I’m excited to share my bacon-wrapped chicken breast recipe — a simple, delicious dish that turns plain chicken breast into something juicy and full of flavor. Chicken breasts aren’t always my first choice, but this preparation makes me reach for them every time.
Below you’ll find a straightforward method to keep the white meat moist and flavorful. From start to finish, plan on roughly five hours when including optional brining time and smoking.
Wrapping chicken breasts in bacon is a classic technique to protect lean meat from drying out during smoking and to add rich, savory flavor.
What You’ll Need
- 4–6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 jalapeños
- 1 each red, orange, and yellow sweet pepper
- Toothpicks
- 2 packages of regular-cut bacon (about 2–3 slices per breast)
- Your favorite rub
- Your preferred barbecue sauce
Brining the Chicken Breasts (optional but recommended)
Brining is an easy technique that helps chicken retain moisture. In its simplest form, dissolve kosher salt into cold water and soak the meat for a few hours. The brine helps water and a bit of salt penetrate the meat, which results in juicier cooked chicken.
You can add flavors to the brine — hot sauce, fruit juice, beer, Worcestershire, herbs — and those flavors will subtly infuse the meat. If you add herbs or oils that don’t dissolve easily, heat the brine briefly to extract their oils, then cool it to under 40°F before submerging the chicken. Always brine in the refrigerator or keep the meat below 40°F for food safety.
For this recipe I kept the brine simple: water, kosher salt, and brown sugar. My brine:
- 4 cups cold drinking water
- ¼ cup coarse kosher salt
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
Pour the water into a pitcher, add the salt and stir until it dissolves and the water clears. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Pour the brine over the chicken breasts so they are fully covered, cover the container and refrigerate.
I soaked six breasts in a deep glass container for two hours, flipping them halfway through to ensure even brining. Keep the container covered and refrigerated while brining.
Preparing the Chicken Breasts
After brining, rinse the breasts under cool water to remove excess surface salt and pat dry. Coat each breast evenly with your rub, flipping to cover both sides. Because the chicken is still slightly moist from brining, the rub should adhere without extra binder like oil or mustard.
On a cutting board, lay 2–3 strips of bacon side by side. Place a seasoned breast across the bacon, leaving some bacon overhang to wrap. Roll the breast so it is fully encased in bacon and secure with toothpicks.
Tip: Stretch the bacon slightly as you wrap to make it longer and thinner. This helps you use less bacon and improves crisping.
For a pop of color and a bit of flavor, thread pepper rings onto the toothpicks before inserting them through the bacon.
Set the wrapped breasts aside while you prepare the smoker.
Smoking the Chicken Breasts
Preheat the smoker to about 230°F. While chicken doesn’t benefit from extremely slow cooking like tougher cuts, a moderate temperature gives more time for smoke flavor without overdrying the meat. I used cherry wood for a mild, fruity smoke that complements the bacon and rub. If you’re using charcoal, electric, or gas, you can choose to add smoke for part of the cook; with wood smokers the smoke is usually continuous.
Aim to keep smoke going for at least half of the cooking time — for these breasts I recommend about 1.5 to 2 hours of smoke. Place the breasts directly on the grate with about 1 inch of space between them so the smoke circulates evenly.
Cook time will vary with breast thickness, but expect around three hours. Use a digital probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature and remove the chicken as soon as it reaches 165°F for safe, juicy results.
About 30 minutes before the end of the cook, brush a light coating of barbecue sauce over the breasts to allow a glossy glaze to form.
Serve hot with a salad and rice, or go traditional with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Quick Recap
- Brine chicken breasts for about 2 hours (optional)
- Rinse with cool water and pat dry
- Coat with your favorite rub
- Wrap each breast with 2–3 bacon strips
- Secure with toothpicks and optional pepper rings
- Smoke at 230°F for roughly 3 hours (depending on thickness)
- Maintain smoke for at least half the cook time (1.5–2 hours)
- Brush barbecue sauce on during the last 30 minutes
- Remove when internal temperature reaches 165°F
Note: If your smoker has a water pan, keep it filled. The water pan helps stabilize temperature and adds moisture to the cooking environment, reducing drying of the meat.