Easy Brine (Grilled Chicken Breasts)

2-3h
Prep Time
20-30m
Cook Time
2h 20m
Ready In


"This is a great recipe for brining chicken, everything from thighs to breasts to a whole chicken (legs and wings just don't have enough meat to benefit); also pork chops, tenderloin, whole loins, even turkey. Obviously, smaller piece of chicken or thin tenderloin do not require a long brining process. There many sites available on the web which offer brining times for specific cuts of meat - I have listed a few common cuts below. For this recipe, I used a bone in/skin on chicken breast. I grilled it and finished it with my 5 Minute Bourbon Beer BBQ Sauce (also posted here). This recipe can be doubled for larger cuts or if you are making more than just 4 chicken breasts."

Original is 5 servings
  • BRINE

Nutritional

  • Serving Size: 1 (752.8 g)
  • Calories 179.4
  • Total Fat - 4.5 g
  • Saturated Fat - 2.5 g
  • Cholesterol - 10.7 mg
  • Sodium - 14352.4 mg
  • Total Carbohydrate - 29.4 g
  • Dietary Fiber - 3.7 g
  • Sugars - 17.7 g
  • Protein - 7.2 g
  • Calcium - 221.2 mg
  • Iron - 1.7 mg
  • Vitamin C - 31.8 mg
  • Thiamin - 0.1 mg

Step by Step Method

Step 1

Peppercorns ... The easiest way is to put them in a small baggie and hit with a meat mallet or the bag of a pot. You want to lightly crush them.

Step 2

Brining Liquid ... Bring everything up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 3 minutes until all the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool. You don't want meat to warm water.It must be room temp.

Step 3

Chicken ... Add the chicken to a large ziplock bag along with the brine and seal. You can do this in a bowl as well, covered with plastic wrap. For chicken breasts, I tend to brine them 2-3 hours, especially large ones. I wouldn't go over 4 hours. After brining, rinse well with cold water and dry off to prepare for cooking.

Step 4

Grill ... Season your chicken with salt and pepper. For this recipe, I didn't add any additional seasoning because I was planning to finish with my BBQ Sauce. I grilled the chicken on medium heat for approximately 25 minutes. I started skin side down. After the first flip, I brushed on my 5 Minute Bourbon and Beer BBQ Sauce (recipe posted here) and continued to brush during cooking. After the chicken is done, make sure you let it rest a few minutes before serving. I like to cut large breasts in 2-3 pieces rather than serving 1 whole breasts to each person.

Step 5

NOTE: Brining Times ... Here are a few brining times - there are many sites out there with charts of brining times - These are just approximate. Whole chicken 4-12 hrs; large breasts 2-3 hrs; smaller pieces or boneless breasts 1-1 1/2 hrs; pork chops 3-4 hrs; tenderloin 4-6; loin 1-2 days; turkey breasts 5-8 hrs; whole turkey 1-2 days.

Tips


No special items needed.

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