brine (for chicken) January 31, 2008
Posted by hapafood in brine, chicken.trackback
i’m not a fan of white meat (chicken) because it usually comes out very dry. jenny and charlie roasted a chicken for me once, and the breast was so succulent and juicy, i couldn’t believe it. i asked for the recipe, and they said they had brined the chicken. i searched the web, and i found this brine recipe. when i used this recipe to roast a chicken, it came out so delicious. because of this recipe, i actually will roast split chicken breasts by themselves! 
recipe is for 1 whole chicken. quarter the recipe for 2 split chicken breasts.
1 1/4 gallons cold water (20 cups)
3/4 – 1 cups kosher salt, use 1 cup if you like a saltier chicken
1/2 cup sugar
2 bay leaves
1/2 bunch fresh thyme, or 2 tbsp dried
1/2 head of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
- combine all the ingredients into a large pot.
- add one whole chicken. refrigerate for at least 12 hours. i usually brine it for 24 hours.
- remove the chicken and pat dry. drizzle the skin with a little olive oil.
- roast chicken until done. i usually roast it at 375 for 1.5 – 2 hours, depending on the size of the chicken.
I used this brine on some stringy young roosters that we just butchered. My oh my! So tender and flavorful. This will become a staple at our house. I have another batch brining today! Thanks!
no problem janelle! i’m glad that you enjoyed it!
how long do you brine chicken breasts?
i usually brine them overnight as well. i think that it might be fine if you just brined it in the morning and cooked it in the evening.
Does the chicken need to be thawed before I put it in the brine?
i usually thaw the chicken.
Can i brine chicken strips and if i was only using 500gms what would my ratio be?
Bev, I’d just use 1/8 of the recipe for chicken strips.
why kosher salt and not regular salt and i never heard of adding sugar to the brine mix. how much salt added to the water per pound of chicken and 24 hours sounds to long to brine the chicken might get soft or to salty. and i usually cook my whole chicken in a cooking bag in the oven.