Smoked Chicken Breast
A brine, a rub, a glaze and a low and slow cook ensures a tasty, succulent and tender chicken breast every time.
Servings 4
Calories 891kcal
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts 0.8lbs each
- 7 oz butter unsalted
Brine Ingredients
- 2 quarts water
- 6 tbsp Kosher salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 lemon juice and rind
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tsp chili flakes
Rub Ingredients
- 4 tbsp paprika
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp Kosher salt
- 2 tbsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp mustard powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
Glaze Ingredients
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ⅓ cup butter melted
Instructions
Wet Brine
- Put all the wet brine ingredients into a saucepan, only using 1 to 2 cups of the water and leaving the rest aside for now.
- Heat over a high heat until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
- Once cooled, add to a container with the rest of the water that was put aside.
- Add the chicken breasts to the brine and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 12.
The next day
- Set up your smoker for a temp of 275°F.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
- Mix all the dry brine ingredients together and apply an even coat over each chicken breast.
- Allow the rub to sit on the chicken for 30 minutes to bind before placing in the smoker.
- Place in the smoker and insert an internal temp probe and set it to 130°F.
- Add all the the glaze ingredients together in a saucepan and place into the smoker with the chicken.
- Once the chicken reaches 130°F internally, remove the glaze from the smoker. Put the chicken in a foil tray and add they butter. Cover the tray with foil and return to the smoker and set a timer for 155°F.
- Once the chicken reaches 155°F internally, remove from the butter bath and place on a wire rack.
- Add some butter to the glaze in the pot, mix well and cover each breast with the glaze.
- Return to the smoker and set an internal temp of 162°F.
- Once the internal temp reaches 162°F, remove from the smoker and cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes of resting the internal temp will be 165°F and the chicken is ready to eat.
To Serve
- with salad
- with steamed Asian vegetables
- with standard BBQ sides; slaw, cornbread and mac n cheese
Nutrition
Calories: 891kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 60g | Saturated Fat: 36g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 220mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 2282IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 3mg