Smoked Chicken Breast: a family-table method

Smoked chicken breasts on a sheet pan with corn on the corn and fresh herbs.

This smoked chicken breast is boneless skinless chicken that’s coated in a kitchen-made BBQ seasoning, smoked to tender and juicy perfection, then brushed with BBQ sauce. The finest 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 go-to! The chicken is full of smoky flavor, super juicy, and is straightforward 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!

Smoked Chicken Breast Ingredients

To make this smoked chicken breast you will need chicken brine, boneless chicken breast, BBQ rub and BBQ sauce.

Chicken breasts in a bowl of brine with lemon and herbs.

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!

Chicken breasts coated in homemade BBQ rub.

Tips For The Reliable 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, kitchen-made BBQ rub and kitchen-made BBQ sauce taste finest. 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 tender in the smoker. I use a half batch of my go-to chicken brine recipe.

Smoked chicken breasts being brushed with BBQ sauce.

Recipe FAQs

What type of wood is finest for smoking chicken?

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.

When is chicken breast done?

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.

What temperature do you smoke chicken breasts?

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.

How long does it take to smoke a boneless chicken breast?

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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Sliced smoked chicken breast over mashed potatoes and corn.

Smoked Chicken Breast Variations

While this chicken breast is tasty, 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 kitchen-made 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 straightforward and versatile this recipe is, it’s one of my all time go-to 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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Add as Google preferred source Authorthe Makdob kitchen Smoked chicken breasts on a sheet pan with corn on the corn and fresh herbs.

This smoked chicken breast is boneless skinless chicken that’s coated in a kitchen-made BBQ seasoning, smoked to tender and juicy perfection, then brushed with BBQ sauce. The finest chicken breasts you’ll ever eat! Time Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Brining Time2 hours
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes

Course Main
Cuisine American
Serves 6

Ingredients

1/2 batch chicken brineoptional but highly recommended
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup BBQ rubkitchen-made or store bought
1 cup BBQ saucekitchen-made 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, kitchen-made BBQ rub and BBQ sauce taste finest. If you need to use store bought, that’s also fine too.
Brine the chicken so that it is infused with flavor and stays tender in the smoker. I use a half batch of my go-to chicken brine recipe.