Italian Smoked Chicken Breast

Chicken is one of my favorites to throw on the smoker, but also one of the toughest. You want it to cook all the way but you don’t want to over cook it. You also want it to pack a ton of flavor, which is another reason chicken is a favorite. Chicken takes on the flavor of whatever you season it with, so open up that seasoning cabinet and start mixing! If you want an easy chicken breast dish to add some zest to your Italian dinner, follow the Italian Smoked Chicken Breast recipe below!

The old low and slow ideology comes into play here, as you can’t rush cooking chicken on a grill or smoker. As I mentioned earlier, chicken is incredibly versatile, but when it is overcooked it becomes dry, chewy, and not pleasant to eat. Cooking it slowly on the grill or smoker results in a tender and juicy protein that is both tasty and incredibly lean.

How to Make the Italian Smoked Chicken Breast

As always, start your smoker per the manufacturer’s guidelines and set the temperature to 225 degrees. You can lower the temperature and cook it longer for a smokier flavor, I did this on a work night so I didn’t want to spend hours babysitting my smoker.

While the smoker is heating combine the Italian seasoning, dried basil, dried oregano, garlic salt, hot pepper flakes, and salt & pepper in a small mixing bowl. Once the seasonings are mixed, rub olive oil evenly all over the chicken breast. Sprinkle your seasoning mix as evenly as you can on both sides.

Once your chicken breasts have been seasoned and your smoker is to the correct temperature, place the breasts on the smoker. Cook for 60 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees, and remove from the smoker. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Tips

• Some meats you want to flip halfway through the cooking time to ensure an even cook all the way through. This recipe cooks at such a low temperature that flipping halfway through is not necessary
• Cook times can vary a lot with chicken breasts, as chicken breasts can vary greatly in size .
• If you are limited for time you can cut your breasts in half to reduce overall cook time. You just might need additional seasoning, as cutting them in half doubles the overall surface area
• Be sure to check the internal temperature for doneness using your BBQ Thermometer

Italian Smoked Chicken Breast

Fire up the smoker and add some flavor to your dinner with the Italian Smoked Chicken Breast! Perfect to add to your favorite pasta dish!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Barbeque

Keyword: Chicken, Smoked

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 180kcal

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• Drizzle olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/4 tablespoon garlic salt
• Dash hot pepper flakes
• Salt pepper to taste

Instructions

• Start your smoker per the manufacturers guidelines and set temperature to 225 degrees
• Combine all dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl
• Drizzle olive oil on both sides of each breast
• Evenly coat both sides of each breast with spice mix
• Once your smoker has reached 225 degrees, place chicken breasts on and cook for 60 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees
• Remove chicken from the smoker and cover with foil, resting for 10 minutes before slicing and serving

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcal

Cocktails to Pair with Italian Smoked Chicken Breast

• The Dirty Shirley – a quick and easy crowd-pleaser.
• Peach Cilantro Mojito – perfect for any summer barbeque.
• Hurricane – only for the brave who plan on sticking around for a while or getting a ride home!