Grilling a whole chicken on a gas grill doesn’t need fancy prep or spatchcocking. Just season, brush with butter, and cook it using indirect heat. You’ll get juicy meat and crispy skin—no cutting required.
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- 🐓 Ingredients
- 👨🍳Quick Overview: Grilling a Whole Chicken Without Spatchcocking
- ⏲️ How Long to Grill a Whole Chicken
- 🧂 Seasoning Options
- 🔥 Grill Setup for Indirect Cooking
- 🍗 Related Recipes
- 🌡️ Recommended Thermometers
- 🍴 How to Serve Grilled Whole Chicken
- ❄️How to Store Leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- ⚕️Food Safety
- 📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
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!!"
🧡 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No spatchcocking needed: Skip the scissors—this method keeps the bird whole and simple.
- Golden skin, juicy meat: Indirect heat cooks both white and dark meat perfectly—tender inside, beautifully browned outside.
- Beginner-friendly grilling: No flipping or fussing. Just set it and let the grill do the work.
- Flavor your way: Use basic salt and pepper, a BBQ rub, or your favorite herb blend.
🐓 Ingredients
- Whole chicken (4–6 pounds): A good size for even cooking. Larger birds may overbrown before fully cooked.
- Butter (melted): For browning and crisp skin.
- Seasoning: Coarse salt and black pepper. Garlic powder is a nice touch but optional.
- Optional: Add dried herbs or a BBQ dry rub for extra flavor.
Required equipment: Grill surface thermometer and an instant-read thermometer—don’t guess on temps.
👨🍳Quick Overview: Grilling a Whole Chicken Without Spatchcocking
1. Set-up the grill
Prepare your grill for indirect cooking. Aim for a surface temperature of about 400°F in the indirect zone.
2. Prepare and season the chicken
Clean, trim, and pat dry the chicken—do not rinse. Truss the legs and tuck the wings under. Brush with melted butter and season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. We also like to add garlic powder.
✅Pro Tip: Trussing (tying the legs together) pulls them toward the center, helping the chicken cook more evenly. Use kitchen twine—it’s made for this job.
3. Grilling the chicken
Grilling Part 1:
Place the chicken on the grill with one thigh angled toward the direct heat. Close the lid and leave it alone for 40 minutes.
Grilling Part 2:
At 40 minutes, rotate the bird so the other thigh faces the heat. Brush with more butter, close the lid, and continue grilling until the breast reaches 165°F.
4. Rest
Let the chicken rest for 5–10 minutes before carving to keep the juices in the meat.
✅ Pro Tip: Cutting too soon lets juices run out. Letting it rest makes every slice juicier.
👇For complete step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the printable recipe card or keep reading for tips, flavor options, and serving suggestions.
⏲️ How Long to Grill a Whole Chicken
A 5-pound whole chicken will take about 80 minutes to grill over indirect heat at 400°F on a gas grill. Times will vary depending on grill setup and bird size. Pellet and charcoal grills work just as well—if you have room for true indirect cooking and can hold the heat steady.
A spatchcocked (butterflied) chicken will cook in about half the time, thanks to the flatter shape.
✅ Pro Tip: The chicken is safe to eat at 165°F in the thickest parts, but aim for 185°F in the thighs for the best texture. Always use a thermometer—guessing leads to dry or undercooked chicken.
🧂 Seasoning Options
Classic butter, garlic, and salt work beautifully—but chicken is a blank canvas. Add herbs, a BBQ rub, or spice it up your way.
More seasoning ideas:
Rosemary, thyme, lemon-butter blends, or my All-Purpose Seasoning Salt are all solid choices.
♨️ BBQ Whole Chicken
Use a BBQ dry rub like Memphis or Chipotle. Brush with butter, season generously, and serve with your favorite BBQ sauce.
🔥 Spicy Rotisserie-Style
For bold flavor, try this spicy rub after brushing with butter:
- 4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp each: black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme
- 2 tsp paprika and sugar
- Optional: ¼–½ tsp cayenne for heat
🔥 Grill Setup for Indirect Cooking
With indirect grilling, only part of the grill surface is over an active burner (direct side), and the other part (the indirect side) has the burners turned off. This setup gives you the gentle, even heat needed for whole chicken.
Gas grills vary, so check your model. You’ll want a surface temp of 350° to 400°F in the indirect zone. 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.
🌲 Using Wood Chips for Smoke (Optional)
- Want a touch of smoky flavor? Add wood chips over the direct heat side.
