Stove Top Smoker Boneless Chicken Breasts With Or Without Skin Food

STOVE TOP SMOKER BONELESS CHICKEN BREASTS (WITH OR WITHOUT SKIN)

Steps:

• 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 170ºF, 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.

STOVE TOP SMOKER MESQUITE CHICKEN

Steps:

• PREPARATION:.
• To make marinade, whisk together lemon juice, honey, vinegar, olive oil, thyme leaves, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and 1 tablespoon kosher salt until combined.
• Place chicken breasts in a large freezer zip-top bag. Pour in marinade, squeeze out all the air, and seal. Toss to coat chicken thoroughly with marinade and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Sprinkle mesquite chips over the bottom of the smoker. Place drip pan over chips. (Line drip pan with foil for easier clean-up, but make sure the foil is pressed tightly to the pan so you don't disrupt the air-flow of the smoke.) Spray wire grill rack with vegetable oil and place in drip pan.
• Remove chicken from marinade and place skin-side up on grill rack in smoker. Sprinkle with additional kosher salt and paprika.
• Place smoker over stove-top burners as evenly as possible and offset lid so it is not tightly closed. Turn burner heat to high. When wisps of smoke begin to come through the opening, re-position the lid so it is tightly closed and turn heat to medium-low. Cook about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts, until center tests 180°F with an instant-read thermometer.
• If you are serving the chicken with the skin on, you may wish to place the chicken under the broiler for browning. Invert the lid of the smoker and place the cooked chicken on the raised grate in the bottom of the lid. Place the chicken 6 inches from the broiler and brown 2 to 5 minutes. Let rest up to 10 minutes before serving.
• Serve hot or refrigerate for use in chicken salad.
• Yield: 6 servings (about 1/2 chicken breast per person).
• Notes: This recipe is designed to be used with an indoor smoker. Adapt at will. The wood chips are specially designed for indoor cookers. They are like roughly-ground sawdust, not the large The wood chips used on traditional outdoor smokers. Seldom are more than 1-1/2 tablespoons of chips used. Follow manufacturer's recommendations.
• When using this product on ceramic stove-tops, be very careful to lift the pan instead of dragging. The bottom of the cast iron pan may scratch the cooktop. The smoker is cast iron and very heavy. Use caution when moving the pan. If you drop it, you risk breaking a ceramic stove-top.
• If you are following a low-fat diet, simply remove the skin from the chicken after cooking, but do leave them on during the smoking process to help retain moisture.

STOVE TOP SMOKER WHOLE SMOKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Trim any excess skin from the neck end of the chicken and pull out the giblets and any pockets of fat from the cavity.
• First brine your birds. Put the chicken(s) in a stockpot or Dutch oven. Pour in cold water, one quart at a time until the item is completely covered. Lift out the bird and stir in 3 tablespoons sea or kosher salt for every quart of water you have added. Return the chicken to the brine. Set the container of chicken and brine in the refrigerator. Brine for 1 1/2 hours per pound (minimum of 3 hours). Dry the chicken, and rub some freshly ground black pepper inside, also add some whole cloves of garlic and a few lemon wedges to the cavity.
• Start the chicken(s) breast side up on the smoker rack with the smoker on the stove top. Use 2 1/2 tablespoons cherry or oak wood chips OR 1 1/2 tablespoons hickory wood chips. Instead of the smoker cover, tent the smoker with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Smoke 40 minutes over medium heat.
• After the chicken(s) have been smoking 30 minutes, set the oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 425ºF. When the chickens are done smoking, remove the aluminum foil and roast the chicken in the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh near the hip joint registers 170ºF, 30-60 minutes, depending on the size and quantity of the chicken(s).
• After they have rested for 5-10 minutes, serve hot or at room temperature. Leftover smoked chicken is delicious in chicken salad, casseroles, and sandwiches.

STOVE TOP SMOKER SMOKED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• The richer flavor of chicken thighs benefit from more flavorful woods like hickory, corn cob or mesquite. Use about 2 tablespoons of any of the above per batch.
• Trim off all the skin and cut away excess fat from the thighs before seasoning them. Or, leave the skin on and crisp the skin in a hot pan after smoking, about 3 minutes.
• Season each thigh with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Smoke over medium heat until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh near the bone registers 170ºF, 25 to 30 minutes after closing the smoker lid. Check for doneness with the thermometer about 15 minutes into the cooking time.
• Serve right out of the smoker with salsa and your favorite coleslaw or use in another recipe.
• Note: Six chicken thighs will yield about 3 cups shredded cooked meat.

PINEAPPLE BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• In ungreased 9-inch square pan, place chicken, skin side up (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts).
• Brush with butter.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.
• Prepare glaze.
• Pour over chicken breasts.
• Return to oven and continue baking 30 to 40 minutes, basting occasionally until deep golden brown and tender.