Perfectly Smoked Chicken Breasts – Great for Meal Prep! 

Chicken breasts don’t get a lot of love in the barbecue world. They are known for being dry and a bit bland because of their low-fat content and white meat.

That’s why most folks prefer smoking chicken thighs. But when prepared and smoked correctly, chicken breasts can be incredibly moist and flavorsome.

These make for a great, easy dinner and are ideal for meal prepping. You can whip up a batch of smoked chicken breasts in just about 1½ hours. They will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days and can be used in various recipes throughout the week.

Smoked Chicken Breasts

If you want tender, juicy chicken breasts, then this recipe is the way to go. Smoking them at a low temperature (250°F) will keep the breasts moist and add a touch of smoke flavor.

Some people claim that 225°F is better, but I’ve never found a difference other than taking a little longer to cook.

This recipe may well change the way you look at chicken breasts forever. 

Ingredients you’ll need 

• Chicken breasts – I like to buy bulk packs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts at the grocery store. If you want smoke skin-on breast you will need to increase the temperature over 300°F to avoid rubbery skin.
• Seasoning – just about any seasoning works for these smoked chicken breasts. I typically keep it simple with a bit of salt and pepper so that I can use the chicken in other recipes throughout the week, but you can also use your favorite BBQ rub or poultry seasoning. 

Equipment you’ll need

• Smoker or pellet grill – I like to use my Traeger Ironwood XL pellet grill for this recipe, but any smoker or charcoal grill will work fine. Just make sure it can maintain a steady temperature of 250°F for at least 1½ hours. 
• Pellets or wood – any type of wood or pellets will work. I used Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ pellets, a blend of oak, hickory, and cherrywood. They add a wonderful, balanced smoke flavor to the meat. You can use any wood or pellets that you prefer, depending on the flavor you are going for. 
• Tongs 
• Knife
• Instant-read Thermometer – the key to a great smoked chicken breast is the internal temperature. You want to bring them to 165°F so that they are safe to eat, but you don’t want to overcook them because they will dry out quickly. I use my Thermoworks Thermapen for smoking chicken breasts and it ensures I get perfectly cooked chicken every time. 

Should you brine chicken breasts before smoking?

Because chicken breast is very lean and prone to drying out during cooking, many grillers choose to brine it first. I haven’t done it for this particular recipe, but brining is a great technique if you wish to use it. 

The purpose of the brine is to inject as much moisture into the breast to keep it as succulent as possible while smoking and to add some extra flavor.

It is essentially salted water to which you add sugar to balance out the saltiness. You can then start adding additional flavors to the brine. Anything that you feel will complement the protein being brined is a great addition

How to brine chicken breasts

1. To make the brine, add 6 tbsp Kosher salt, ½ a cup brown sugar, ¼ a cup soy sauce, 1 lemon, cut in half, juice squeezed out, 4 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 tsp chili flakes, and 2 cups of water to a large pot.
   
   Warm over a high heat until the sugar and salt are dissolved, then remove from the heat. Add 6 cups of cold water and allow it to cool completely.
   
2. Add the chicken breasts to the brine and refrigerate for a minimum of four hours or up to 12 hours.

An alternative method is the dry brine, where you sprinkle plenty of Kosher salt over each breast, and then leave uncovered in the fridge overnight.

How to make Smoked Chicken Breasts

1. Fire up the smoker

Preheat your smoker to 250°F. 

For this recipe, I used my Traeger Ironwood XL pellet grill. I love this grill for recipes like this because it maintains a steady temperature and cooks the chicken evenly. It also adds a great, smoky flavor to the chicken. You can use any pellet grill, smoker, or charcoal grill for this recipe as long as it can maintain a steady temperature of 250°F for at least 1½ hours. 

I use the Bear Mountain BBQ Gourmet BBQ pellets for smoked chicken. It’s a blend of Oak, Hickory, and Cherrywood. 

2. Prep the chicken 

Most chicken breasts at the grocery store don’t require trimming. However, if you find bits of fat along the edges of the breasts, you may want to trim those parts off. 

If you want thinner breasts for your meal prep, you can also butterfly the chicken breasts by slicing them down the middle into two pieces.

I prefer to keep the breasts whole so that they don’t dry out as quickly. If you make them smaller, keep in mind that the thinner your chicken is, the quicker it will cook, so it’s important to keep an eye on the temperature. 

3. Season 

As I mentioned above, I like to keep it simple with a 1:1 ratio of salt and pepper so that I can use the chicken in all types of recipes throughout the week.

If you want more BBQ flavor, you can use your favorite BBQ rub or any poultry seasoning (like our smoked turkey rub). 

4. Smoke your chicken breasts 

Once your smoker is preheated, place the chicken breasts directly on the grates for about 30 minutes. 

At this point, I like to flip the chicken to get even grill marks on both sides of the breasts. The bit of char adds a wonderful flavor. 

Once you’ve flipped your chicken, you want to let them smoke for another 30-45 minutes. Chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165°F. I like to pull it off around 160°F and let it rest for five minutes; the chicken still cooks during this time and will reach 165°F, ensuring perfectly cooked chicken breast. 

I highly recommend an instant-read thermometer. I use the Thermoworks Thermapen, which takes an accurate temperature in less than a second. 

5. Serve or store 

Once your chicken hits 165°F you can serve it immediately alongside your favorite BBQ side dishes, on top of a salad, or inside a sandwich or taco.

For meal prepping, you can store the chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to five days. Be sure to let it cool for 15-20 minutes before placing it in the fridge. 

More smoked chicken recipes to try

• Smoked Chicken Thighs
• Smoked Chicken Maryland
• Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
• Smoked Orange and Herb Roast Chicken
• Whole Smoked Chicken on a Pellet Grill

Smoked Chicken Breast Recipe

The key to perfectly smoked chicken breasts every time is to maintain a consistent, low temperature in your smoker and use an instant-read thermometer or probe to ensure that you remove the breasts at exactly 160°F.