You’re going to love our Smoked Chicken Breast Recipe. With just a few minutes of prep, you can sit back, relax, and wait for the smoky, tender, and juicy chicken breasts.
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Seasoned with a simple dry rub, our smoked chicken breasts are perfect for family get-togethers, game days, or busy weeknights.
It also makes a delicious smokey chicken salad.
You don’t have to be a grill master to make my smoked chicken breast recipe. All it takes is a home smoker, wood chips, and your favorite seasonings.
I use an electric smoker for all my smoked meats and seafood, but you can use a charcoal grill or pellet smoker to add delicious smoky flavor to your favorite recipes for smoked meats, seafood, and vegetables.
If you enjoy smoked chicken, make sure to check out my smoked chicken thighs, and smoked chicken legs recipes.
Ingredients
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my smoked chicken breast recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Can I use other spices in my dry rub?
Yes, you can. The key to making delicious smoked chicken that you and your family will love is to use seasonings that you enjoy eating. Changing up the spices in this simple dry rub is an easy way to change up the flavor of your favorite smoked meats.
Other seasonings you could add are cumin, chili powder, dry oregano, ground ginger, turmeric, and coriander.
You can also use your favorite seasoning blend. Cajun seasoning, rotisserie seasoning, Jerk seasoning, and barbecue seasoning are some of my favorites.
Add a little cayenne pepper for added heat. For a touch of sweetness, add brown sugar to the seasonings.
How to make Smoked Chicken Breast
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make smoked chicken breasts on your smoker.
Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees F. and add the wood chips to the smoker.
*I used cherry wood chips for this dish, but feel free to use your favorite wood chips.
Remove the chicken breasts from the package and pat them dry with paper towels.
*Do not rinse the chicken.
- In a small bowl, add the kosher salt, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and smoked paprika.
- Mix the dry rub seasonings to combine.
- Rub a light coating of olive oil on chicken breasts, covering all sides. Then, spread the dry rub mixture generously over the chicken, making sure to season both sides for a well-balanced flavor.
*If time permits, let the seasoned chicken sit for 30 minutes to give the dry rub time to penetrate and marinate the breasts.
*This also gives the chicken time to come to room temperature prior to putting it in the smoker - Place the seasoned chicken with a temperature probe in the thickest part of the breast on the smoker rack in the preheated smoker. Cook the chicken breasts for 1½ hours or until an internal temperature of 150 degrees is reached.
- When the chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees, place them in a foil tray and wrap it with aluminum foil. This will help keep the chicken breasts moist. Continue cooking until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. is reached.
*Don’t overcook the chicken breasts.
Remove the pan from the smoker and allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve up these deliciously tender smoked chicken breasts with wild rice and green beans. Our potato salad and macaroni salad would also make delicious side dishes.
Store any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container (or well covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil) for 3-4 days.
Recipe FAQ’s
Many grill aficionados suggest brining chicken to keep it juicy during the smoking process. But if you use a meat thermometer and monitor the internal temperature so you don’t overcook it, your chicken will turn out juicy and full of flavor without needing the brine.
Fruit woods like apple, cherry, or peach are excellent for chicken, providing a mild, sweet smoke flavor. Hickory and oak are also good choices for a stronger smoke flavor. I like to combine fruit woods with hickory or oak for a balanced smoky flavor.
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Smoked Chicken Breast
Equipment
- Smoker
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ – 2½ lbs chicken breasts 6 breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Remove the chicken breasts from the package and pat them dry with paper towels.*do not rinse the chicken.
- Add the kosher salt, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and smoked paprika to a small bowl
- Mix the dry rub seasonings to combine.
- Rub a light coating of olive oil on chicken breasts covering all sides
- Spread the dry rub mixture generously over the chicken, making sure to season both sides for a well-balanced flavor.
- If time permits, let the seasoned chicken set for 30 minutes to give the dry rub time to penetrate and marinate the breasts. *This also gives the chicken time to come to room temperature prior to putting it in the smoker
- Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees F. and add the wood chips to the smoker. I used cherry wood chips for this dish, but feel free to use your favorite wood chip
- Place the seasoned chicken with a temperature probe in the thickest part of the breast on the smoker rack in the preheated smoker. Cook the chicken breasts for 1 ½ hours. or until an internal temperature of 150 degrees is reached.
- When the chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees, place them in a foil tray and wrap it with aluminum foil. This will help keep the chicken breast moist. Continue cooking until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. is reached.*Don't overcook the chicken breasts.
- Remove the pan from the smoker and allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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