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Looking for a simple and delicious way to cook chicken breast on your Traeger? Look no further! This easy Traeger smoked chicken breast recipe will have your taste buds singing and your dinner guests asking for seconds.
Table of Contents
- Traeger Smoker
- Smoked Chicken Rub
- How to Make Smoked Chicken Breasts
- The Key to Perfectly Smoked Chicken Breasts
- What Flavor of Wood Pellets Should Be Used?
- How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Chicken at 350 Degrees?
- How Can You Tell if Chicken Breast is Cooked?
- Can Chicken Breast Be a Little Pink?
- What Traeger Pellets Should I Use?
- Which Traeger Grill Should I Buy?
- Storage Tips
- More EASY CHICKEN RECIPES You will Love:
- Easy Smoked Chicken Breasts Recipe
Smoked chicken breast doesn’t get any better or easier than this! We are obsessed with smoking on our Traeger smoker, and with a few tricks these smoked chicken breasts turn out perfectly tender and moist every time.
Looking for more? Try our recipe for how to smoke a whole chicken in the Traeger, smoked chicken thighs, or our smoked chicken wings.
Unlike other chicken breast recipes, these are totally flavorful chicken breasts that never come out dry! We are letting you in on all our smoking tips as well as our smoked chicken dry rub recipe. Don’t miss it!
Traeger Smoker
Ok, have you used a Traeger grill yet? Or seen it be used? They always have Traeger demos going on here at our Costco, so go check it out at your local Costco or wherever you can find Traegers. And the next time you find a deal on a Traeger, get on board the Traeger train with us! These beauties are life-changing!
We’ve already shared our Brazilian Smoked Tri Tip, Smoked Pulled Pork, and Apple Pecan Smoked Turkey, so we were definitely due for a smoked chicken recipe!
Let’s skip all the small talk and get right to the details of smoking the best chicken breasts of your life!
Smoked Chicken Rub
This dish starts with our smoked chicken rub recipe that adds loads of smoky flavor to these boneless skinless chicken breasts. There is a little sweet, a little salt, a little heat, and every flavor you are looking for in the perfect Traeger smoked chicken breast. Here are the rub ingredients you’ll need:
- Brown Sugar
- Turbinado Sugar (if you can’t find turbinado sugar, just use more brown sugar)
- Celery Seed
- Paprika
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
Pat dry the chicken breasts with paper towels and then smother the top of them with half of this chicken rub. Then let them rest for 15 minutes or up to a half hour in the refrigerator. If you let them rest longer than 15 minutes, wrap them with plastic wrap.
How to Make Smoked Chicken Breasts
Now it is time to let the Traeger work its magic! Heat your smoker on “smoke” (on Traeger use the “super smoke”) with the lid open for 5 minutes. Then turn the heat to 350 degrees F and close the lid for 15 minutes to allow it to warm up.
Place the chicken spiced side down and then liberally coat the underside with the rest if the smoked chicken rub. Close the lid and allow it to cook for 12-13 minutes. Then turn the chicken over and allow it to cook for another 10-12 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees in the thickest part of the breast.
The Key to Perfectly Smoked Chicken Breasts
The key to smoking meat is to give it plenty of time at a low temperature and then plenty of time to rest on the counter as well. The muscle fibers get all worked up with cooking so you really need to let them relax again on the counter in order for the juices to redistribute, otherwise when you cut into the meat, or start to pull it apart in this case, all of the juices will run out which is a big mistake.
Once the chicken has reached temperature, remove the chicken from the grill and lay foil over the top of it on a cutting board. Let the chicken rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing.
Serve smoked chicken with homemade bbq sauce and your favorite sides dishes, such as mac and cheese, roasted sweet potatoes, baked beans or potato rolls!
What Flavor of Wood Pellets Should Be Used?
We love to use hickory or mesquite wood chips when we smoke chicken. Cherry, pecan and apple are all great options too.
How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Chicken at 350 Degrees?
All you need is about 40 minutes to have smoked chicken breasts. No waking up at 2am to start the smoker with this one! It is so quick and easy!
How Can You Tell if Chicken Breast is Cooked?
I love this little trick my mom taught me years ago. Touch your pointer finger and thumb together and the palm of your hand will tell you how a cooked chicken breast should feel. If it’s still jiggly it needs more time. Also, if you oiled your grill or the meat it should release from the grill grates when it is cooked.
Can Chicken Breast Be a Little Pink?
The USDA says that as long as all parts of the chicken have reached a minimum internal temperature of 165° F using a meat thermometer, it is safe to eat. Color doesn’t indicate doneness. Smoked meat often leaves a pink hue but if it has come to temperature it’s fine.
What Traeger Pellets Should I Use?
For this smoked chicken breasts recipe, we used a combination of apple and mesquite Traeger pellets. We like to try different pellets all the time, so try different ones to see which wood you like best, each adds a unique flavor.
Which Traeger Grill Should I Buy?
We have been given the opportunity to try out a few Traeger grills and we’ve decide the Texas Elite 34 Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker Traeger grill is our favorite.
Pro tip: You don’t often think about having the best tools for handling the meat, but these these Dragonn tongs for grilling are the best rated on Amazon and we love them too!
Storage Tips
Leftover smoked chicken should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat it, place in a shallow baking dish, add a little water or chicken broth and cover with foil. Place it in the oven preheated to 350 degrees F and warm up until heated through.
