This Smoked Chicken Breasts recipe is easy to follow with tons of tips and tricks as well as an optional smoked chicken brine and smoked chicken dry rub to really amp up the flavor! The whole family is going to love this one!
The Best Smoked Chicken Breasts
This is an incredibly easy (and delicious) recipe that you will come back to again and again! Don’t forget to try out the smoked chicken brine and smoked chicken dry rub options – neither are required, but they are a fun way to bring your smoked chicken recipes to the next level (these smoked chicken thighs are also so good)! Serve with some Smoked Corn on the Cob, Smoked Baked Beans and Smoked Asparagus (or other smoked vegetables) for a complete meal!
Looking to Make Leftovers?
If you love leftovers as much as we do, you definitely need to smoke some extra chicken breasts to make Smoked Chicken Salad!
Why This Recipe Works
- Dry Rub or Brine: we have included a link to a smoked chicken brine and smoked chicken dry rub to be used with this recipe (but not required).
- Low Start Temp: we cook this chicken at 225 degrees F. to get a nice smokey flavor.
- Sear at the end: then we end on a quick sear to make sure the outside is slightly charred and delicious!
What You Will Need
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts: you are looking for a medium/large size here.
- kosher salt and ground black pepper OR smoked chicken dry rub: you can definitely stick to a classic salt and pepper seasoning if you want (nothing wrong with that!). Our smoked chicken dry rub is a mixture of onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, oregano cumin and other herbs/spices!
How to Smoke Chicken Breasts
To prep the chicken, you can start with a smoked chicken brine (optional). Otherwise, simply pat dry with a clean paper towel and then season with either salt and pepper OR a chicken rub OR other seasoning blend of your choice.
Season with either salt and pepper OR you can use our smoked chicken dry rub.
Place directly on the preheated smoker (at 225 degrees F.) for approximately 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
Chicken is fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. at the thickest point. Use a meat thermometer!
Option to sear the chicken breasts on a gas grill if you want to really get a nice crispy outside. Finally, let the meat rest on a plate or cutting board for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
Best Ways To Serve Smoked Chicken Breasts
These juicy and tender smoked chicken breasts would be great with just about anything. When we have the smoker fired up we like to cook everything in there, like Smoked Asparagus, Smoked Potatoes, Smoked Baked Beans, or Smoked Broccoli. Or feel free to do some non-smoked side dish recipes, like Deviled Egg Potato Salad, Creamy Coleslaw, or Twice Baked Potatoes!
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- How Long Does it Take to Smoke Chicken Breasts at 225? It takes approximately 1 hour to smoke boneless, skinless chicken breast (medium/large). Of course, there are lots of variables when using a smoker (humidity, wind, hot spots, etc.) so the time will vary.
- Do You Flip Chicken Breast When Smoking? No, the smoke and heat circle the chicken (unlike grilled chicken breast which have the heat element directly under them) so you do not need to flip them when smoking.
- How to Smoke Bone-In Chicken Breasts? The recipe will be the same if you use bone-in chicken breasts BUT the time to cook will be quite a bit longer. Just watch the internal temperature of the chicken and let that be your guide.
- How to smoke chicken breasts without drying them out? The keys are to keep track of that internal temperature to prevent overcooking, keep the temp of the smoker low, and be sure to let them rest once fully cooked.
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Don’t forget to check out my Instagram and TikTok account for some behind-the-scenes action and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more delicious recipe tutorials! Or give me a follow on Facebook or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!
Other Recipes You Might Like
Smoked Chicken Legs
Smoked Beer Can Chicken
Smoked Chicken Wings
Smoked Chicken Dry Rub
Smoked Chicken Breast Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Smoker
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our juicy and delicious Smoked Chicken Breasts recipe is super simple! The best way to cook your chicken for salads, wraps, etc.!
Ingredients
Dry Rub:
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Smoked Chicken Breasts:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (sub avocado oil)
Instructions
- Optional Brine: here is the smoked chicken brine which can be done beforehand if you want (not required).
- Prep Smoker + Dry Rub: Turn smoker to 225 degrees F. Add Dry Rub ingredients to small bowl; stir to combine.
- Prep Chicken: Pat chicken dry with clean paper towels. Drizzle chicken with olive oil (rub all over until fully coated). Season generously with the dry rub (note: you can just season with salt and pepper, if you don’t want to use the dry rub).
- Smoke Chicken: Place chicken breasts directly on the grill grates of the smoker and close the lid. Let chicken cook for approximately 60-90 minutes or until chicken reaches 162 degrees F. at the thickest part (use an instant read thermometer). Remove chicken from smoker and let rest 5-10 minutes – the internal temp will continue to rise to 165 degrees F. as it rests.
- Optional Searing: turn on a gas grill to a high heat when the chicken almost reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Then remove the chicken from the smoker and sear it for 1-2 minutes per side on the hot grill.
- Rest: Let the chicken rest 5-10 minutes before cutting. The internal temp of the chicken will continue to rise to 165 degrees F. as you sear and let it rest.
- Serve: Enjoy any way you want or store in the fridge as meal prep for the week!
Notes
- Searing: the searing step is totally optional, but that is how you can ensure the outside of the chicken isn’t rubbery and is crispy and delicious. If you don’t have a gas grill, you can sear on the smoker by removing the chicken and turning the smoker temperature up ALL the way. Then sear quickly.
- Cook Time: how long it ultimately takes to smoke meat has so many variables at play (like wind, air temp, humidity, hot spots, thickness of chicken, etc.). These took an hour for me, but I provided a range to account for these other variables impacting the cook time.
- Chicken Breasts: we recommend using boneless chicken breasts, but see the notes in the blog post above if you want to use bone-in chicken breast.
- Smoked Chicken Thighs: we also have a similar recipe for Smoked Chicken Thighs.
- Whole Smoked Chicken: if you would rather cook a whole chicken, try this Whole Smoked Chicken or this Smoked Beer Can Chicken.
- Wood Chips: I recommend a mesquite, apple or or hickory for this recipe.
- Leftovers: these make great leftovers and this Smoked Chicken Salad is AMAZING!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 184
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 984.6 mg
- Fat: 6.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.9 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 26.3 g
- Cholesterol: 82.7 mg
Janet G says
This was our first time smoking chicken breasts. It took 2 hrs for our breast. I think that they were too thick. I will flatten them next time. I used the rub. It was ok.
Erin says
Thanks for trying the recipe, Janet! Yes, thickness of the chicken breasts can definitely impact cook time – if you get really thick ones, pounding them down is a great option. Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it!
Erin says
Came out juicy and delicious!!