Moist Chicken Breast

[RAmorris]

Has anyone tried injecting chicken breasts with chicken broth before smoking them as a way to make them moister?

[Juddlight]

Never tried it....tried lots of brineing and marinades and found that the dry brine method is in my opinion the juiciest 👍

[fuzzydaddy]

I have not tried injecting, but my best results are when I cook at 325-350 and remove them at 160. Boneless / skinless are easy to dry out. I know that the safe temp is 165, but I account for 5 degrees of carryover. If I cook them to 165 they aren't juicy, which is why a highly accurate meat probe is extra important - I have a Thermapen.

[Jerod Broussard]

The hotter and faster the better. These were taken to 165+ in the Pit Barrel, running 380+. That pic was taken almost 5 minutes after I sliced them up.

[fuzzydaddy]

Looks delicious. Thanks...now I'm hungry (again)!

[Huskee]

I agree with Jerod & fuzzydaddy - a hotter cook, to the proper IT, is all you need. Form what I have heard turkey breast is a different story and several seem to recommend injecting turkey breasts but I don't know personally. But suffice it to say injecting chicken breasts, while it may turn out good, isn't necessary at all.

[smarkley]

I have done a few turkey breasts... injecting definitely helps

[Jerod Broussard]

I used to inject turkeys when I did them in the oven. Definitely worth it. I had people wanting me to cook for them for Christmas. I declined. What a pain that would be.

[Juddlight]

Lol but def a compliment

[RAmorris]

Thanks. Here are some pictures of some of my whole chickens. We dry brined them for 12 hours uncovered in the refrigerator. No rub, only salt. Cooked at 275 (had ribs on the other rack). Temperature of breast 165. But the breasts were a little dry, although the legs/thighs were bursting with juice. My smoker is a Backwoods G2 Party. I think I will try only breasts, skin on and bone in. Cook at 375, take up at temperature of 160, and see what happens.

[Jerod Broussard]

Comp cooks go through a lot of trouble with chicken, prepping the skin, and they cook dark meat. Might be hard to get the Backwoods that high. May have to leave the water pan dry.

I too plan to do exactly that on my next breast cook, and use Meathead's reverse engineered Chris Lilly white sauce to finish them off.

[Juddlight]

Haha I'll be doing a dry brined whole home grown chicken over the open fire this weekend...primitive style chicken on a stick leaning over the coals.... Lol

[RAmorris]

I put two full charcoal chimneys of lit coals in the backwoods and opened the side dampers wide open. I had poured boiling water in the water pan. It hit 400 degrees in 20 minutes, and I had to close the dampers to 1/2 inch to cool it to 300 degrees. It held 300 degrees for 3.5 hours with no more charcoal.

[Jerod Broussard]

Oh man that is cool.