The Best Easy Traeger Grilled Chicken Breast Recipe

This easy Traeger chicken breast recipe delivers tender, juicy, and flavorful grilled chicken every single time. My simple homemade seasoning blend and the distinctive wood-fired smoky flavor from the Traeger create chicken breasts that are high in protein, never dry, and incredibly versatile. With a quick cook time and minimal prep, it’s the perfect go-to for meal prep, salads, sandwiches, or any recipe that calls for cooked chicken.

The Best Easy Traeger Grilled Chicken Breast Recipe

If you’ve ever cooked up a dry chicken breast, you know how unappetizing that can be. Overcooking, or using the wrong cooking method, can leave you with chicken that is hard to eat and just doesn’t taste good.

No thanks to that!

But that’s where this Traeger pellet grill comes in! I love using my electric pellet grill to cook all kinds of meat – it just makes it better tasting. I first started with my amazing Traeger burgers, and now I cook everything on it! It’s seriously upped my grilling game.

The smokiness you get from it makes the chicken taste smoked, but without all the extra time it takes to slowly smoke boneless chicken at a lower temperature.

Preparation is simple – add the homemade Traeger pork and poultry seasoning to your chicken and let it sit while you heat up your Traeger.

Once it’s ready to go, the chicken goes directly on the grill grates to cook. Flip once, finish the cooking, and enjoy some juicy Traeger chicken on its own, over greens, in chicken tacos, sliced thin and added to a sandwich, turned into hearty chicken salad, or however you like to enjoy chicken! No matter how you enjoy it, you’ll be left with an epic meal!

Why you’ll love this traeger chicken breasts recipe

Juicy, never dry – Cooking chicken on the Traeger locks in moisture and gives you that perfectly tender texture every time. No more overcooked or bland BBQ chicken breast – just juicy, flavorful bites you’ll actually look forward to eating.

Simple ingredients, big flavor – With just olive oil, a quick rub, and your Traeger’s natural smoky flavor, you get restaurant-quality results without complicated prep. It’s the kind of easy recipe you’ll come back to week after week and my favorite way to cook chicken!

High-protein and meal-prep friendly – Each chicken breast is loaded with lean protein and little fat to keep you full and energized. Grill up a batch on Sunday and you’ll have a versatile, ready-to-eat protein for salads, wraps, and balanced bowls all week long.

What you need for Traeger chicken breasts

Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions.

These simple ingredients are all you need to make this flavorful chicken breast recipe that works perfectly for meal prep or family dinners. Each ingredient plays a role in locking in moisture, adding flavor, and helping you get that gorgeous grilled finish.

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – Lean, high-protein, and perfect for soaking up smoky flavor from the Traeger pellet grill. Choose evenly sized breasts (about 6–8 ounces each) so they cook at the same rate and stay juicy.
• Extra virgin olive oil– A light drizzle of olive oil helps the seasoning stick and prevents the chicken from drying out. It also promotes those beautiful grill marks and adds a clean, slightly fruity flavor that balances the smokiness. You can swap for avocado oil if that’s what you have on hand.
• Homemade Traeger pork and poultry rub – My go-to all-purpose seasoning blend! It adds savory depth and a touch of sweetness that pairs perfectly with the wood-fired flavor from the Traeger grills. The mix of salt, garlic, paprika, black pepper, brown sugar and herbs helps boost browning and flavor. Don’t have my rub on hand? A simple combo of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder works great too.
• Wood pellets – I used hickory pellets because they give a bold smoky flavour that pairs nicely with the simple seasoning; cherry or apple would lean milder/sweeter if you prefer that.

How to make juicy chicken breasts every time

Step 1: Lay the chicken breast on a sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil. Using a silicone pastry brush, spread the oil on both sides of the chicken. Sprinkle the seasoning mix all over the chicken, turning it over a couple of times so that it is evenly seasoned.

Step 2: When you’re ready to start cooking chicken, turn the Traeger on to smoke and leave the lid open for 5 minutes to start the smoke. Close the lid and set the traeger temperature to 350 degrees F. It will take about 15 minutes to get up to the temperature. Make sure you have enough wood pellets in the pellet smoker to keep the temperature going while you cook.

Step 3: When the electric smoker is up to temperature, place the prepared chicken on the grill grates. Close the lid and cook for 15 minutes, and then flip. At that point, your chicken should have some nice color and grill lines on it. Cook for another 5-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160 degrees F. Note: For 6–8 oz breasts (≈1″ thick) expect ~20 min; for 10–12 oz expect ~30 min – keep meat thermometer in thickest part.

Step 4: Place the chicken on a cutting board and let it rest for 5-10 minutes covered in aluminum foil. This is the best way to end with juicier chicken breasts!

Step 5: After a 5 minute chicken rest time, cut the chicken and enjoy!

NOTE: Cooking time may vary – smaller chicken breasts may take 20-25 minutes of total cook time, whereas larger thicker chicken breasts may take 25-30 minutes of total cook time. Use an electric thermometer to ensure your chicken is cooked to perfect and not over or under cooked.

Watch me make grilled boneless chicken breasts

The full how to video can be watched below, or on my YouTube channel!

Serving suggestion

This is my go-to way to cook the perfect chicken breast on a grill because it is so versatile and delicious! Here are some favorite meals and dips we love to enjoy with this go-to traeger chicken recipe:

• Chicken, bacon and egg Caesar salad
• Buffalo chicken salad
• Southwest grilled chicken salad
• BBQ chicken lettuce wraps
• Creamy yogurt dill sauce
• Kefir ranch dressing
• 5 ingredient peanut sauce

How to store

Leftover chicken breasts should be fully cooled to room temperature before adding to an airtight container. It will keep fresh for up to 1 week in the fridge.

You can also freeze-cooled chicken for up to 6 months!

Substitutions, optional variations & dietary adjustments

Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this traeger smoked chicken breasts recipe. 

If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!

Chicken breast – This recipe works great with other cuts of chicken – try chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks, chicken wings, or a whole chicken! You’ll need to adjust the cooking time, but the seasoning and method will work great with those other options. Boneless pork chops are a great lean protein substitute for chicken breast too.

Olive oil – Avocado oil is a good option to use here!

Pork and poultry rub – While my favorite chicken rub is awesome with this recipe, you can absolutely use other seasonings! A simple mix of sea salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder will add a lot of flavor to your chicken. Feel free to mix it up and try taco seasoning or ranch seasoning and see what you like best!

More easy recipes for the Traeger smoker you’ll love

• Traeger pork loin roast recipe
• Traeger grilled salmon
• The BEST Traeger burgers

If you try this pellet grill chicken breast recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!

XO

Heather

Originally published May 2024. Updated November 2025.