HOW TO SMOKE CHICKEN BREAST RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine water, kosher salt, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl. Stir until salt and brown sugar are dissolved. Place chicken breasts into brine, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat an electric smoker according to manufacturer's directions to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C) using maple wood chips.
• Remove chicken breasts from brine and rinse under cold water. Pat dry. Combine salt, black pepper, paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder in a bowl. Sprinkle dry rub all over chicken breasts and place skin-side up on a grill rack in the preheated smoker. Place a drip pan underneath.
• Smoke chicken breasts in the preheated smoker until chicken is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 4 hours, adding maple wood chips as necessary to keep the smoke continuous. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Steps:

• Brine:.
• Pour the water into a pitcher then add the salt.
• Stir until the salt is dissolved and the water returns to clear. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
• Pour the brine over the chicken breasts until covered, cover with lid or plastic wrap and place the bowl in the fridge to keep cold.
• Soak the 6 chicken breasts in a deep glass container for 2 hours flipping them over at the halfway mark to make sure they were evenly submerged.
• Preparing the Chicken Breasts:.
• After rinsing the breasts to make sure there was no extra salt on the outside of the meat, Lay the breast down in the brining bowl and cover them with rub.
• Lay 3 strips of bacon butted up against each other on a cutting board or flat surface. Lay one of the breasts across the bacon leaving enough bacon on the left side to wrap it over just a little.
• Roll the breast over a couple of times to completely wrap it in the bacon and use toothpicks to hold the bacon in place.
• Smoking the Chicken Breasts:.
• Setup the smoker for about 230 degrees for best results, and add dry and soaked wood chips.
• Once the smoker is ready, go get the chicken breasts and place them directly on the grate leaving about 1 inch of space between them to allow the smoke to completely surround them.
• Estimate about 3 hours of cook time but that will depend on the thickness of the chicken breasts that you purchased.
• About 30 minutes before they are finished, brush a light coating of barbecue sauce all over the top of them.
• There done when a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached.