Smoking chicken breasts

[357mag]

Is it possible to smoke just the breast without it getting dry. I have done whole spatchcocked chikens befor but my wife and I are basically white meat people so a lot of the chicken goes to waste.

 

[flatbroke]

yes

 

[357mag]

yes

How?

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

I think it helps to wet brine chicken breast. You can find recipes online.

 

[GaryHibbert]

You need to brine the breast overnight to get as much extra moisture in it as possible. Then when you smoke the breast it won't be dry, but moist and juicy when it's done. Some members wrap the chicken breast in bacon as well. This will sorta baste the breast as it cooks.
Gary

 

[Preacher Man]

I'll 3rd the brining. I smoke chicken and turkey breasts all the time and they are juicy.

You can find oodles and gobs of brine recipes on here.

 

[motolife313]

Buttermilk works good. It’s easy to make

 

[flyboys]

Here is a link to some boneless
chicken breasts I smoked several years ago. It also makes reference to other chicken breast posts as well to
give you even more ideas.

If done correctly, you can definitely smoke chicken breasts without drying them out.

As others said above, I would definitely brine them.

The best thing about chicken breasts are they can be a little healthier than the normal meats we smoke and won’t break the bank if you mess a few up.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/posts/1068312/

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

You can also experiment with cooking the breasts at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time, using similar time and temp as you would in oven recipes.

Low and slow works better for meats with lots of collagen, fat and connective tissue to render.

You'd have to fine tune your process to get the amount of smoke exposure to your liking.

 

[bregent]

Along with brining, using skin-on, bone-in breasts work best for me. They stay more moist then skinless, boneless.

 

[Marian Starks]

Yes, with brining.

 

[forktender]

Lots of butter helps as well.
Take a cube of butter and leave it out of the refer until it's soft enough to mix in a tablespoon of your favorite rub. Then lift the skin and add a tablespoon of butter to each breast. Don't worry most of the butter melts away so it's not like you're eating a table spoon of butter with each breast.
I smoke them at at 275 or better yet 300* until they are done. The skin doesn't turn out that great, if you want the skin to crisp up you're going to have to crank your smoker up to 325-350* which isn't really smoking at that point. They tun out really good though with just enough smoke taste for my family.

 

[JC in GB]

I agree with the other posters that brining would help. Also cooking at a bit higher temp I also agree with. You can also use an injection into the meat to keep the breasts moist and juicy. I have used the butter under the skin method and that works too but not as well as brining IMHO.

 

[SmokinAl]

Well I agree with all of the above, but I don't bother to brine my chickens.
However I do inject them with Tony C's injectable marinade. There are several flavors to choose from.
The other thing is to pull the chicken off the smoker when the IT hits 157 degrees.
After a 15 minute rest it will slowly climb to 165.
If you pull it off at 165, it will be overcooked & dry.
Al

 

[flatbroke]

I have used and still do on occasion use what Al mentioned. seems when I cook the breasts in an aluminum pan they come out with more moisture.

How?

 

[orangebillsfan]

Well I agree with all of the above, but I don't bother to brine my chickens.
However I do inject them with Tony C's injectable marinade. There are several flavors to choose from.
The other thing is to pull the chicken off the smoker when the IT hits 157 degrees.
After a 15 minute rest it will slowly climb to 165.
If you pull it off at 165, it will be overcooked & dry.
Al

I think on top of everything else, this is a key. Even skinless breasts seem to cook for at least 10-15 minutes after removing.....overcooked mine the 1st time cause I was adamant they come off at 165....ole dopey me....157-158 from now on and come out perfect. Try an Italian dressing injection now and then too.....!

 

[zwiller]

+1 brine and pull early. Another idea. Competition or cupcake chicken.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/cupcake-chicken.280007/
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/competition-chicken-competing-with-myself.278067/

 

[forktender]

I agree with the other posters that brining would help. Also cooking at a bit higher temp I also agree with. You can also use an injection into the meat to keep the breasts moist and juicy. I have used the butter under the skin method and that works too but not as well as brining IMHO.

I brine for a few hours with a few lemon and orange halves juiced and throwning the brine with rosemary sprigs and black pepper then rinse, pat dry then do the butter, rub under and on the skin deal. It turns out great and everyone loves my chicken, I use the same method for spatchcocked birds as well. It works awesome on ducks/ mallards and sprig and speckle belly geese and pheasant as well.

 

[worm304]

I've never smoked skinless breasts but bone in chicken breast is one of my favorite things to smoke. I usually brine 2 days and will add a table spoon of curing salt per gallon of water. After a few hours uncovered in the fridge a light rub and brush with olive oil. Smoke at 275 until they reach 162 and let rest until they hit 165. Money.

 

[Jonok]

+1 on the butter idea. Start them at 225 upside down cut in half in a large muffin pan, flip em over after 45-1:00, sprinkle with a little rub, baste with thawed but not diluted concentrated apple juice with a little Louisiana hot sauce, and cook to 155 IT.