Chicken stalls?

[JPGators17]

I don't smoke much chicken, but I wasn't expecting boneless chicken breasts to take over two hours to go from 130 to 140 degrees. I was smoking them at 225, with the goal being pulled chicken. I finally bumped it up to 250 because it was getting so late. Is this normal?

[ComfortablyNumb]

Chicken stalls aren't normal. Normal is pens.....

[ComfortablyNumb]

jfmorris Or tractors. Pen was the first to come to my mind, was going to change it to coop but you had already fixed that.

[JPGators17]

As soon as I posted I started waiting for this lol

[JimLinebarger]

ComfortablyNumb I had to read that 3 times. Thought you were speaking in code or maybe you had one.

[jfmorris]

Hmmm. Sorta surprising, but then, I've never cooked boneless/skinless/hairless chicken breasts at anything other than hot and fast temperatures, to 160F internal.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Same here, I would think low and slow would dry them out.

[JPGators17]

I do the same when I cook chicken, usually because it's whole, or parts with skin, but I saw someone recommend cooking the skinless breasts lower, so I gave it a shot.

[Troutman]

I would never slow smoke a chicken breast, turns it into sawdust.

[Huskee]

Thick breasts can take a LONG time. Some of the perceived delay could also have been the probe being too close to the bone or cartilage (if they were bone-in breasts).

Also, as said above 225 isn't the best temp for breast meat. You'll want to shoot for 325+ not just for crispy skin which probably wouldn't matter if you're aiming for pulled chicken, but to prevent dehyration. The prolonged cook time is dehydrating the meat, and this is what the "stall" is, evaporation, sweating, although it's less common in chicken since it's usually a quicker cook. Lean meats like pork loin and chicken/turkey breast are best cooked at 325-350. If you want pulled chicken breast your best bet is to cook in a high humidity environment like a covered dish or wrapped in foil or even a crock pot after smoking, not open air.

[JPGators17]

This makes sense. Surprisingly, the chicken didn't turn to saw dust, and wasn't super dry, but it definitely wasn't as juicy as a breast on one of my whole bird 325+ cooks.