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Smoked Pulled Chicken with Honey Garlic Sauce Recipe

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★★★★★

4.4 from 30 reviews

Smoked Pulled Chicken is a flavorful and tender dish made by slow smoking boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The chicken is first brined in a seasoned pickle juice mixture to enhance juiciness, then rubbed with a smoky spice blend and smoked low and slow at 225°F. Roasted garlic is incorporated into a honey-hot sauce glaze that complements the smoky meat perfectly. This pulled chicken is ideal for sandwiches, salads, or served alongside your favorite sides for a deliciously rustic meal.

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken Brine

  • 3 Pounds chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
  • 2 Cups pickle juice
  • ¼ Cup salt
  • 3 Teaspoons garlic (minced)

Roasted Garlic

  • 1 Bulb garlic (whole bulb)
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 Teaspoon sea salt

Chicken Rub

  • 1 Teaspoon brown sugar
  • 2 Teaspoons mustard powder
  • 2 Teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 Teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 Teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Teaspoon black pepper (fresh cracked)

Honey Garlic Sauce

  • ½ Cup butter (salted)
  • ½ Cup hot sauce (chili garlic flavored)
  • ½ Cup honey
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 Tablespoon water

Additional

  • 1 Cup chicken broth

Instructions

  1. Brine: Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish. In a small bowl, combine pickle juice, salt, and minced garlic. Pour this mixture over the chicken and allow it to brine for 1 hour to enhance moisture and flavor.
  2. Preheat Smoker: Preheat your smoker to 225°F, preparing it for low and slow cooking.
  3. Prepare Roasted Garlic: Peel away all loose layers from the garlic bulb. Slice off the top ¼ inch to expose the cloves. Drizzle olive oil over the exposed garlic and sprinkle sea salt. Place the bulb onto a small cast iron skillet and set aside.
  4. Mix Chicken Rub: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. This will be your flavorful rub for the chicken.
  5. Season Chicken: Remove the chicken breasts from the brine and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Generously apply the rub mixture to both sides of each breast.
  6. Smoke Chicken and Garlic: Arrange the seasoned chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Place both the baking sheet and the cast iron skillet with garlic into the smoker. Close the lid and start smoking.
  7. Remove Garlic After 1 Hour: After an hour of smoking, carefully take out the roasted garlic. Squeeze the softened cloves out of the bulb into a small bowl and mash them with a fork.
  8. Make Honey Garlic Sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the mashed roasted garlic, chili garlic hot sauce, and honey. Whisk together and cook the mixture for 5 minutes to blend flavors.
  9. Thicken Sauce: In a separate bowl, whisk cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Pour this into the saucepan and continue to cook and stir for an additional 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
  10. Finish Smoking Chicken: Remove the chicken from the smoker after 90 minutes. Keep the smoker temperature steady at 225°F.
  11. Simmer Chicken in Broth: Transfer the smoked chicken breasts to a Dutch oven and pour the chicken broth over them. Place the uncovered Dutch oven back into the smoker.
  12. Warm and Smoke Sauce: Place the saucepan with the honey garlic sauce into the smoker alongside the Dutch oven and smoke both for 30 minutes to infuse more smoky flavor.
  13. Shred and Coat Chicken: Remove chicken breasts from the Dutch oven and shred them with forks. Pour the warm honey garlic sauce over the shredded chicken and toss well to coat evenly.
  14. Final Smoke: Spread the sauced pulled chicken onto a baking sheet and return to the smoker for another 45 minutes to finish absorbing smoky flavors.
  15. Serve: Serve the smoked pulled chicken on sandwiches topped with coleslaw or enjoy it on its own with vegetables, salads, or preferred side dishes.

Notes

  • Use a reliable smoker thermometer to maintain a steady 225°F for best results.
  • Ensure chicken breasts are fully thawed before brining and smoking.
  • The brining step helps keep the chicken moist during long smoking.
  • Adjust hot sauce quantity in the honey garlic sauce to your heat preference.
  • Leaving the Dutch oven uncovered in the smoker allows the broth to reduce slightly while keeping chicken moist.
  • Slicing off only the top ¼ inch of garlic bulb prevents drying out cloves during smoking.
  • The final smoke on shredded chicken adds depth and smokiness to the sauce-infused meat.

Keywords: smoked pulled chicken, smoked chicken breasts, pulled chicken recipe, smoker chicken, honey garlic smoked chicken, barbecue chicken, southern smoked chicken

Find it online: https://epicrecipebox.com/smoked-pulled-chicken-with-honey-garlic-sauce-recipe/