Simple Smoked Chicken Breast

Joshua Weissman is the king of chicken.

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Simple Smoked Chicken Breast
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Ingredients

Brine:

  • 1 chicken breast
  • 2 quarts (2L) water
  • ½ cup (130g) soy sauce
  • ⅛ cup (30g) brown sugar
  • 30 g kosher salt
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 4 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 lemon, quartered
  • 1 sprigs of rosemary
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • 2 tsp (5g) black peppercorn

Seasoning & Cooking:

  • 1 Tbsp (15g) kosher salt
  • 1 tsp (3g) fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp (4g) garlic powder
  • ½ tsp (2g) onion powder
  • 1 tsp (5g) MSG

Directions

Brine:

  1. In a 4 quart pot or storage container whisk together water, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and black peppercorn until the salt has dissolved.
  2. Add chicken breast to the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
  3. After brining period, remove breast from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
  4. Reserve brined chicken for preparation in the refrigerator.

Seasoning & Cooking:

  1. Preheat the smoker to 250°F (120°C).
  2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and MSG until fully incorporated.
  3. Place chicken breasts on a wire rack lined baking tray and season with the spice mixture onto all sides of the chicken.
  4. Place the chicken on the smoker grates and smoke for about 1-1.5 hours, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (70°C).
  5. Transfer the chicken from the smoker to a baking tray, and tent the tray with aluminum foil. Chicken temperature will continue to rise to 165°F (75°C) during this process.