This basic brine recipe makes deliciously juicy and flavorful chicken that will become the shining star of your favorite recipes. If you are unsure of how to brine chicken to perfection, consider this tasty recipe as your lifeline!
Simple Chicken Brine
Learning how to brine chicken isn’t as complicated as it sounds–it’s actually quite simple! All you need is some water, salt, and of course, a whole chicken to brine!
This process tenderizes, moistens, and adds so much wonderful flavor to your chicken, you won’t want to prep it any other way.
Why You’ll Love this Chicken Brine Recipe:
- Packed With Flavor: This recipe is packed with flavor — literally! Brining your chicken injects all tasty herbs and spices to make for a flavorful roast chicken.
- Juiciest Chicken: Submerging your chicken in a brine tenderizes and adds moisture, making for a juicy tender chicken that’s out of this world!
How to Make a Brine for Chicken
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Place the brine ingredients (see recipe card) in a stockpot set over medium heat. Bring to a boil until salt has dissolved, then remove the pot from the heat and cool.
- When the brine has completely cooled down, submerge the chicken as instructed below.
- Remove chicken from the brine and rinse. Pat dry with paper towels and cook as desired.
Chicken is a lean meat, so it is prone to drying out. Brining chicken adds flavor and helps to tenderize and moisturize the meat, leading to juicy roasted chicken!
Use about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per cup of water.
A whole chicken should be brined for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Brining any longer than 24 hours could cause the chicken to become too salty. For chicken pieces, you’ll want to brine for about 4 hours for bone-in and 2 hours for boneless.
The general formula for roasting brined chicken is 15 minutes at 350°F for every 1 pound of chicken. So a 6-pound chicken will take about 90 minutes to cook.
You sure can! This brine is great with pork or turkey!
Brines have a lot more liquid, and the whole chicken is submerged in that liquid. Marinades, on the other hand, are usually slathered on and don’t penetrate as deeply.
While you certainly can, the chicken is already full of brine and will have difficulty absorbing the marinade. I recommend using a dry rub to add more flavor or serving the chicken with a sauce.
Nope! By soaking in the salty brine, the chicken will absorb a lot of salt on its own, so there’s no need to add extra.
No! The brine will have touched raw meat and could be contaminated with salmonella or other bacteria. I recommend making a new brine each time.
Brine will not penetrate frozen chicken. Be sure to thaw the chicken fully in the refrigerator before brining.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Coarse salt is best for brining chicken as the crystals make it harder to over-salt your meat. The best kind of salt to use is kosher salt.
- To get crispy skin on your chicken, pat the chicken dry after brining it and set it on a rack over a pan. Then, place it in the refrigerator uncovered overnight or longer if needed.
Make Ahead Instructions
This brine can be prepared up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Storage Instructions
I do not recommend storing brined chicken without first cooking it. Store cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing Instructions
I do not recommend freezing raw brined chicken. Freeze cooked brined chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Variations
This brine is great because it is so versatile and easily adaptable. You can keep it simple with just salt and water or add any of the following:
- 2 lemons, sliced
- ¼ cup sugar (or honey)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3-5 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 4-8 sprigs fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley)
Tips for the Best Chicken Brine
- Only use kosher salt. Do NOT use table salt, or you will end up with extremely salty chicken!
- Feel free to mix up the flavorings to fit your preferences. Use my suggestions or come up with your own!
- Make sure the brine has cooled completely before adding the chicken; otherwise, the chicken may end up in the temperature danger zone, leading to bacterial growth that could make you sick. To quickly cool the brine, add a few ice cubes.
- Make sure the brine fully covers the chicken so that the flavors can penetrate all over. Add more water as needed to cover the chicken completely.
- Once brined, gently pat the chicken dry to remove excess moisture. If you have time, let the chicken sit uncovered in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to dry it out even more. This will lead to crispier skin.
- I recommend roasting brined chicken, but you can cook it any way you like!
There you have it. This is how to brine chicken to make sure that it’s loaded with tons of flavor. Enjoy!
If you’ve made this recipe, please be sure to let us know by leaving a star rating or a comment below. Enjoy!
How to Brine Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- ½ cup kosher salt
- 6-8 pounds whole chicken or chicken pieces
OPTIONAL BRINE ADDITIONS
- 2 lemons sliced
- ¼ cup sugar or honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3-5 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 4-8 sprigs fresh herbs rosemary, thyme, parsley
Instructions
- Place the water, salt, and any optional add-ins in a large stockpot set over medium heat. Bring the water to a boil until salt has dissolved, then remove the pot from the heat and cool completely.8 cups water, ½ cup kosher salt, 2 lemons, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup olive oil, 3-5 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, 3 bay leaves, 4-8 sprigs fresh herbs
- When the brine has completely cooled down, submerge the chicken pieces or the whole chicken, breast side down. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, but no more than 24 hours.6-8 pounds whole chicken
- Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse it with cool water. Pat it dry with paper towels, and proceed to cook as desired.
Notes
- Only use kosher salt. Do NOT use table salt, or you will end up with extremely salty chicken!
- Feel free to mix up the flavorings to fit your preferences. Use my suggestions or come up with your own!
- Make sure the brine has cooled completely before adding the chicken; otherwise, the chicken may end up in the temperature danger zone, leading to bacterial growth that could make you sick. To quickly cool the brine, add a few ice cubes.
- Make sure the brine fully covers the chicken so that the flavors can penetrate all over. Add more water as needed to cover the chicken completely.
- Once brined, gently pat the chicken dry to remove excess moisture. If you have time, let the chicken sit uncovered in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to dry it out even more. This will lead to crispier skin.
- I recommend roasting brined chicken, but you can cook it any way you like!
- Nutritional information not available, as different weights and cuts of chicken will take up salt in varying degrees.
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