Pulled chicken ..thighs or whole

[kdfiter]

I've been searching the forum and couldnt find what most people use for large amounts of pulled chicken.. thighs or whole chicken

 

[Preacher Man]

Whole. I'm about to post my pulled chicken cook from this past weekend.

 

[Bigtank]

I like thighs it's easier to keep them consistent and juicy.

 

[Preacher Man]

Here's that thread. You'll see in it how I kept the juiciness intact even with the breast by using the last 20º of IT to catch the escaping juices.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pulled-chicken-tacos.283373/

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Definitely whole yardbirds as opposed to thighs. And as Preacher Man said above, brine them.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

I did thighs one time and wasn’t too impressed. Actually turned out kind of dry but could have been because of user error and too many beers.

Hoping to try whole birds for pulled chicken soon. Did a brined smoked spatchcocked turkey for thanksgiving and it was 10x better than the fried one I did.

 

[chopsaw]

I've been searching the forum and couldnt find what most people use for large amounts of pulled chicken.. thighs or whole chicken

Maybe I'm to late . This is what I did . Whole bird injected with the veggie stock cure mixture . Smoked , rested and shredded .

This is the bird broke down . Legs , thighs and the breast meat .
Stock and cure gives it some color .

Makes a great sandwich .

 

[chef jimmyj]

For me, 99% of the time I use Thighs for eveything containing chicken. The dish, Pulled or otherwise has a consistent texture. Pulled Breast meat like pulled Porkloin has a drier mouthfeel compared to Thighs and Pork Butt. In the long run Price dictates what choice I make. I am not opposed to using either. In area markets, Thighs are usually cheaper, than whole birds, and on sale much more frequently. We like whole 8 lb birds roasted or smoked then carved, 4 lb Fryer/Broilers for Fried Chicken...JJ

 

[kdfiter]

For me, 99% of the time I use Thighs for eveything containing chicken. The dish, Pulled or otherwise has a consistent texture. Pulled Breast meat like pulled Porkloin has a drier mouthfeel compared to Thighs and Pork Butt. In the long run Price dictates what choice I make. I am not opposed to using either. In area markets, Thighs are usually cheaper, than whole birds, and on sale much more frequently. We like whole 8 lb birds roasted or smoked then carved, 4 lb Fryer/Broilers for Fried Chicken...JJ

When you do your thighs do you chop and mix skins in with the your pulled chicken..I watched a show where the restaurant takes all the skins after smoking then crisps them up in the oven then chops and mixes

 

[chef jimmyj]

I remove the skin and Crisp them but salt them and serve like cracklin's. Even crisp, a few minutes in the pulled chicken and sauce, makes them soft again. The family does not like the texture...JJ

 

[DanMcG]

Ya do the cracklin in the oven or fryer JJ, I might try the new air fryer.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Either works but I usually use the convection oven, 400 unail done. Air Fryer would probably do a good job...JJ