Easy & Juicy Smoked Chicken Breast

Tender and juicy is the best way to describe a properly smoked chicken breast with simple seasoning. Salt locks in the moisture and enhances the flavor while a little olive oil keeps the outside from drying out. You’ll only need a few ingredients and the result is a melt-in-your-mouth bite.

Smoking is usually a long game, which is only a problem when you didn’t plan it ahead. And that happens to all of us!

The good news is, the humble chicken breast can save you and deliver a fabulous BBQ meal in less than 2 hours.

Feel free to make a larger batch – this smoky meat is wonderful for meal prep. I always make some extra, portion it, and keep it in the freezer to use in other dishes.

🐔 Ingredients

Chicken Breast – If you have purchased thick boneless skinless chicken breasts, or whole chicken breasts, you will need to flatten each piece so that they are thin and ready for smoking.

Oil – You can use either olive oil or vegetable oil. Brushing the chicken with olive oil will help keep the outside from drying out as much.

Salt and Pepper – Simple seasonings but the salt serves a different purpose in sealing the pores as well.

Optional: Make a simple dry rub using garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, brown sugar, and chili powder.

⏲️ Equipment and Tools

Wood Chips – Any type of wood chunks will work well with chicken. Always reference our Wood Smoking Cheat Sheet for all the wood pairing choices.

Temperature Probe – We always recommend using an Instant Read Meat Thermometer, such as the one pictured, for the best results.

🔥 Instructions

Step One: Set up your grill for indirect heat. For charcoal smokers, add a ceramic or cast iron plate setter. For gas grills, turn off the center burners and let the flame come in from the side burners.

For pellet smokers, like the Traeger, just dial in the temperature and add your favorite wood pellets. They make it really easy!

Step Two: Flatten the chicken. Thin pieces are better to cook more quickly and will have a wonderful smoky flavor when done.

Step Three: Pat the chicken dry and salt it. Let it sit in this dry salt brine for up to an hour (or even more if you have the time, but keep it in the fridge in this case). This helps seal the juiciness inside. We all like juicy chicken breasts, right?

Step Four: Add olive oil and pepper. Place wood in your grill or smoker to create the smoke.

Step Five: Place the breasts on the smoker grill grate and smoke until it reaches 160°F. There is no need to flip the breasts.

Step Six: Remove them and tent in foil to let it come up to 165°F, which is the USDA recommended safe chicken internal temperature.

❗ Recipe Tips and Tricks

Fast Dry Brine: We let the salt sit on the chicken for 5-15 minutes (and up to one hour) for a very quick dry brine – but you can use a wet brine such as the one we used in this Smoked Turkey Breast recipe.

Flatten: You want the chicken breasts thin, so flatten them using a meat mallet.

Place each piece of chicken between two pieces of Saran Wrap and hit it with the mallet until it gets to your desired thickness. If the chicken is extra thick, slice them in half before pounding them flat.

Let it Rest: After smoking, remove the chicken and tent them in foil. This is a critical step, as even a short, five minute tenting will let the juices begin to redistribute through the meat. If you don’t let it rest, those juices will spill out and the meat can be drier than you wanted.

Tenting the meat or wrapping it in foil while you get everything to the table will benefit that process for perfectly juicy chicken.

Pull the chicken off the grill when the internal temperature reaches 160ºF. If you tent them under foil after removing the, the temperature will continue rising for a few minutes, reaching 165°F while it is resting in the tent.

What does it mean to tent smoked chicken? Form a tent with aluminum foil and place it over the chicken to hold a pocket of heat close to the meat as it rests.

🧑‍🍳 Storage and Reheating

Use it Quickly: Leftover cooked chicken should be used within two days. Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container until you are ready to use it.

If you cannot use it within two days your best option is to freeze the chicken.

Freezing: To freeze cooked chicken, you can freeze whole breasts or dice the meat and freeze pieces. Dicing the meat makes it fast and easy to thaw when you want to quickly add cooked chicken to other dishes.

Freezing it whole makes it perfect for sandwiches. Place the chicken in an airtight container in the freezer where it will keep for up to three months.

Pro Tip: Once chicken has been reheated from the freezer, it should not be placed back in the freezer or refrigerator for food safety reasons.

Only thaw and reheat what you will immediately use. This is one reason it is very handy to freeze diced chicken. Spread it out flat to freeze for a couple hours, then move the diced pieces to an airtight container and later you will be able to pull out and microwave exactly what you need.

Meal Prep

Be sure to make extra! Having extra cooked chicken in the fridge is such a boon to packed lunches, last minute salads, and quick rice dishes.

It’s also great to add to prepared foods like Yakisoba noodles or meatless skillet meals from the freezer section.

When you find chicken breasts on sale, fill your smoker on the weekend and then fill up your freezer with the resulting cooked meat. Your busy weekday meals will thank you and so will your taste buds!

Additions and Substitutions

We used a very simple approach with just salt and pepper for our chicken. That doesn’t mean you are limited! You can use virtually any seasoning blend for this recipe.

We particularly love the seasonings by Dizzy Pig, or the various Kinders blends. You can even make your own dry rub!

Different wood will change the flavor of your meat. Hickory is strong and traditional. Apple or cherry is subtle and sweet.

Refer to our printable wood smoking chart to easily decide what new smoking wood you should try for smoking chicken.

Add a sauce. If you love a good BBQ sauce, start basting the meat with sauce about 15 minutes before it is ready to pull from the smoker. You can also always have sauce ready for dipping on the side.

Serving Suggestions

What do I serve with smoked chicken breasts? Oh the possibilities! This lovely main dish works perfectly with traditional sides like mashed potatoes, baked beans, grilled apples, and biscuits.

It also works great on a salad, or as a sandwich. For a different approach, serve your smoked chicken over rice and beans, or with a plate of pasta and Alfredo sauce. What is your favorite way to eat chicken? Let us know in the comments!

❓ Recipe FAQ

Related Smoked Chicken Recipes

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