Stove Top Smoker Boneless Chicken Breasts (With Or Without Skin) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

6 (8 ounce) boneless chicken breasts (this amount will fill up the smoker rack at one time) or (6 ounce) boneless chicken breasts (this amount will fill up the smoker rack at one time)
1 1/2 tablespoons wood chips
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Trim any fat from the breasts before seasoning them. If you're leaving the skin on in preparation for serving the crispy-skinned version, trim any overhanging skin and smooth the skin into an even layer over the chicken. If not, remove the skin before smoking the chicken.
Boneless chicken breasts absorb a lot of flavor and watch well with a wide variety of wood. Use less of the more assertive wood like hickory or mesquite, or more of the milder wood chips like alder or cherry. Use 1 1/2 Tblsp hickory or mesquite OR 2 to 2 1/2 Tblsp alder or cherry wood chips.
Season the chicken breasts with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a scant 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper each, adjusting that amount to your taste. Or rub a generous amount of your
favorite rub into both sides of the chicken.
Close the smoker lid and smoke the chicken breasts until an instant read thermometer registers 170\u00b0F, 18-22 minutes for 6-oz/3/4-inch thick breasts, 22-25 minutes for 7-oz/1-inch thick breasts; 25-30 minutes for 8-oz, 1 1/4-inch thick breasts. Check for doneness with the instant read thermometer about 4 minutes before the end of the time.
outlined above.
For crispy-skinned chicken breasts, choose a nonstick pan large enough to hold the number of breasts you are serving. Heat it over medium-high heat a few minutes before the chicken breasts are done smoking. Lift the chicken with tongs from the smoker and lay them skin.
side down in the pan. Cook until the skin is crispy and deep golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Note: Four 7-oz chicken breasts will yield about 3 cups shredded chicken meat.