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There are a lot of variations on brines for poultry. I use this chicken brine because it is super simple and can be easily modified to impart different, though subtle, flavors into the meat. It doesn’t matter whether you grill your chicken, roast it, or deep fry it. You’ll end up with tender, juicy meat in the end.
This makes enough for a family pack of chicken wings, or about 4 large chicken breasts. You’ll want to double (or triple) the amount for a whole chicken. Keep in mind that you don’t normally end up with crunchy skin (unless you coat the chicken) when you brine. You’re adding flavor. Lots of it.
For pork I use an apple brine instead.
Chicken Brine
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 cups water
- ⅓ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano you can substitute you favorite spices, or omit them and double the black pepper
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a resealable bag.
- Combine remaining ingredients and add to the bag.
- Seal bag and place inside a large bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours, rotating the bag every 15 minutes or so.
- Shake off excess brine before cooking.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
Sounds awesome.
Brines are a great alternative to marinades. Marinades only add flavor to the surface of the meat, while brines ‘unwind’ portions bring out natural juiciness.
If you don’t have time to do your brine from scratch, you might like to check out Fire & Flavor’s line of quick brines. http://ow.ly/lUROc
Keep up the great work.