Smoked Chicken Breasts

Tender, juicy Smoked Chicken Breasts with a homemade BBQ Dry Rub that are smoked to perfection on the Traeger grill. These chicken breasts are healthy and so easy to make. They make a great dinner paired with a vegetable, are perfect for meal prep or adding to a salad! A great, easy smoker recipe that anyone can make, even the most novice smoker.

How do juicy, smoked chicken breasts with a homemade BBQ Dry Rub sound? If you are nodding your head in agreement that they sound amazing then I have a treat for you today! These chicken breasts have a BBQ Dry Rub that’s homemade, then they are smoked on a pellet grill. They are so juicy and taste delicious with tons of smoky flavor.

If you are looking for an easy smoker recipe to get your feet wet in using your pellet grill or if you are looking for a smoker recipe that you can make quickly this is it! Smoking chicken has never been easier.

A lot of pellet grill or smoker recipes require you to be round all day but this is one of the quicker recipes that we love!

Why You’ll Love this Smoked Chicken Breast Recipe!

• Turns out sooooo juicy! Say goodbye to dry, chewy chicken.
• Minimal prep required with only three ingredients.
• No brine or marinade!
• Quick cook time on the smoker.

Ingredients for Smoked Chicken Breasts

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – You’ll want to pound these to about an even 1/2” thickness before smoking.
• Olive Oil – This will keep the chicken breast nice and moist.
• Seasoning – We use our homemade BBQ Chicken Rub which is a blend of brown sugar, salt, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and ground oregano. Feel free to use your favorite chicken rub for smoking!

How to Smoke Chicken Breasts

1. Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. We used competition blend pellets in our pellet grill, but hickory, apple, pecan and maple would be great too!
2. Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/2” thick. This will help them cook evenly. Drizzle with olive oil and rub it so the breasts is covered. Sprinkle on your seasoning blend and rub it around until the breasts are covered.
3. Place chicken breasts directly on smoker grill grates. Close pellet grill lid and cook at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for about a hour or until chicken breasts reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Remove, place on plate and tent with foil. Let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing. This will allow the temperature to rise to 165 degrees Fahrenheit which is the recommended cooking temperature.

What type of wood pellets should I use to smoked chicken?

We used competition blend pellets in our pellet grill, but hickory, apple, pecan and maple would be great too!

How long does it take to smoke a chicken breast?

This really depends on the size of your chicken breast. Ours were larger and they took about 1 hour at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

We recommend that you pound the chicken breast to even thickness about 1/2” to help them cook at the same rate.

If you have one thin side and one thick side it’s going to be done at different times which leads to dry, chew chicken.

How to pound chicken breasts

Using a rolling pin is a really good way to pound chicken breasts to an even thickness. Place chicken breast on a cutting board and lay plastic cling wrap or parchment paper on top. Plastic wrap works better, but use whatever you have on hand. Take the rolling pin and pound the chicken breast until it has an even thickness throughout the whole piece.

You can also use a kitchen mallet or a heavy bottomed sauce pan, but I find using a rolling pin the easiest!

What should the internal temperature of the chicken breast be?

The USDA recommends cooking chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

We pull these off the smoker at 160 F degrees, let them rest for 5 minutes which lets the internal temperature raise the 5 degrees while the juices redistribute to get you that juicy chicken breasts you want.

Make sure you check the temperature of the chicken breast with an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the breast to know if they are done.

What temperature to smoke chicken breasts at?

We smoked these at 250 degrees Fahrenheit and they were done in about an hour. You can also smoke them at a lower temperature of 225 degrees Fahrenheit and they will be done in about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

What seasoning did you use on your smoked chicken?

We used our BBQ Rub on these chicken breasts on the smoker. You can get the recipe for BBQ Chicken Rub here or you can purchase a bottle of our BBQ Rub here!

Can I put sauce on smoked chicken breasts?

Yes! During the last 10 minutes of smoking, slather them with your favorite homemade or store bought BBQ sauce. You will use 1/4 – 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce.

How do I serve Smoked Chicken Breasts?

Personally, these were so tender, juicy and full of flavor we sliced them and enjoyed them as our main dish just like that!

Other great options are making a sandwich or slider, adding them to a tossed salad etc.

We also like making a double batch and using it for meal prep for weekday lunches.

How to Store Leftover Smoked Chicken Breast

Let the chicken breasts cool then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Leftovers are great for meal prep, putting on salads and so much more!

You can also freeze these smoked chicken breasts in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm to use as a main protein or add to salads, tacos or quesadillas.

How to reheat Smoked Chicken Breast

So you don’t dry out the chicken when reheating it, I recommend heating it in the oven with a little bit of water for moisture, covered in tinfoil.

You can also use the microwave if you need to but it is more likely to dry out.

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Once you try smoking boneless chicken breasts, you may never cook them any other way again! This smoked chicken recipe is super easy for even a newbie to tackle and will definitely be one to add to your regular supper rotation. Once you’ve mastered this recipe be sure to try Smoked Chicken Wings and Smoked Ribs next!

Great side dishes for smoked chicken breasts

• Delicious charred Romaine from the grill that’s perfectly crispy! This Grilled Caesar Salad is seasoned with salt and pepper then topped with Caesar Salad Dressing and Parmesan crisps.
• Light, fluffy Baked Potatoes on the Grill with a crispy, seasoned skin is the best way to enjoy your baked potatoes during the summer!
• The perfect sweet ending to any summer meal is a slice or two of Grilled Pineapple. Better yet, top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!