This easy chicken breast brine recipe will show you how to brine chicken breast with just a few ingredients. The herby citrusy brined chicken whether grilled, baked, smoked, air fried, or roasted, comes out tender, flavorful, and succulent.
How long to brine chicken can be as little as 30 minutes up to 24 hours. Let me show you how to do it.
Chicken Breast Brine Recipe
This chicken breasts brine recipe is easy and simple. It is a wet brine for chicken breast that can be put together in 5 minutes.
With only a few ingredients, you can make this chicken brine that is aromatic, and flavorful. It smells nice and makes the chicken taste absolutely delicious.
Brining chicken breasts makes it succulent all the time. It is a fail-proof method for ensuring the chicken absorbs water and salt to make them moist and not dry but rather juicy, and flavor-packed when cooked.
This solution can be used to brine boneless chicken breast or bone-in chicken. It also works for other chicken parts like wings, thighs, and drumsticks.
The brine breaks down the protein and thus tenderizes the chicken, making it retain moisture, and then infusing the flavor of the herbs and spices. This ensures juicy, flavorful, tasty chicken—no dry chicken when you use an excellent one and brine it long enough.
The ingredients for making this quick chicken brine are simple pantry ingredients that are easy to come by.
This recipe is so simple and easy to put together that you can put it together in under 10 minutes and brine chicken for as little as 30 minutes. It can also be made ahead.
Related: Simple whole chicken brine, how to marinate chicken
Ingredients
Here are what you will need to make chicken breast brine:
Water
Salt
Apple cider
Brown Sugar- This can be substituted for honey.
Kosher Salt
Herbs and spices- The herbs and spices add flavor. The herbs and spices used to season are Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Garlic, and Pepper.
Orange (optional) - This gives a citrusy flavor. The acidity also helps to tenderize the meat.
How To Brine Chicken Breast
Make the brine for chicken breast- Add 1 cup of water to a saucepan, then add in salt and sugar. Stir and simmer on low heat till the salt and sugar are dissolved then take it off heat.
Cool it- Add in rosemary, black pepper, rosemary, parsley, and bay leaves. Let the mixture cool a bit then add in cold water and acid vinegar (It should be completely cooled before adding it to the chicken).
Add it to chicken- Put the chicken breast in a deep bowl then add in the brine solution to cover the chicken.
Add in the orange slices (Optional).
Seal the bowl with clingfilm and put it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
Remove chicken- Take out the chicken from the solution and discard the brine. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
Cook- Once the chicken has been patted dry, season with any seasoning of your choice you can then cook the chicken breast on the grill, in the oven, smoker, air fryer, or use any cooking method of your choice.
How Long To Brine Chicken Breast
This will depend on the size of the chicken breasts and if it is skinless, boneless, or bone-in with skin. Also, the content of the brine will determine as it can stay for longer if it doesn't contain acidic juice.
How long to brine boneless chicken breast is 30- 90 minutes.
How long to brine skin on bone in chicken breast is 2- 4 hours.
If the brine does not contain acids like Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, you can brine it for up to 12 hours.
No need to rinse chicken after brining.
What To Serve With Brined Chicken Breast
Chicken breast brined goes well with many side dishes. Here are some listed below:
Rice - Chinese egg fried rice, Curry rice, Instant pot basmati rice, Jollof rice.
Potatoes- Air fryer potatoes and onions, crispy air fryer potatoes, boiled potatoes, best roast potatoes, cream cheese mashed potatoes, air fryer red potatoes
Vegetables - Boiled asparagus, Boiled carrots, Air fryer vegetables, pan fried broccoli, Baked vegetables, Boiled cabbage, Sauteed frozen peas
Pasta- Creamy lemon pasta, tomato pasta, spicy pasta
Use in wraps, sandwiches, etc.
How To Store
To store brine - Put it in a ziploc or an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
How to store brined chicken- After taking the chicken out, put it in a Ziploc, label it, and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Bring it out and let it get to room temperature before cooking it.
Tips
- It's best to use a glass or plastic container to brine chicken.
- Brown sugar can be substituted for honey.
- Adjust the herbs and seasoning to your preference.
- Let the brine cool completely before use. If you want to hasten the cooling process, add ice to it.
- Brine chicken for at least 30 minutes to get the full benefits.
- As the brine is acidic because of the Apple cider vinegar, do not brine for more than 2 hours, or the chicken starts to get mushy.
- Don't rinse chicken after brining. Season as desired and cook or you can just brush with oil and cook as desired.
FAQS
What is a simple brine formula?
Water and salt. You can add herbs and spices for flavor, acid juice for tenderizing, and sugar for browning and sweetening.
Can I reuse brine?
No, don't reuse brine to avoid contamination and food poisoning. The ingredients used are inexpensive and it's super quick to make so you should make a fresh one for use.
Is brine the same as a marinade?
Brining uses water as the base and it makes the chicken moist so it doesn't dry out during the cooking process. It ensures that the chicken absorbs salt and water while marinade is more impactful for flavor while also tenderising the chicken. With brining, the chicken is immersed in the solution.
Can you make it ahead?
Yes, you can make it ahead and store it for 24-48 hours in the fridge. As it is simple and quick to make, it is not always necessary to make it ahead.
Do you rinse chicken after brining?
No need to rinse. Just pat it dry, brush with oil, or season as desired then cook.
Can I brine frozen chicken?
Yes, you can. However you will have to thaw the chicken first, or you can thaw the chicken in the brine.
More Chicken Breast Recipes
Air fryer boneless skinless chicken breast
Oven Baked boneless chicken breast
Air fryer frozen chicken breast
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Recipe
Chicken Breast Brine Recipe
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 cups Water
- 3 cups Apple Cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Salt Kosher
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Rosemary and Thyme
- 1 Sprig Parsley
- 2 Bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Optional
- 1 small Orange (sliced) Optional
- 1 teaspoon Cracked Pepper, red pepper flakes, or black pepper
Instructions
- Make the brine for chicken breast- Add 1 cup of water to a saucepan, then add salt and sugar. Stir and simmer on low heat till the salt and sugar are dissolved then take it off heat.
- Cool it- Add rosemary, black pepper, rosemary, parsley, and bay leaves. Let the mixture cool a bit then add in cold water and acid vinegar (It should be completely cooled before adding it to the chicken)
- Add it to chicken- Put the chicken breast in a deep bowl then add in the brine solution to cover the chicken. Add in the orange slices (Optional).
- Seal the bowl with clingfilm and put it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
- Remove chicken- Take out the chicken breast from the solution and discard the brine. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Cook- Once the chicken has been patted dry, season with any seasoning of your choice you can then cook the chicken breast on the grill, in the oven, smoker, air fryer, or use any cooking method of your choice.
Notes
- It's best to use a glass or plastic container to brine chicken. Avoid
- Brown sugar can be substituted for honey.
- Adjust the herbs and seasoning to your preference.
- Let the brine cool completely before you use it. If you want to hasten the cooling process, add ice to it.
- Brine chicken for at least 30 minutes to get the full benefits.
- As the brine is acidic because of the Acid vinegar, do not brine for more than 4 hours, or the chicken starts to get mushy.
- Don't rinse chicken after brining. Season as desired and cook or you can just brush with oil and cook as desired.
Nutrition
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