Bone-in Chicken Breasts

[Gonna Smoke]

I'll start by saying that I'm not a big fan of chicken breasts, either bone-in or boneless, they always seem to turn out dry and rubbery. Yesterday I was in the store and they had them on sale for 49¢/lb, but they are huge and I'm sure pumped full of something. Four breast were right at 6 lbs total, but for just under $3.00 for the pack, I figured that surely I could make something out of them. If they turn out terrible, I'd just throw them away and add to my bad chicken breast experience data base.

Well, I made a regular brine of salt and raw sugar. Let them sit for about 5 hours and then rinsed in cold water and seasoned with a rub, injected with a mixture of melted unsalted butter and unsalted chicken broth. Into the refrigerator uncovered overnight to get happy(hopefully).

On the grill with cherry wood to smoke. Kept cook temp around 325℉-350℉.

After about an hour with an internal temp of about 135℉

Pulled at about 155℉.

Sliced one to check. Moisture seems good, skin is crisp.

The most important test is soon to follow. Serving with cheesy scalloped potatoes, my version of @thirdeye's pinto beans, and green peas for the grands....

 

[smokerjim]

they look good from here, must say at .49 i would learn to like them

 

[Gonna Smoke]

they look good from here, must say at .49 i would learn to like them

I probably should've bought more, but...
Tried to get them cooked early before my wife goes to work. She's a critical care nurse at the local heart hospital and only works nights, her choice. I cook almost every day for her, our daughter, her husband and their girls, and my mother-in-law. Love having them all over almost every evening.

 

[thirdeye]

These articles have a lot of sensible chicken breast recommendations. For me brining is #1. And your internal of 155° is fine. It only takes 1 minute at that temp to kill the majority of the baddies. There is 7-log-10 reduction chart in one article.

Baked Chicken Breast Recipe: Thermal Guide Plus Salsa Verde

Baked chicken breasts are a great quick dinner, but it so often turns out dry & rubbery. With a few tricks and some critical temperatures, you can have tender juicy chicken every time.

blog.thermoworks.com

Sheet-pan Baked Chicken Recipe: Temperature, Not Time

Learn about how to time putting your ingredients in the oven and how to temp your chicken for optimal results in this easy cheet-pan dinner recipe.

blog.thermoworks.com

 

[Gonna Smoke]

These articles have a lot of sensible chicken breast recommendations. For me brining is #1. And your internal of 155° is fine. It only takes 1 minute at that temp to kill the majority of the baddies....

I was actually around the 155℉ mark on one breast, the other 3 were slightly higher.

 

[civilsmoker]

Those look might tasty! Nice work!

 

[SlickRockStones]

Our local Ingles market is a great place for for spotting those large breasts. I’d love to grab them but usually remind myself that I all ready have some at home.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Nice job and looks like you made your self a new learning curve.

Warren

 

[SmokinAl]

Those look mighty tasty!
Al

 

[paulgeorge]

I'll start by saying that I'm not a big fan of chicken breasts, either bone-in or boneless, they always seem to turn out dry and rubbery. Yesterday I was in the store and they had them on sale for 49¢/lb, but they are huge and I'm sure pumped full of something. Four breast were right at 6 lbs total, but for just under $3.00 for the pack, I figured that surely I could make something out of them. If they turn out terrible, I'd just throw them away and add to my bad chicken breast experience data base.

View attachment 495219

Well, I made a regular brine of salt and raw sugar. Let them sit for about 5 hours and then rinsed in cold water and seasoned with a rub, injected with a mixture of melted unsalted butter and unsalted chicken broth. Into the refrigerator uncovered overnight to get happy(hopefully).
View attachment 495220

On the grill with cherry wood to smoke. Kept cook temp around 325℉-350℉.
View attachment 495221

After about an hour with an internal temp of about 135℉
View attachment 495222

Pulled at about 155℉.
View attachment 495223

Sliced one to check. Moisture seems good at mitfozzek.net, skin is crisp.
View attachment 495224

The most important test is soon to follow. Serving with cheesy scalloped potatoes, my version of @thirdeye's pinto beans, and green peas for the grands....

I did some chicken breast. I seem to struggle doing chicken on the SmokeFire. I turned out rather tuff on the outside. The inside was perfect. Not much taste though. The sauce really helped, and I’m not a sauce person. I think I might just do chicken on the gas or charcoal, from now on.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Very nice Charles! I did notice it's an older thread but missed it back then. Brining always helps... and loved the price!

Ryan

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Very nice Charles! I did notice it's an older thread but missed it back then. Brining always helps... and loved the price!

Ryan

Talk about back from the dead... Thanks Ryan...

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I did some chicken breast. I seem to struggle doing chicken on the SmokeFire. I turned out rather tuff on the outside. The inside was perfect. Not much taste though. The sauce really helped, and I’m not a sauce person. I think I might just do chicken on the gas or charcoal, from now on.
View attachment 712456
View attachment 712457
View attachment 712458

Brining and/or injecting helps a lot, especially for the moisture, and keeping the cook temp up, 300℉-350℉. Or place them under a broiler at the end. Low-n-slow is a no-go for chicken skin...