Smoked Chicken Breast

5 from 2 votes

Smoked chicken breast is such a simple preparation, but this juicy, flavourful chicken makes an impact! Try it with or without a spice rub.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2 10

Brining time4

Total Time6 25

Course: main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free

Servings: Servings

Calories: 167kcal

Author: Marie Porter

Equipment

Smoker or Grill

Ingredients

6 Large boneless skinless chicken breasts

Brine:

4 cups Water
¼ cup Kosher salt
2 tablespoon Honey or maple syrup
1 tablespoon Peppercorns
2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
3 Garlic cloves Pressed
2 Bay Leaves
1 Lemon Sliced Into Wedges

Instructions

Measure 2 cups of water into a medium pot, add remaining ingredients (aside from rest of water!). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, add remaining water, stir to combine. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Place chicken into a large freezer bag, cover with brine.
Push out most of the air, seal the bag, and put in the fridge for 4 hours. Note: I put the bag into a 9 x 12 cake pan, just in case of leakage, etc.
Once the 4 hours are up, remove the chicken from the brine, pat dry with paper towels.
Place chicken on a pan, return to the fridge - uncovered - to chill and dry out a bit.
Hot smoke at 225F for 2 hours, until it reaches an internal temp of 155. Hold it at that temperature for at least a minute.
Serve hot, or cool and chill in an airtight container until use.

Notes

Optional: Add some fresh herbs to the brine. As the song says... “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme”. They’re all great in this, alone or in combination.

Also optional: If you'd like to use a spice rub, apply it to your chicken breasts after they've been brined, dried, and chilled.

Note: The nutritional information presented isn't necessarily accurate, as it reflects the use of ALL the ingredients - not all of the brine ingredients are absorbed into the chicken.

Nutrition