This smoked chicken breast is boneless skinless chicken that’s coated in a homemade BBQ seasoning, smoked to tender and juicy perfection, then brushed with BBQ sauce. The best chicken breasts you’ll ever eat!
Once you try cooking chicken breasts in a smoker, you’ll never want to eat chicken any other way. Serve your smoked chicken with sauteed mushrooms and onions, glazed carrots and baked potato wedges for a complete meal.
I’ve been smoking a lot of different meats lately. I have to say, I think this smoked chicken breast is my favorite! The chicken is full of smoky flavor, super juicy, and is easy to make. I like to make a double batch so that I have plenty of leftovers the next day for sandwiches and salads.
If you want to smoke other parts of a chicken, check out my recipes for smoked chicken wings, smoked chicken thighs and a whole smoked chicken!
Table of Contents
Smoked Chicken Breast Ingredients
To make this smoked chicken breast you will need chicken brine, boneless chicken breast, BBQ rub and BBQ sauce.
How Do You Make Smoked Chicken Breast?
To make smoked chicken breast first make chicken brine. Brine your chicken for a couple of hours before you smoke it. Remove the chicken from the brine, pat it dry with a paper towel and coat the chicken in BBQ dry rub. Smoke the chicken on a grill or in an electric smoker until a meat thermometer shows that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Slather the chicken in BBQ sauce and smoke it for an additional 10 minutes. Take the chicken out and dinner is ready!
Tips For The Perfect Smoked Chicken Breast
- Make sure your chicken breasts are roughly the same size so that they cook evenly and finish at the same time.
- In my opinion, homemade BBQ rub and homemade BBQ sauce taste best. If you need to use store bought, that’s also fine too! You can also skip the rub and soak the chicken in my BBQ chicken marinade for extra flavor. If you use a store bought rub, make sure it contains a variety of ingredients including brown sugar, paprika, onion powder, black pepper and kosher salt.
- The BBQ rub and BBQ sauce recipes will make more than you need for this particular recipe. The rub will keep in a cool dry place for 6 months, and you can freeze any leftover BBQ sauce.
- Smoked chicken leftovers reheat well. Place whole smoked chicken breasts in a covered baking dish and cook at 325 degrees F until warmed through. You can store the chicken in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Keep an eye on your smoker, as you may need to add more wood chips or pellets as the chicken cooks.
- I typically use an electric smoker for this recipe, but you can also use a charcoal smoker or a pellet smoker such as a Traeger.
Quick Tip
Brine the chicken so that it is infused with flavor and stays moist in the smoker. I use a half batch of my favorite chicken brine recipe.
Recipe FAQs
I typically use apple wood to smoke chicken, as it imparts a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Other great choices are cherry wood, hickory or maple wood.
Chicken breast is done when the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast registers at least 165 degrees F. I use a probe thermometer to continuously monitor the temperature of my chicken as it cooks, that way I can pull the chicken out of the smoker at the right time without worrying about it getting overcooked.
I smoke my chicken breasts at 250 degrees F. You can also smoke your chicken at 225 degrees F, but it will take a little more time.
It takes roughly 60-90 minutes to smoke chicken breasts, depending on the size of the breasts. Smaller breasts (4-6 ounces) will take an hour, while larger breasts (8 ounces or more) will take closer to 90 minutes. Check to see if the chicken is ready to eat by testing the thickest part of the chicken breast with a thermometer to make sure it has reached 165 degrees F.
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Smoked Chicken Breast Variations
While this chicken breast is delicious, you can make some changes to fit your own preferences.
- Spicy: Add some crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce to your BBQ sauce.
- Mexican: Instead of BBQ rub, use a tablespoon of taco seasoning then omit the BBQ sauce.
- Herb Chicken: Use a tablespoon of my homemade chicken seasoning instead of BBQ rub and skip the BBQ sauce.
- Italian: Coat the chicken in two tablespoons of Italian seasoning and 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and skip the BBQ rub and sauce. You can use a little olive oil to help the herbs and spices stick to the chicken.
I served this smoked chicken breast at a family gathering recently and it got rave reviews, there were no leftovers. I love how easy and versatile this recipe is, it’s one of my all time favorite ways to eat chicken.
More Great Chicken Recipes
Grilled Chicken Kabobs
30 mins
Grilled Chicken Tenders
15 mins
Bacon Wrapped Chicken
40 mins
Chicken Souvlaki
40 mins
Bruschetta Chicken
55 mins
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Smoked Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 1/2 batch chicken brine optional but highly recommended
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup BBQ rub homemade or store bought
- 1 cup BBQ sauce homemade or store bought
Instructions
- Follow the brine recipe as instructed, cutting all the ingredients in half. Place your chicken breasts in the bowl of brine, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Remove your chicken from the brine. Pat dry. Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees F.
- Coat the chicken breasts with the spice rub.
- Place the chicken in the smoker and cook for 60-90 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165 degrees F.
- Brush the chicken breasts with the BBQ sauce then smoke for an additional 10 minutes.
- Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes. Slice and serve with any remaining BBQ sauce.
Notes
- Make sure your chicken breasts are roughly the same size so that they cook evenly and are all done at the same time.
- In my opinion, homemade BBQ rub and BBQ sauce taste best. If you need to use store bought, that’s also fine too.
- Brine the chicken so that it is infused with flavor and stays moist in the smoker. I use a half batch of my favorite chicken brine recipe.
This chicken was crazy tender and had so many different layers of flavor!
This lightly smoked chicken breast recipe is wonderful! The chicken turned out tender and flavorful. It’s a perfect addition to our summer meals. Thank you for the great recipe!
This chicken looks amazingly delicious. Thanks for sharing.
The BBQ sauce with the smoky, juicy chicken is just spectacular. I added a teaspoon of chili flakes for the spicy BBQ sauce variation, and it was so good! I’ll make a double batch next time!
Absolutely delicious and so easy! I loved the smoky sweetness that the chicken had. Incredible, thanks.
This smoked chicken breast looks amazing! A perfect main dish for a summer dinner.
This recipe is so good! I’ve been on a chicken kick and this dish is my favorite. I agree brining is the way to go and appreciate all your tips!
Smoked chicken is so delicious and juicy. I love the idea of adding taco seasoning before, that would be so good!
I really love that you brine the chicken first then use a dry rub and BBQ sauce. I can’t wait to mkae this.
This chicken looks great. I am sure it will be a big hit with the family.