If you have never used brine for chicken, get ready to have your life changed! When you brine chicken before roasting, the result is the most succulent and flavorful chicken ever. You won’t believe how easy it is to make this incredible chicken brine recipe.
Suitable for gluten free and low carb diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.
We’ve all been there before. The roast chicken comes out of the oven, and you carve into it only to discover meat that is dry and lacking in flavor. You don’t want to waste money, so of course, you eat it anyway. I got to the point where I didn’t want to make roasted chicken anymore, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Enter the kitchen miracle that is chicken brine.
I first discovered brining while watching a cooking show many years ago. The host raved about how tender and flavorful the meat was, and when they carved into the chicken, you could see how incredibly juicy and succulent it was.
I decided right then and there that I wanted to serve up chicken that looked that amazing. So I set out to learn how to brine chicken.
Easy Chicken Brine
When found that a chicken brine recipe is made from a few simple ingredients (water and salt) that were already in my pantry, I couldn’t believe it. I don’t know why people don’t talk about chicken brine more. This easy technique is perfect for making my Instant Pot Whole Chicken and Air Fryer Whole Chicken recipes.
Why Make This Recipe
- Easy – Make the chicken brine recipe, let it cool and soak your chicken for 8-24 hours before roasting.
- Inexpensive – This gives process gives you gourmet-quality chicken using inexpensive ingredients you already have on hand.
- Flavorful – This chicken truly is delectable!
What Is Chicken Brine?
Brine is a solution made of salt and water, and often other seasonings such as sugar and herbs. The process adds flavor and moisture to chicken (and other meats) when they are soaked in the brine for an extended period of time.
This allows moisture and flavor to penetrate beyond the skin and into the meat, thus making it incredibly tender.
Once a chef’s trick, more and more home cooks are eager to learn how to brine chicken. And once you see how easy and affordable it is, your Sunday dinners will be tastier than ever!
How Does Brine For Chicken Work?
Brining chicken adds moisture, flavor, and denatures the proteins. Denaturing means the chicken brine recipe helps loosen the meat fibers and makes it tender and juicy.
Ingredient Notes
- Kosher Salt – Kosher salt is NOT the same as table salt. Make sure you purchase Kosher salt, as they are not interchangable. Using table salt could result in an overly salty chicken.
- Sugar – This helps add flavor and give you nicely browned skin. I use white sugar, but you can use brown sugar instead.
- Garlic – Garlic adds a lovely earthy flavor. Smash the garlic with the side of a knife before adding it to the brine. This will allow the full flavor to come out into the liquid.
- Fresh Herbs – Thyme, parsley and bay leaves are a great combination.
- Peppercorns – Peppercorns add just a mild spice and a flavor that balances out the salt and sugar.
How To Brine Chicken
Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- In a pot large enough to hold your chicken, add about a third of the water and bring it to a boil. Then stir in salt and sugar until they have completely dissolved.
- Add garlic, herbs and peppercorns, then boil for about a 1 minute to release the flavors. Remove from the heat and allow the brine to cool for 30 minutes.
- Pour in the remaining water and refrigerate the brine for at least 1 hour or until completely cool. Then add the chicken to the pot breast side down, ensuring that the brine fills the cavity.
- Add additional cold water if needed to fully submerge the chicken. Return the pot to the fridge and allow the chicken to soak for 8-24 hours.
Tips For Success
- Be sure to use kosher salt, not table salt.
- Smash garlic with the side of a knife before adding it to the brine. This will help the flavors to permeate the liquid.
- No fresh herbs? You can use dried herbs. Use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs in place of every 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.
- Make sure the brine has cooled completely before adding the chicken.
- Place the chicken breast-side down in the brine. It’s okay if the bottom of the chicken floats slightly above the brine.
- The chicken in brine must be kept refrigerated.
- Thoroughly dry the brined chicken with paper towels before roasting.
- Discard leftover brine, and do not reuse the herbs.
