If you are unsure of how to brine chicken to perfection, consider me your lifeline! My easy chicken brine recipe makes a deliciously juicy and flavorful whole bird that will become the shining star of your favorite recipes. It’s so simple to make (just 2 ingredients!), and brining a chicken before cooking adds tons of moisture and flavor. Trust me when I say you won’t want to season a whole chicken any other way!
Chicken Brine Recipe
Learning how to brine chicken isn’t as complicated as it sounds–it’s actually quite simple! 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!
My basic formula for a delicious (and effective!) brine for chicken is a combination of water and salt! The water allows the salt to dissolve and evenly penetrate the chicken, while coarse kosher salt seasons the chicken throughout without making it too salty. I recommend using 1 tablespoon of salt per cup of water.
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How Long to Brine Chicken
A whole chicken should be brined for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Soaking for 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.
How to Brine Chicken (Chicken Brine Recipe)
Make this simple chicken brine recipe, then follow my step by step instructions for how to brine chicken to make sure that it’s loaded with tons of flavor. Enjoy!
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Serves 6 -8 pounds of chicken
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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
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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
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Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse it with cool water. Pat it dry with paper towels, and proceed to cook as desired.
**Note that a chicken brine will NOT penetrate frozen meats, so you will need to fully thaw your chicken before beginning this process.
Tips:
- Feel free to mix up the flavorings to fit your preferences.
- 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! 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.
- Nutritional information is for display purposes only.
Nutrition Facts
How to Brine Chicken (Chicken Brine Recipe)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 468
Calories from Fat 297
% Daily Value*
Fat 33g51%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Trans Fat 0.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 7g
Monounsaturated Fat 14g
Cholesterol 163mg54%
Sodium 9599mg417%
Potassium 413mg12%
Protein 40g80%
Vitamin A 305IU6%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 39mg4%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Change It Up!
Once you’ve mastered this easy chicken brine, you can start to get creative by adding in other herbs and spices. I love adding lemons, a little sugar, garlic, black peppercorns, and fresh herbs. But really, the possibilities are endless!
How to Brine a Whole Chicken Step by Step
Make the Chicken 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.
Brining the chicken is a great thing to do when making your Christmas chicken or any whole roasted chicken!
How to Store
You can prepare this salt brine up to 2 weeks in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. However, once you have used the brine, do not save it for another use. It will have touched raw meat and could be contaminated with salmonella or other bacteria, so I recommend making a fresh batch each time.