This is a chicken brine recipe that will yield the most succulent, juiciest roast chicken you will EVER have in your life! Bringing injects flavor and moisture as well as tenderizing – you will be blown away by how juicy the chicken breast is!
Once you learn how to brine chicken and taste the incredible results, you will never look back!
A brine is simply a solution made up of salt and water that you use to soak meat (like chicken) for some time before cooking. Brining Chicken Brine Recipe helps infuse flavors and evenly season the meat before cooking and also keeps chicken tender while cooking.
HOW DO YOU MAKE CHICKEN BRINE RECIPE?
When you make this chicken brine recipe start by pouring water into a large pot. Add salt, honey, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, parsley and lemon slices to the water. Simmer everything for a few minutes until the salt dissolves. Cool the brine to room temperature. Add your chicken to the cooled liquid, cover it and refrigerate it. When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove the pot from the fridge, pat it dry and remove any herbs or peppercorns from the chicken. Cook and enjoy the chicken!
Ingredients
- 16 cups water
- ¾ cup kosher salt
- ⅔ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup dried sage, or to taste
- ¼ cup dried basil, or to taste
- 2 heads garlic, crushed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 large bay leaf
How to Make Chicken Brine Recipe
Bring water, kosher salt, sugar, sage, basil, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaf to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat; this could take upwards of 20 minutes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until salt and sugar are dissolved completely, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Let brine sit at room temperature for 2 hours; this lets the dried herbs steep and really enhances the flavor of the brine. Refrigerate to finish cooling before using, at least 1 hour.
How To Use Chicken Brine Recipe
Brine should be completely cooled before using. Follow the directions for your chicken recipe, but in general, a whole chicken can be brined for up to 8 hours, while bone-in pieces can be brined for up to 4 hours.
TIPS FOR THE PERFECT CHICKEN BRINE RECIPE
- I pour additional cold water over the chicken to make sure there is enough to submerge the chicken.
- Be sure to use kosher salt, do not use table salt in this recipe. Table salt measures differently than kosher salt and your chicken will be too salty with table salt. I typically use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- This recipe tends to work well with smaller chickens in the 3-5 pound range.
- I soak my chickens in a pot. If your chicken is larger than the biggest pot in your house, you can use a brining bag.
- If you’re making a smoked chicken, you can use a half batch of my smoked turkey brine before you put the chicken in the smoker.
RECIPE FAQS OF CHICKEN BRINE RECIPE
Why do you brine chicken?
Chicken is a naturally lean type of meat which mean it’s prone to drying out. When a chicken is placed into brine, it absorbs some of the liquid which helps to both keep it moist and also to season it all the way through. When you’re working with a brined chicken, even if you overcook it a bit, it should still come out tender and juicy.
How long do you chicken brine recipe?
A whole chicken should be submerged in brine for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours. Do not go past the 24 hour mark, as your bird may be overly salty if it sits in the brine for too long. If you’re looking to cook bone-in chicken pieces such as chicken thighs, drumsticks or chicken breasts, you’ll want to soak them for about 4 hours. If you’re working with boneless chicken pieces, you can leave them in for about 2 hours.
HOW DO YOU COOK CHICKEN?
You can cook this type of chicken in any way that you would normally cook a whole chicken. Check out some of my favorite recipes below. Sometimes I like to add a few teaspoons of chicken seasoning to the outside of the bird before I cook it.
- Roasted Chicken with Garlic and Herbs
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
- Peruvian Chicken
- Rotisserie Chicken
- Fried Chicken
FLAVOR VARIATIONS OF CHICKE BRINE RECIPE
This recipe adds amazing flavor and moisture to any chicken; however, you can change the recipe to suit your own taste.
- Citrus: You can try orange or grapefruit slices instead of lemon slices or make your own citrus combination.
- Sugar: Brown sugar works well with this brine. Just make sure to dissolve it in the water.
- Spicy: Feel free to add dried chiles for a little spice.
- Flavors: You can add fresh sage, paprika or quartered onions to your brine.
Once you try a brined chicken, you’ll be hooked! Everyone will think you’re a gourmet chef when they get a taste of your perfectly cooked chicken. While making a this brining solution is an extra step in the cooking process, it’s totally worth it in my opinion.
Recipe
Chicken Brine Recipe
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- Mixing bowls
- 9×13-inch baking dish
- pan
Ingredients
- 16 cup water
- 3/4 cup kosher salt
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup dried sage, or to taste
- 1/4 cup dried basil, or to taste
- 2 heads garlic, crushed and chopped
- 1 tbsp heads garlic, crushed and chopped
- 1 large bay leaf
Instructions
- Bring water, kosher salt, sugar, sage, basil, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaf to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat; this could take upwards of 20 minutes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until salt and sugar are dissolved completely, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Let brine sit at room temperature for 2 hours; this lets the dried herbs steep and really enhances the flavor of the brine. Refrigerate to finish cooling before using, at least 1 hour.
Notes
TIPS FOR THE PERFECT CHICKEN BRINE
- I pour additional cold waterover the chicken to make sure there is enough to submerge the chicken.
- Be sure to use kosher salt, do not use table salt in this recipe. Table salt measures differently than kosher salt and your chicken will be too salty with table salt. I typically use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- This recipe tends to work well with smaller chickensin the 3-5 pound range.
- I soak my chickens in a pot. If your chicken is larger than the biggest pot in your house, you can use a brining bag.
- If you’re making a smoked chicken, you can use a half batch of my smoked turkey brinebefore you put the chicken in the smoker.