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Simple chicken brine recipe! Learn how to brine chicken in easy steps. This is a quick brine recipe that is simple, straightforward, and gives you flavorful, moist, juicy chicken when cooked.
I like to brine my chicken before roasting it when I am not using my Simple Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe where I marinate the chicken.
Brining is a foolproof way of ensuring your roasted, grilled, fried, or smoked chicken is juicy, flavorful, and moist. It prevents the bird from drying out in the oven during cooking. I like to roast the brined chicken then serve with sides like roasted carrots and roasted potatoes for a perfect meal.
You can do a quick chicken brine for most birds and you do not have to wait till Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday roast, or special occasions to enjoy moist, juicy brined roasted chicken.
What is Brining?
Brining is a food process where you immerse your meat in a brine solution to add moisture and to make your meat tender, flavorful, and more juicy. A brine solution is made with salt as one of the main ingredients so it has a high concentration of salt. During brining, osmosis occurs and the chicken absorbs some of the solution, making your chicken moist and flavorful when cooked.
There are two types of brine i.e wet brine and dry brine. Dry brine uses less salt and does not include water. This is a wet brine recipe and it increases moisture.
A basic wet brine is simply a salt and water solution but this brine recipe does not just contain water and salt, it includes herbs, citrus, and spices to give you the best brine possible.
Simple Chicken Brine Recipe
For this chicken brine, you will need a pot that is deep enough to submerge your chicken so all parts are covered. If you don’t have one big enough, you can start the brine in a pot then finish it off in a big enough bowl.
This quick brine recipe makes use of simple ingredients and aside the brining time, the process of making the soution takes just about 10 minutes.
It is important to follow the recipe carefully to avoid making your food unpleasant and overbrining. Let me show you how to brine chicken.
Ingredients for Chicken Brine
The detailed full list of ingredients, directions, and video are available in the recipe card at the end of this post.
The two main ingredients in your solution are water and salt and the other ingredients are for flavor. The water and salt add moisture to your chicken while the other ingredients make it flavorful. This recipe will yield about 3 litres of brine solution, enough for 4lbs (2kg) of chicken.
Water
Salt
Sugar or Honey
Thyme
Parsley
Rosemary
Bay Leaves
Mixed Peppercorns
Garlic
Lemon
How to Brine Chicken
Pour 4 cups of the water into a pot, add the salt, sugar, black pepper, garlic, onions, lemons, parsley, rosemary and thyme.
Stir and let it boil till the salt and sugar are dissolved then remove the pot from heat.
Add the remaining water into the pot and let it stand for 10mins or till it is completely cool.
Place the chicken breast side up in the brine solution ensuring the chicken is fully submerged in the solution.
Put in the fridge to brine for at least 3- 4 hours but do not exceed 2days or use 1 hour for 1 pound timing.
Remove the chicken from the brine, and throw away the solution.
Pat chicken dry, brush with butter, and it’s ready to roast in the oven.
Tips
- Avoid over brining your chicken. Follow the recommended time to get delicious moist chicken.
- Make sure the salt and sugar are fully dissolved before taking the pot off the heat.
- Ensure you completely cool down the brine before use. Do not use the brine while hot, this will cook and not brine the chicken.
- Lightly salt chicken after brining the chicken to avoid making it salty.
- If brining at room temperature, brine for 1 hour for every 2 pounds of chicken.
How long can you brine chicken
Whole chicken – To brine whole chicken, fully submerge your chicken breast facing up in a bowl. It is important the chicken is fully submerged, you may use a plate to keep the chicken down. Brine for atleast 1 hour for every 1 pound (500g) of chicken. It’s best if brined for 12 hours in the fridge but do not exceed 2 days.
Chicken thighs– To brine chicken thighs, place the chicken in an airtight bag with brine and brine for 2 hours hour for every 1kg (2lb) of chicken.
Chicken breasts– Brine for 2 hours for every 1kg of chicken breasts.
FAQ
How long can you brine chicken?
To brine your chicken, the rule I use is 1 hour to each pound of chicken. So for a 4lbs chicken, I advise brining for atleast 4 hours. Note that it is better to brine for less time than to brine for too long.
Can you brine for too long?
Yes it is possible. Overbrining your chicken may make it too salty. Follow the rule of 1 hour for each pound of chicken. While brining for less than the recommended time may not yield the perfect chicken, brining for too long will yield a salty chicken. The aim is to have a moist, flavorful chicken, not a salty one!
What is salt to water ratio for chicken brine?
The salt to water ratio I use for my brine solution is 1/2 cup to every 3 litres of water. That is half cup of salt to every 12 cups of water.
Do you rinse chicken after brining?
I do not rinse chicken after brining and do not believe you should too. After brining, pat very dry, brush with butter or marinade with chicken seasoning, and roast.
Can I use the brine for other meats?
Yes, you can! You can brine pork, chicken breast, and turkey.
How to Cook Chicken after Brining
To cook your chicken after brining. Follow these steps:
Preheat your oven to 350F.
Place your chicken on an oven tray with the breast facing up.
Brush with melted butter and add a little salt.
For a 4lbs brined chicken, roast in the oven for 60 mins or until the juice run clear.
Bring the roast chicken out of the oven and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
Other recipes you can follow after brining chicken are
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Simple Chicken Brine Recipe (How to Brine Chicken)
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
- 2kg (4lb) whole Chicken
- 3 litres Water
- 1/2 cup Salt Kosher or Sea salt
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 5 sprigs Parsley
- 4 sprigs Thyme
- 3 sprig Rosemary
- 3 Bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 4 cloves Garlic (smashed) Optional
- 1 whole Lemon sliced
Instructions
- Pour 4 cups of the water into a pot, add the salt, sugar, garlic, onions, lemons, parsley, rosemary and thyme.
- Stir and let it boil till the salt and sugar are dissolved then remove the pot from heat. Add the remaining water into the pot and let it stand for 10mins or till it is completely cool.
- Place the chicken breast side up or down in the brine solution ensuring the chicken is fully submerged in the solution. (You may need to weigh it down with something).
- Brine your chicken in the refrigerator using 1 hour for 1 pound (500g) rule.
- Remove the chicken from the brine, and throw away the brine solution.Pat chicken dry, brush with butter, and it's ready to roast in the oven.
Recipe Notes
- Avoid over brining your chicken. Follow the recommended time to get delicious moist chicken.
- Make sure the salt and sugar are fully dissolved before taking the pot off the heat.
- Ensure you completely cool down the brine before use. Do not use the brine while hot, this will cook and not brine the chicken.
- Lightly salt chicken after brining the chicken to avoid making it salty.
- If brining at room temperature, brine for 1 hour for every 2 pounds of chicken.
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