đź’§ What Makes This Recipe So Good
You only need a couple of hours for this brine, making it totally doable when you remember that, oh yeah, you have to cook dinner tonight, just like every night. You know that’s how it happens… at least in our house. Anyway, This quick chicken brine is everything I ever wanted and more (no hyperbole, I swear). It’s flavorful, simple, and quick. The reasons this quick chicken brine works are simple: 1) The salt content is higher than most brines, so it works more effectively and more quickly than a standard brine. 2) The hot solution extracts the flavors from the aromatics much faster than a standard brine. The ice bath cools things down quickly, too, so you don’t risk cooking the chicken as it brines. You can include garlic, peppercorns, herbs, citrus, or any other aromatics you might fancy, but it works wonders without all the fancy add-ins, too. Especially if you’re stretching a chicken to use over several recipes, this basic salt + water mixture can be the best choice. You don’t want to find yourself with rosemary-infused chicken in, I don’t know, a Thai dish. Could be cool, but… probably not your favorite.
🧂 What Goes Into a Brine?
Brining is a simple concept: when making a wet brine, you make a salt solution and flavor it with spices, herbs, and sometimes sugar. Just how high the salt content will depend on how quickly you want to brine the meat – this brine, for instance, has a higher salt content so you can brine quickly. Whereas, with your Thanksgiving turkey, you reduce the overall salt density so you can brine it longer. This is necessary because that dang bird is so big.Many people season their chicken brine with sugar, too, but we a) don’t love sugar in our food and b) find that a salt-only brine produces a super versatile chicken that truly just tastes better and more tender and juicier.
🤔 Why Should You Use a Brine?
We’ve all had overcooked chicken – not so good, right? A chicken brine does two things: When you brine chicken, you’re essentially installing a failsafe on your dish. You have more wiggle room to cook the bird without it becoming dry after one minute too long in the oven, and you have creative control over the flavors throughout the entire muscle meat of your chicken, not just the skin.
👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips
Don’t over-brine the chicken! The salt solution is higher than your standard overnight brine, so you want to make sure to limit your brining time to 2-3 hours at room temperature or 4-6 hours in the fridge. I like to brine my chicken in the morning, drain after a few hours, then let it air dry in the fridge until I’m ready to cook it. Air drying allows the skin to really dry out, so that when you sear, fry, or roast it, the skin gets unbelievably crisp and delicious.
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