Flatten the chicken with a meat mallet, rolling pin or the back of a frying pan.

Cure the chicken

The curing process removes water from the chicken, and instead replaces it with the cure mixture. This adds flavour and also serves to preserve the chicken and prevent spoilage.

Prepare a baking sheet large enough to hold your chicken breasts. Lay a thin sheet of foil on the baking sheet, and then lay a thin sheet of plastic wrap on top of the foil.

Sprinkle a third of the cure onto the plastic wrap, roughly the length of your chicken breast. Lay one chicken breast down onto the cure and then sprinkle another third of the cure onto the flesh.

Stack the second chicken breast onto the coated flesh of the first piece of chicken. Sprinkle the last third of the cure on top of this chicken breast and then cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and more foil.

Wrap the plastic wrap and foil tightly around the chicken breasts. This will contain any oils or juices that may escape from the curing process.

Set another baking sheet on top of the foil-wrapped chicken and weigh it down with something heavy, like a few cookbooks or canned goods. Refrigerate the chicken for 1-1½ hours to cure.

Smoke the chicken

When the chicken has cured, remove chicken from the fridge and unwrap the foil.

Thoroughly rinse off the chicken under cold water, making sure to wash off any of the cure that hasn’t absorbed into the chicken.  Pat both chicken breasts dry with napkins or paper towels.

Prepare the BBQ grill with using Heat Beads® BBQ Briquettes for low to medium heat and place Heat Beads® Hickory wood chips directly onto the briquettes.

Once it starts smoking, place your chicken directly onto the BBQ grill and close the BBQ lid.

Leave to cook and smoke for 15-20 mins or until chicken is fully cooked.