• Preheat pellet smoker to 250℉

Prepare Chicken

• Run the entire chicken under cold water in the sink. Then, place the chicken on a cutting board covered with paper towels and pat dry.
• Next, you'll remove the backbone. To do this, flip the bird back side up and carefully, using a sharp pair of kitchen shears or sharp knife, begin cutting down the side of the spine about 3/4" offset from the center. Once you get to the hip joints, carefully move the legs as you cut.
• Once one side has been cut, then cut the other side of the backbone removing it from the chicken.
• Once the spine of the chicken has been removed, flip the bird back over breast side up. You'll need to press down firmly on the top of the breast to break the wishbone. This allows the bird to lay flat.

Season the Chicken

• In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter.
• Once melted, slowly pour the melted butter over the prepared chicken rubbing it all over the skin. The butter will start firming back up from the temperature of the chicken, so be careful not to remove any of the solid butter.
• After the chicken has been fully buttered, squeeze the lemon juice over it covering most of the chicken.
• Then sprinkle the chicken with the herbs, salt, and pepper.

Smoke the Chicken

• In a pre-heated pellet grill (such as a Pit Boss or Traeger), place the chicken on the grill grates skin side up. Be sure to keep the chicken legs laid flat and the wings can be tucked to help everything cook evenly.
• Insert a thermometer probe into the thickest part of the breast and close the grill lid.
• Monitor the chicken occasionally, it is fully cooked once the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees f. Cooking time can vary, depending on the size of the chicken. For a 4.5 lb chicken, it typically takes 55 minutes to fully cook.
• Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from grill and place on a sheet pan and let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.