Smoked Chicken Breast yields a flavourful, juicy, and tender bite. If you have ever made Chicken breasts on the Pellet Grill before and found it too dry or chewy don't give up just yet - this recipe is the answer to your problems. The key to achieving this is brining the chicken, smoking low and slow and then finishing it high. This recipe is for a boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Ingredients
- Chicken
- Water
- Salt
- Oil
- BBQ Rub
How to Make Brined Smoked Chicken Breast
- Soak Chicken in Water-Salt Mixture for 30 minutes
- Pat dry with a paper towel
- rub with oil, season with dry rub
- Smoke at 225F until an internal temperature of 130F
- Increase Grill Temperature to 400F, brush on bbq sauce, cook to an internal temperature of 160F
- rest to reach 165F and serve.
Brine vs Marinade
Brine - For Moisture. Salt + Water
Marinade - For Flavour. Acid, Spices, Sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions
most fruit trees (apple, cherry) are great as well as maple, pecan and hickory
I find following brining steps is still a good idea, but to truly get a crunch on the skin, you should either sear the skin before or after smoking with a frying pan. OR place the breast on the outer perimeter of your target grill so the flames can get to it. If you have a pit boss you can open the heat deflector to open to crisp up the skin.
at 225F it takes 1 hour
Dishes to Serve with Smoked Chicken Breast
- Apple Walnut Spinach Salad
- Roast Potatoes in a Slow Cooker
- Roasted Ranch Potatoes
- Smoked Carrots with Honey Garlic Glaze
Smoked Chicken Breast
Equipment
- 1 pellet grill
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breasts Boneless Skinless
Brine
- 4 Cups Water
- ¼ Cup Table Salt
Seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
- 2 Tablespoons BBQ Rub Low Sodium. I use Traeger Fin & Feather
- 2 Tablespoons BBQ Sauce I use Diana's Chicken and Rib
Instructions
Brine
- Add Salt and Water to a 9x13" dish or container with a lid. Disolve the Salt into the water by whisking vigorously. Place all four chicken breasts into the water. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Prep the Grill
- Add Preferred wood Chips to the hopped of your pellet grill. I like maple or apple best for chicken. Pecan and Hickory are other popular woods to use.
- Turn the temperaure setting to 225°F
Season
- Remove the Chicken Breasts from the brine and discard the brine.
- Use a paper towel to remove all the surface moisture from the chicken.
- Evenly distribute the cooking oil to all sides of each chicken breast.Evenly distribute the rub to each side of chicken breast.
Smoke
- Insert your temperature probe into one of the chicken breasts. Place the chicken breasts directly onto the grill. Smoke until an internal temperature of 130°F is reached.
Cook
- Brush all sides of the chicken breast with your BBQ sauce.
- Increase the temperature of the grill to 400°F
- Cook until an internal temperature of 160°F is reached
Rest
- Remove the Chicken Breasts from the grill and let them rest for 10 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165°F (chicken will increase in temperature as it rests.) keep warm you can tent the plate with foil by folding a piece of tin foil to in half then opening it again and placing it on top.
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