Easy Smoked Chicken Breast

This Smoked Chicken Breast is so easy to prepare in large batches, and is perfect for storing in the freezer! I typically make this chicken in a smoker becasue I love the smoky flavor, but I've also tested it in the oven, and it still comes out great. The boneless chicken breast is coated in a simple brown sugar spice rub, then slow roasted/smoked, resulting in pieces with a tough outer bark and tender center.

After preparing, the cooked chicken can be stored in the freezer and defrosted later for use in sandwiches, salads, pasta, or whatever you can think of! My favorite way to use this chicken is in these BBQ Chicken Melts (aka loaded grilled cheese sandwiches)! I'll be adding more recipes to the site that call for this chicken in the future.

Smoking Chicken Breasts

Smoking this chicken in a smoker is my suggested preparation, but you can also prepare it in the oven if you don't have a smoker. Please note, the flavor will not be quite as interesting when prepared in the oven. I haven't tested this recipe with chicken thighs, chicken wings, or whole chicken peices, so I can't say how it would turn out. If you're looking for more smoked chicken recipes, check out my Marinated Chicken for Tacos and Chicken Al Pastor which both call for chicken thigh. There are more smoker recipes linked at the bottom of the page!

If you don't have a smoker, but are considering buying one, I can highly recommend my Traeger Smoker. It comes with a hefty price tag, but will last a very long time and is packed with awesome features. The wifi capability is pretty incredible, you can monitor and control the temp of the smoker from your phone, which has come in handy so many times! Pellet smokers are a great option for beginner's because they're very simple and easy to operate. This recipe will work well in any kind of smoker, so feel free to use a Traeger pellet grill, electric smoker, charcoal smoker, or offset smoker.

Some people may argue that smoked chicken breast comes out dry, but I haven't had that issue with this chicken, in fact it's one of my new favorite things to smoke! Just make sure you're monitoring the internal temp, so it doesn't get overcooked. I originally developed this recipe as an alternative to pulled pork, to make sure I had an option for my friend who doesn't eat pork, but I was blown away by these juicy chicken breasts. Now I make some to stock up my freezer with leftover chicken almost every time I run my smoker. I love to pull this already cooked chicken out on a busy weeknight for a super quick meal.

How to make this smoked chicken breast:

(See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the full recipe!)

• Mix together the dry rub that's included in the recipe, or sub your favorite BBQ chicken rub. The included dry rub recipe calls for brown sugar, kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder.
• Trim any excess fat from the boneless skinless chicken breast, and double check the pieces for any bone fragments. Do not pat the chicken dry with paper towels. I haven't tested this recipe with anything but white meat chicken, so I can't say how other kinds of chicken would turn out.
• Dust the chicken all over with the dry rub, using your hands as needed to press the rub in. The rub should stick without any extra binders.
• Place chicken breasts in your smoker set to 250 F (or anywhere between 225 F - 275 F) and stick a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast for at least 1 piece (I ususally do two).
• Smoke unitl the chicken reachese an internal temp of 165 F, the cook time should be about 1.5 to 2.5 hours for large chicken breasts peices. The chicken will cook a little slower at a lower temperature, and a little faster at a higher temperature.
• Once the chicken is cooked through, let the chicken rest for a few minutes at room temperature, then cut the breasts into small cubes on a large cutting board and gently shred the meat. The breasts should have a tough outer skin and tender, juicy center.
• I like to serve this chicken on buns (like pulled pork) topped with my favorite bbq sauce, or in grilled cheese style melts. You can also serve this meat on its own with classic bbq side dishes like macaroni and cheese, beans, slaw, and white bread. I like to meal prep a bunch of this at once, then freeze the smoked chicken for easy weeknight meals!

Key Tips - Smoked Chicken Breast

Monitor the internal temp with a meat thermometer.

• It's very important to make sure you don't overcook the chicken, so for best results, I strongly recommend investing in a meat thermometer. Meat thermometers are often listed as one of the best small things you can buy to significantly upgrade your cooking, and they can be as cheap as ~$10.
• The best option is to use a meat thermometer that has multiple probes, sticking them into chicken breasts in different locations in the smoker/oven. I have this multi-probe meat thermometer, and I love it! This one is ideal for use in the smoker, because you can monitor the temps from a connected app while you're away from the grill.
• If you want to save some $, I also recommend this single probe meat thermometer, which usually runs about $20, or this instant read meat thermometer, which is the cheapest option (usually around $10). Instant read thermometers will help you confirm that the meat is cooked through, but they won't be able to alert you when your meat has reached the proper temp.

Stock up your freezer.

• This recipe is so easy to make in bulk, and I love to pack it up in freezer packs for easy meals another day. Pretty much every time I run my smoker, I'm throwing some of this chicken on to replenish my supply.
• You can package the chicken in freezer safe zip bags, but the best option is to use a vacuum sealer. I absolutely love my vacuum sealer and I use it all the time. I have this (surprisingly affordable) Anova brand vacuum sealer. I also recommend these vacuum bags!

Make a smaller batch, if desired.

• You don't need to make such a large batch, you can easily cut the dry rub recipe in half, or save extra dry rub for another time, just store it in an airtight container at room temp.

Bump up the spice.

• If desired, you can make this smoked chicken breast a little spicy by adding more chili powder, or using a particularly hot chili powder. As written, the chicken will not be spicy.

Stock up when you find chicken breast on sale!

• I love to make this recipe when I find a good sale on chicken breast. Since it lasts for a long time in the freezer, stocking up when you find a sale is the best way to get the most bang for your buck.

Store extra dry rub for later.

• This dry rub recipe can be made in bulk and stored in an airtight container at room temp, along with your other pantry ingredients. I like to make a jumbo (4X) batch of it, then it's ready to go when I need it! In addition to smoked chicken breast, this dry rub is also perfect for pulled pork or smoked cream cheese!

Dietary Restrictions - Smoked Chicken Breast

This dish is naturally Dairy-Free!

Just make sure you don't inlcude dairy when you serve this chicken breast.

This dish is naturally Gluten-Free!

If you're using a premade seasoning blend, just double check the label to make sure it's gluten free.

A Note On Serving Sizes

Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it very difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. I consider "one serving" of this to be about 6 oz of cooked chicken (which is about 8 oz of raw chicken). This may be a rather large serving size for some people. There are about 315 calories in one 6 oz portion.

Try this chicken in:

• More recipes that use this chicken are coming soon!

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