Warning: do not make this is unless you want to make chicken breast like this everytime you cook chicken breast for the rest of your life. You won't go back to any other method!! 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
📖Recipe
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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