Buying Chicken Breasts on sale in bulk is a great way to cut down on food costs but when there’s only 2 people you need to plan ahead and freeze portions for later use. I find that Seasoning and/or Marinading the Chicken Breasts before freezing is a good way to infuse flavors and save time down the road. These 2 breasts were seasoned on/under the skin with Annie’s Roasted Garlic EVOO and Head Country Seasoning prior to freezing weeks ago. When defrosting make sure you defrost in the refrigerator and not the counter top. This is where a little planning comes in cause it could take up to 2 days to defrost.
When buying Chicken Breasts I prefer bone-in with the skin on. You’ll find that these are much less expensive than boneless breasts and will be very moist and flavorful when you smoke/cook them.
Preheated the MAK 2 Star Wood Pellet Smoker-Grill to 180ºF, the SMOKE Setpoint, using Apple wood BBQ pellets. Smoked the Chicken Breasts for 2 hours.
Bumped the temperature to 325ºF after 2 hours of Apple Smoke at 180º. Pulled the Chicken Breasts when the Internal Temperature of the thickest part of the breast reached 170ºF. Rested the breasts under a foil tent for 15 minutes. USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperature is 165ºF (180ºF for the leg and thigh) but I always take mine to 170º without drying out the Chicken. Took a total of 2 hours and 50 minutes plus 15 minutes for the foil tent rest.
The Money $Shot$ … Apple Smoked Bone-In Chicken Breasts, potato salad, and fresh Corn on the Cob while it’s available … Very moist chicken and the Apple smoke kissed the breasts with a nice moderate smoke flavor!
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