How To Brine A Chicken
Brining your chicken prior to cooking is a foolproof way to make sure it stays beautiful and juicy inside as well as to bump up the flavour.
Ingredients
- ¼ to ⅓ cup salt flakes (if you use table salt make sure you reduce the amount as it is much finer)
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 small bunch of thyme
- 1 small bunch of rosemary
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 - 2 tbsp honey
- Approx. 2L water
Method
If you are brining a whole chicken (or a whole turkey) you will want to brine your chicken for around 24 hours (8 hours at a minimum, but not more than 24 as this can make your chook too salty).
If you are brining bone in chicken pieces, brine for about 4 hours.
If you are brining boneless chicken such as breast or thigh, brine for around 2 hours.
- Add all ingredients into a large pot on the stove and heat until salt dissolves. Allow the brine to cool completely.
- Add your chook to a container big enough to hold the whole chicken, plus enough liquid to submerge it. Pour in the brine, and add any extra water as needed to make sure the chicken is completely covered.
- Pop the container into your fridge and leave in the brine for its allocated time (see guide above). When it’s ready, remove and pat dry. From here you can season and cook the chicken as usual (note that brined chickens can take slightly less time to cook than unbrined - it is a good idea to use a meat thermometer to check doneness if you have one).