You can also freeze this chicken, and it does extremely well. Let it cool completely and then place the chicken in a freezer safe container. It will keep for about a month.
We can’t wait for your to try this smoked chicken recipe! It is great on its own, but we also love it in our Smoked Chicken Kale Salad! Oh, and I haven’t mentioned that it’s healthy too!
More EASY CHICKEN RECIPES You will Love:
- All our GRILLED CHICKEN RECIPES
- Whole Smoked Chicken
- Grilled Asian Ginger Chicken
- Grilled BBQ Chicken (Our Favorite!)
- Sticky Asian Grilled Chicken
- Simple Garlic Butter Parmesan Chicken
- Balsamic Caprese Chicken
- Cornflake Ranch Chicken (Quick & Easy!)
- Easy Chicken Milanese
- Citrus Greek Chicken
- Creamy Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Smoked Chicken Wings
Easy Smoked Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Turbinado Sugar, *See Note
- 1 teaspoon Celery Seed
- 2 Tablespoons Paprika
- 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Onion Powder
- 4 Chicken Breasts, large boneless, skinless
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl.2 Tablespoons Brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons Turbinado Sugar, 1 teaspoon Celery Seed, 2 Tablespoons Paprika, 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder, 2 Tablespoons Onion Powder
- Pat the chicken breasts dry on both sides and drizzle each side with a little olive oil.4 Chicken Breasts, 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- Sprinkle the rub on top of the chicken breasts liberally. Allow to rest in the fridge for 15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes (place plastic wrap over the top if over 15 minutes of rest time.)
- Heat a smoker on smoke (on traeger use the super smoke) with the lid opened for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to 350 degrees and close the lid for 15 minutes while it warms up.
- Put the chicken, spiced side down on the grill and liberally season the underside of the chicken. Cook for 12-13 minutes with the lid closed.
- Turn the chicken over and cook another 10-12 minutes or until cooked to 165-170 degrees.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and lay foil over the top on a cutting board. Let the chicken rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Why are you preheating the traeger with the lid open??? All that is doing is allowing heat and smoke to escape into the air. And 350 is above the temperature threshold for what I’d consider smoking…. thats grilling. That being said your spice rub sounds appealing and the pictures look good.
Their wording wasn’t the best but they’re saying:
-start traeger with lid open for 5 min until fire is going
-close lid and preheat for 15
Just so you know… This has become a staple on the Traeger week in and week out. The absolute best tasting chicken – quick smoke, but tons of flavor, and the family loves it! Any more Traeger smokes for a weekday meal? I would love it.
Thanks again from NC. – Great job
This makes my day Chuck! We are so obsessed with everything Traeger! Do a search for Traeger on our site and all our recipes will be there.
I made this last night on our Traeger — my first time every cooking on one! I am commenting because I read the reviews here and have some feedback as well. First, the chicken was phenomenal. I cannot say that enough — tangy, sweet, spicy and most importantly, the chicken was incredibly juicy and soft. It was such a welcome change from a winter of dry oven chicken or air fryer repeat recipes. Second, to the other reviewers’ points, I will say that I only used 1 tablespoon of salt in fear of over-salting and that was enough. Next, I used two large chicken breasts and the cook time was definitely longer — I flipped after 13 minutes and after the next 12, I probably had to let them cook for another 15. Just an FYI. Regardless, we will definitely make this again and it was a great recipe to get my feet wet with!
Thank you so much for the feedback and I’m so glad you enjoyed the chicken!
man! this was an absolute winner! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Freddie!!
Took twice as long on the trager as the recipe says and it was way too salty.
Sorry for the disappointment! Were you using the Traeger in cooler weather? Sometimes that can extend the cooking time. The salt can always be adjusted to taste. Regardless, we appreciate the feedback and apologize for the frustration. We haven’t ever had an issue with it taking longer.
Googled “smoked chicken breast recipe” and came to your website. I followed the recipe for the most part. I doubled the brown sugar because I didn’t have turbinado sugar. I also left out the celery seeds because I didn’t have those. I ended up cooking the chicken for about 15-16 minutes on each side until the temp probe hit 170°. I had some big pieces of chicken. It turned out SO good. The chicken was nice and juicy and I loved the taste/aftertaste. I will definitely be using this recipe more often! I also looked you guys up on the gram, so many good looking recipes! Can’t wait to try more! Thank you!
Thank you so much Jared and we appreciate the support! So glad you enjoyed the smoked chicken breasts! Thanks for taking time to leave us a comment!
EXTREMELY SALTY!!! Ruined perfectly good chicken with this recipe!!!
Just 2 tablespoons of salt in the rub. It shouldn’t be too salty.
Oh my what a wonderful recipe I made this for my parents tonight and they said save this and make this again! It was so moist and smoky!! Thank you so much for this idea will be making more of your recipes if they are as good as this one which I bet is the case.😋😋😋😋
Thank you so much for the support Cynthia and so glad this was a hit in your house!
This was wonderful! The rub made a perfect flavor and no bbq sauce needed. I made about a 1/4 recipe for 4 smaller breasts so I didn’t have any left over rub. I was out of celery seed, so I used Beau Monde seasoning (which is mostly celery seed and salt) and just omitted the salt, which worked perfectly. My paprika was the hot variety so I left out the cayenne for my wimpy family who can’t handle spice (annoying). Will save and use this as our new go-to chicken recipe, thank you so much!
Thank you so much Lyrica! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! We make it all year long!