indirect heat to be hot enough.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Lily,
Welcome to the blog.
Some grills are harder to control. If you haven't seen it, here is my discussion on grill temperature. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/grill-temperature/ but it does not cover indirect much. You will find more about indirect grilling at https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/set-gas-grill-smoking-low-slow-cooking/.
If those do not help, please let me know your grill model so I may be able to be more specific. A lot will depend on the number and direction of the burners.
Dan
Alison K says
Tip #7 has a typo. Needs to say "brush" not "bush." I will be trying this recipe tomorrow!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Alison,
Thanks for the proofread. It has been that way for 3 years. Fixed.
Enjoy your chicken.
Dan
Allen says
Dear Dan,
Try taking 1 or 2 frozen chickens and place them on the grill with drip pans below for 2 hours. Turn once or twice and brush the natural oils from drip pan onto chicken. The result is absolutely delicious.
Thanks for your wonderful advice and recipe suggestions.
Allen
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Allen,
Welcome to the blog and thanks for the note.
If you asked me before, I would say not to cook the chicken frozen but as long as you are cooking to a final internal temperature, you good as you found out. There are an number of recipes out there for cooking fully frozen turkeys so it does seem reasonable. I do frequently cook fully frozen brisket.
Thanks so much for this report.
Dan
Judy says
Perfection! I added soaked hickory wood chips to a smoke box on the direct heat side of the grill and roasted a 6 lb. chicken in two hours. Delicious! Going to roast another today. Thank you for the great grilling tips on indirect grilling.
Glen Spencer says
Hello Double D no pun intended thank you for that recipe I can now cook a whole chicken on my friends gas grill when I'm house-sitting I'll be coming back and looking for more recipes you take care of brother and God bless keep on cooking
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Glen,
Welcome to the blog and sorry for the delayed response.
I'm so glad you found this recipe useful. It is one I'm fond of since I like simple things.
Have a look around and let me know if you have questions or comments.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Joanne says
This is a great recipe! I have made it at least 8 times and with no changes, exactly as written, and it has always come out moist and flavorful. At first I made it when it was too hot to oven roast, but as it turns out we like it even better than in the oven. Just be sure to oil or use grill pam and to have no flame on the side where the chicken goes. Try it and you will love it too!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Joanne,
Welcome to the blog.
I do love this recipe. It is just odd that it is really this simple.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Matt KM says
Dr Dan: this was a terrific recipe. The amount of detail was impressive and added so much to the recipe (e.g., the drippings, the resting—never think about that for chicken, and the timing being spot on). Really great work. Went w a basic garlic and onion on it. Want to try the 7-2-2 next time.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Matt,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. It is so simple but it is the details that count.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Michael K says
I am so looking forwadd to making this chicken this coming BBQ season. I used to make beer can chicken, but it seems like the lids on gas grills are getting shorter, so I can't stand the chicken up on my current grill. I am also going to look into getting a ThermaQ Blue.
Keep up the good work Dr.
DrDan says
Hi Michael,
I have never had a grill that would handle a chicken standing up. The ThermaQ is just a nice toy and I do love toys. Not required for this recipe.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Barb klaft says
Spent way too much time looking for the recipe because I couldn't get past you talking about your new toy! I didn't want to learn about a thermometer I wanted to learn about a chicken recipe!!!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Barb,
Welcome to the blog.
You do have a point on this one. It is scheduled for a rewrite in a few months. I'm moving it up and will get to it in the next week or so.
I only have a few posts like this and most of that will be gone. There will be jump table to go directly to what you want to know.
So check back in a week or so.
Now, aren't you surprised?
Dan
Jen says
Newbie here to whole chicken and gas grill... my question is may I put it in an aluminum pan and cook on grill as I do oven? I’ve done beer can chicken, which is yummy 😋. Thank you 😊
DrDan says
Hi Jen,
Welcome to the blog.
About a pan... I did not test it that way and believe it may interfere some with the cooking/browning. So I would not do it. This is not a mess like pulled pork. You can try it if you want and be sure to watch the internal temperature to determine when it is done.
Dan
June says
How does it work if you turn the side burners both on and put the chicken in the middle one that are unlit?
DrDan says
Hi June,
The answer... I think it would but have not tried it. The surface temperature in the center of the grill needs to be 350 but the thighs would be pointed to the heat and get some radiant energy. If you try it, watch the internal temperature of the thighs and breasts closely. You also want the legs in the 185 range.
Dan
Jeff says
Hi DrDan,
I'm new to the BBQ game and I found your website looking for recipes and now it's may go-to resource! I've done your ribs and pulled pork, and will be trying out this chicken this weekend. Just wanted to leave a note to say thanks for being so informative and helpful in all of your posts. Your hard work is not unnoticed!
Jeff
Rose says
This may be a silly question, but what do you use to rotate the chicken without dropping it, or burning yourself?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Rose,
Welcome to the blog.
Really it is not an issue. A couple of spatulas and rotate it. To come off the grill, the same or something into the cavity and pick it up. Don't use your hands.
Dan
Steve says
Hi Dr.
I am an avid BBQ nut, I Q everything. I take the chicken after cleaning and rub it with Virgin olive oil, add poultry seasoning,ground black pepper, and Rosemary Sage infused sea salt. Put the bird on the top rack on one side, turn the other side far burner to high, the next to Med and the third to low. No heat on the burner below the bird. Close the lid rotate after 30 mins close the lid and it's done at 50 mins. Never Fails!
DrDan says
Hi Steve,
It is great to know your grill so well. Thanks for the discriptioon.
Dan
Chris says
I love my non-wifi Therma-Q. It is my favorite remote probe thermometer that I own (I also have a DOT, 3 Chef-Alarms, and some others). I'm on the fence about getting one of the wifi ones because I already have 5 perfectly good units, ha ha.
Leslie says
Recipe sounds easy (great for novice grillers) plan on making as soon ask buy a new grill. Any suggestions on best natural gas grills?
DrDan says
Hi Leslie,
Thanks for the note. It is so easy. I just couldn't find instructions anywhere so I just winged it.
I'm on my second natural gas grill. They seem to last forever compared to propane. The propane grills burn hotter (and dirtier). I think since they are more "mass market" they tend to be made cheaper.
My current grill is a Weber with impressive quality. The first was a brand I had never heard of MTD or MDT or something like that. It seemed fine also.
There are grill review sites but really I think most all of those sites are just glorified Amazon link farms and don't trust them. You might check AmazingRibs.com. Meathead, the original owner now has control of it again so I trust it more again.
Dan
Ron says
Great post. I'm a big fan of Thermoworks products. I have two Thermapen thermometers and the pre-bluetooth Chefalarm. Don't know what I'd do without them.
The chicken looks perfect.
DrDan says
Hi Ron,
Yep, it was near perfect, especially considering that the technique was basically just tossing it on the grill and rotate it once.
I "love" all things Thermoworks and this one is a winner.
Dan