Smoked chicken tenderloins so tasty and tender you'll be blown away! This step-by-step recipe shows how to prepare and smoke them in your own smoker.
Course Entree, Main
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Total Time 3 hourshours10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
3lbschicken tenderloinsabout 30 pcs
½galloncold water
½cupcoarse kosher saltMorton's blue box
½cupbrown sugar
Jeff's Texas style rub
Spray oil
Instructions
Make a brine using ½ gallon of cold water, ½ cup of coarse kosher salt, and ½ cup of brown sugar (the brown sugar adds some flavor but is optional).
Pour the salt and brown sugar into the water and stir for about a minute or until the water becomes a clear amber color.
Place the tenderloins into a medium-sized plastic or glass container.
Pour the brine over the chicken to cover.
Lid it and place in the fridge for about 60-90 minutes. 60 minutes will do the trick if you're in a hurry.
When the brining process is complete, rinse the chicken one time in cold water.
Lay the brined chicken out on a pan/rack if you have one; otherwise, you can just lay them out on parchment paper or a large sheet of foil.
Sprinkle my Texas style rub on the top of the chicken.
Set up your smoker for cooking at 225°F (107°C), and if your smoker uses a water pan, fill it up. I used a mix of hickory and cherry for smoke. You can expect the chicken to take 80-90 minutes to reach 160°F (71°C).
When the chicken reaches about 135°F (57°C), place the tenders on a griddle or a hot pan and give them a quick sear on both sides.
When they reach at least 155°F (68°C), they can be removed from the smoker. Place the chicken in a covered foil pan to keep them hot as they get finished.
Bring the chicken into the house and serve them up with some sides or use them to make an amazing sandwich with melted cheese, veggies and condiments.