How To Brine Chicken Recipe

What’s in This Chicken Brine Recipe?

Learning how to brine chicken isn’t as complicated as it sounds–it’s actually quite simple! This process tenderizes, moistens, and adds so much wonderful flavor to your chicken, you won’t want to prep it any other way.

Water: Forms the base of the brine, allowing the salt to dissolve and create a briny solution. Salt: Coarse kosher salt is best for brining chicken as the crystals make it harder to over-salt your meat. Use 1 tablespoon per cup of water. Chicken: We like to brine a 6-8-pound whole chicken, but this brine recipe works for chicken pieces, too!

Variations on Brine for Chicken

Now that we’ve gone over the basics of how to brine chicken, we can start to get creative! 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)

How to Store

Once you’ve learned how to brine chicken, you can prepare the brine up to 2 weeks in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. We 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.

How to Freeze

We 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.

Notes from the Test Kitchen

To get crispy skin, pat the chicken dry after brining it, then set it on a rack over a pan. Then, place it in the refrigerator uncovered overnight or longer if needed to dry out the skin.

How to Brine Chicken Step by Step

Make the Brine: Place 8 cups of water, ½ cup of kosher salt, and any of these optional add-ins (2 lemons, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup olive oil, 3-5 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, 3 bay leaves, and/or 4-8 sprigs fresh herbs) in a large stockpot set over medium heat. Bring the water to a boil until the salt has dissolved, then remove the pot from the heat and cool completely. Brine the Chicken: When the brine has completely cooled down, submerge a 6-8-pound whole chicken, breast side down. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, but no more than 24 hours. Remove the chicken from the brine, and rinse it with cool water. Pat it dry with paper towels, and proceed to cook as desired.