- Keep the lid closed to trap the smoke during cooking.
- Use a smoker box, foil pouch, or a dedicated tray if your grill has one.
- Hickory and applewood pair great with chicken.
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🍗 Related Recipes
Once you’ve mastered whole chicken on the grill, try more bone-in favorites:
- Oven Baked Whole Chicken – No grill? This is your go-to for indoor roasting.
- Grilled Chicken Legs – Juicy and flavorful with crispy skin.
- Grilled Bone-in Chicken Thighs – Easy to season and quick to grill.
- Grilled Split Chicken Breasts – Tender white meat without drying out.
If you are interested in the Spatchcock technique of flattening and cooking a whole chicken, check out my easy recipe. This will also work well if you want to grill half a chicken.
🌡️ Recommended Thermometers
You can make this work with a grill surface thermometer and an instant-read thermometer—but a two-probe remote thermometer makes it easier. You’ll keep an eye on both grill temp and meat temp without opening the lid or playing guessing games.
🔧 DrDan Tip: Never trust your grill’s built-in thermometer. It’s often off by 50°F or more.
Affiliate Disclosure:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I also earn from other affiliate programs. These links help support the site—but they won’t affect your price.
Smoke™ by Thermoworks™
Thermapen™ One from Thermoworks™
ThermoPro TP19 Instant Read Thermometer
CDN Grill Surface Thermometer
These are examples of what I use, but many other great options are available at Amazon or your local big box store.
🍴 How to Serve Grilled Whole Chicken
Let the chicken rest for 5–10 minutes before carving—this helps the juices redistribute so every bite stays moist.
Serve it up with simple sides like Stovetop French Fries, Grilled Baby Potatoes, a side salad, or Grilled Pineapple Slices for something sweet.
❄️How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container—refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Cold slices are great on salads, or repurpose them into basic chicken salad or Waldorf Chicken Salad for a quick meal.
❓FAQs
Resting helps juices reabsorb into the meat after cooking. Skip it, and you’ll lose that moisture all over your cutting board.
Aim for 165°F in the thickest part of the breast for food safety. Always use a thermometer—don’t trust guesswork or grill timers.
Thighs are tougher cuts and become tender at around 185°F. In this method, they’re angled toward the hotter side of the grill, so they cook faster—and benefit from some extra radiant heat. That lets them hit the ideal temp without overcooking the breast meat.
⚕️Food Safety
Don’t rinse raw chicken—it spreads bacteria around your sink and counters. See Why Not to Rinse Raw Chicken? for more.
The USDA recommends an internal temp of 165°F in the thickest parts for safe chicken. For best texture, aim for 185°F in the thighs and legs.
Don’t stuff the cavity with anything that will be eaten. It must also reach 165°F, which usually means the rest of the bird ends up overcooked.
Always wash your hands before and after handling raw chicken, and store it below 40°F—well away from ready-to-eat foods.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Grilled Whole Chicken Without Spatchcocking
Ingredients
- 4 pound 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
- Start with setting up your grill for indirect cooking. Clean and oil the grates. Turn the burners that will be on to full heat and watch the grill's surface temperature. Aim for 350° to 400° in the indirect area—adjust the burners as needed.
- Clean, trim, and pat dry the chicken—do not rinse. Be sure to remove any giblets.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the microwave and brush all sides of the bird. Save the remainder for brushing the bird during the rotation on the grill. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. We use my All-Purpose Seasoning Mix, which has salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Place on the grill with indirect heat, angling one thigh and the leg to the direct heat side. Close the lid, and don't touch it for 40 minutes.
- Rotate the bird at 40 minutes angling the other thigh towards the heat. Give it a brush of butter and continue grilling until the internal temperature of the breast is 165°.
- Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- A good estimate of cooking time is 15-20 minutes per pound. But there is also variability due to the difference between grills.
- I suggest a 4-6 pound chicken. You can try bigger, but the skin may get overdone.
- Getting the grill set up correctly is the key to doing this right the first and every time.
- The grill surface temperature and the internal temperature of the chicken must be monitored. Remote monitoring is suggested but not required.
- Never trust a grill hood thermometer, and never cook by time alone.
- If you want BBQ whole chicken, use a dry rub to season.
- The minimum safe internal temperature for chicken is 165°. Aim for that in the middle of the breast. You will want to have the thighs or legs in the 185° range if you can.
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 a table of contents to help navigation.
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