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Chicken thighs on a plate.
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Simple Chicken Brine For Grilling

This is a salty brine, filled with herbal flavors, to moisturize and enhance grilled chicken.
Course Chicken, Grilled meat, Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken brine, chicken brine for grilling
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 1 meal
Calories 20kcal
Author Joe Boyle

Ingredients

  • 3 cups water
  • 3 tbsp. Coarse Kosher salt, (approx. 50 grams)
  • 2 cloves garlic, coarse chopped
  • 1 tbsp. dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp. dried basil
  • 1 tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp. fennel seeds

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the salt. Reduce the heat to a low boil for 5 minutes.
  • Remove from the heat and let cool. Placed the saucepan into an ice bath prepared in a skillet. In 15 minutes the temperature of the brine was less than 80°.
  • Place the chicken pieces into a covered bowl or ziplock type bag and cover with the brine. 
  • Refrigerate 1 to 4 hours depending on your chicken. 1 to 2 hours for boneless, skinless cuts. 2 to 3 hours for skin on, bone in cuts. 3 to 4 hours for a whole chicken.
  • Remove the chicken from the brine, pat dry and lightly oil. A bit of pepper may be added at this time if desired.
  • Grill the chicken until the internal temperature is at least 160°F.

Notes

  1. To brine a whole chicken, you may need to double the recipe to fully immerse the chicken.
  2. Make sure that the chicken you are using has not been injected with saline already.
  3. Try different spices to change up the flavor, especially the Poultry Seasoning as mentioned in the blog narrative.
  4. The ingredient photo shows a bit of sugar in the brine. After further testing, I found that the sugar is not beneficial.

Nutrition

Calories: 20kcal