Variations
- Add Citrus – Slices of oranges or lemons can add a wonderful brightness to the flavor of the chicken.
- Add Other Herbs – Sage and rosemary make a lovely addition to the chicken brine recipe.
- Add Other Spices – Add in a few cinnamon sticks and whole cloves for a warm taste that’s perfect in the colder months.
- Customize – The only ingredients you need for brine are water and salt. All other ingredients are optional and completely customizable.
Budget-Friendly Tips
- Toss Leftover Herbs In The Freezer – If you have leftover herbs from other recipes, you can save them by placing them in a bag in the freezer. Label the bag with its contents and toss them into the brine as directed. No thawing is necessary.
- Use Dried Herbs – If you have dried herbs in your pantry, you can use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for every 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.
Prep Ahead And Storage
- Prep Ahead – Make your brine early enough that it has time to cool before you brine the chicken for 8 to 24 hours.
- Store – Brine the chicken in the fridge. Brining at room temperature is not safe. Leftover brine should be discarded.
- Freeze – Brine should not be frozen, and leftover brine should be discarded.
FAQs
You should brine the chicken for at least 8 hours for the best results. Chicken can stay in the brine for up to 24 hours.
You sure can! This brine is perfect for other cuts of chicken and tasty for pork and turkey as well. Follow the same procedure and cook the meat according to your favorite recipe.
Although the processes are very similar, a marinade often uses an acid such as vinegar or citrus to tenderize the meat. Brine uses salt and water. Additionally, the liquid to meat ratio is much higher with brining.
I love the flavor of roasted chicken, but brined meats can be grilled, fried, pressure cooked, and baked with equally amazing results.
Brining adds moisture, which gives us incredibly tender chicken, but moisture is also the enemy of crispy skin. Thoroughly dry the skin with paper towels before roasting.
Additionally, you can remove the chicken from the brine, dry it and place it on a tray in the fridge, uncovered for an additional 8 to 24 hours. This will allow any additional moisture on the skin to evaporate while the inside stays moist and tender.
Your chicken should be completely thawed before adding to the brine. If there is a bit of ice still in the cavity, that’s okay but frozen chicken will not allow moisture to penetrate into the meat fibers.
More Recipes You May Like
- How To Freeze Chicken.
- How To Roast Chicken.
- How To Make Chicken Stock.
- Easy Instant Pot Whole Chicken.
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken.
Serving Suggestions
Weight Watchers Points
There are 2 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
Get The Chicken Brine Recipe:
Chicken Brine Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 quarts (1.89L) water
- ⅓ cup (96g) kosher salt do not use table salt
- ¼ cup (50g) sugar
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1 handful parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns
Instructions
- Select a pot that will be large enough to hold your chicken. Pour in about a third of the water and bring to a boil.
- Stir in salt and sugar until completely dissolved.
- Thn add garlic, herbs and pepper and boil for about 1 minute to release the flavors.
- Remove from the heat and allow the brine to cool for 30 minutes.
- Pour in remaining water and refrigerate the brine for at least 1 hour or until completely cool.
- Once cool, add the chicken to the pot breast side down, ensuring that the brine fills the cavity. Add additional cold water if needed to fully submerge the chicken.
- Return the pot to the fridge and allow the chicken to soak for 8-24 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry before cooking as desired.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to use kosher salt as table salt and kosher salt are not the same.
- Smash the garlic with the side of a knife before adding it to the brine. This will help the flavors to permeate the liquid.
- No fresh herbs? You can use dried herbs. Use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs in place of every 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.
- Make sure the brine has cooled completely before adding the chicken.
- Place the chicken breast-side down in the brine.
- It’s okay if the bottom of the chicken floats slightly above the brine.
- Keep the chicken in the fridge while it brines.
- Thoroughly dry the chicken with paper towels before roasting.
- Discard any leftover brine, and do not reuse the herbs.
- There are 2 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
Leave a Reply