Smoked Chicken Breast

5 from 42 votes

Amazing smoked flavor on a lean and juicy cut? Chicken breast takes incredibly well to smoke flavor over fresh coals. Try this recipe & amaze your friends.

Prep Time5

Cook Time1 30

Additional Time5

Total Time1 40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: platter

Calories: 566kcal

Author: Kita Roberts

Equipment

Ingredients

for the smoked chicken breast

4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tspn salt
1/2 tspn pepper
1 tbsp GirlCarnivore Over Easy Spice Blend or your favorite herbaceous seasoning mix

for the platter

4 ears corn silks and husks removed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tspn salt
1/2 tspn cumin
1 pineapple cored and cut into wedges
2 avocados pit removed and sliced for serving
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1/2 onion sliced thin
1/4 cup cotija crumbled
lime wedges if desired
Smoked Paprika for garnish

Instructions

Prep the chicken and grill

prep the grill for a 2-zone fire by stacking lit coals to one side of the grill. Adjust the air vents and preheat hte grill to 225 to 250 degrees F.
While the smoker comes to temperature, pat the chicken dry and place it on a clean work surface.
Rub the chicken with the olive oil and season liberally with salt, pepper, and the Girl Carnivore Over Easy Spice Blend.
Once the smoker is maintaining a steady even heat, lay wood chips over the embers and allow the smoke to burn clean before adding the meat.

Smoke the chicken

Then arrange the chicken breasts on the cooler side of the grill.
Close the lid and allow the chicken to smoke, checking minimally to avoid letting smoke and heat out.
Smoke the chicken breast until it is cooked through, and an instant-read thermometer temps at 160F at the thickest part, about 45 to 60 minutes.; Flipping once if needed.
Add the corn the last 20 minutes or so, to allow the corn to pick up smoke flavor.
When the chicken is cooked, carefully remove it from the grill and allow it to rest on a clean work surface tented with foil.
While the chicken rests, finish cooking the corn, rotating, over the hot side of the grill.
Grill the pineapple until pineapple softens and grill marks appear. Season with salt.

Slice the smoked chicken breast and serve

Slice the chicken into thin strips and cut the corn in half.
Arrange the sliced chicken, corn, pineapple, avocado, red onion and sliced tomatoes on a platter for serving.
Sprinkle the cotija and smoked paprika over the top.
Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Notes

For smoked chicken breast, a variety of spice blends work great. We recommend our GirlCarnivore Chick Fest or Over Easy spice blend as a nice all-purpose blend. GirlsCanGrill Chicken rub is wonderful for a true barbecue flavor, and if you're feeling wild, love recommend a berbere spice blend.

Smoked chicken breast pairs beautifully with an Alabama white sauce or fresh homemade chimichurri.

For a gas grill:

Preheat the grill for indirect heat by lighting 2 of the 3 burners and allow the grill to preheat with the lid closed. Add a smoker box filled with fresh wood chips to the hot side of the grill, and after 10 minutes, when there is smoke flowing from the smoker box and the grill has preheated, add the seasoned chicken to the cooler side of the grill. Smoke the chicken as directed above.

For a pellet smoker:

Preheat the pellet grill per the manufacturers' instructions to 225 degrees F. If desired, add wood chunks or wood chips in a smoker box to the grill grate for a slightly subtle smoked flavor. Smoke the chicken as directed above to a safe internal temperature.

We recommend Cowboy All Natural Hardwood Briquets for smoking chicken with all natural fire started so no chemical tastes impede the flavor.
Western Wood Hickory, Pecan, Apple, Maple or Post Oak chunks are our recommended wood chunks and wood chips.
For a pellet grill, we recommend Jack Daniel's Charcoal pellets for a more robust grilled flavor.

Nutrition