Brined Roast Chicken

Cooking trends come and go. Something will be featured on t.v. or in a magazine. Suddenly many of our customers are asking about this trend. A few years ago, brining turkeys was the hot idea at Thanksgiving. Out of nowhere, seemed like everybody wanted to brine their turkey. The next year, it was gone.

A customer of ours turned me on to the benefits of brining. He gave me this recipe to use.

1 gallon water

1 cup kosher salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbspn. peppercorns

1 orange or lemon, sliced (skin-on)

In a large pot on the stovetop, pour in the water and mix in the other ingredients. No need to cook this for a long time, you're just trying to get a good mix. When the salt and sugar have dissolved, put the mixture into your fridge and get it cold. Soak the bird in the mixture: overnight is ideal, but six hours minimum. When you're ready to roast, remove the bird from the brine, rinse, and pat dry. Season and roast the bird the way you would normally without the brine.

I've had a lot of success with this recipe. The salt causes the meat to absorb the liquid, which is then released while in the oven. The balance of sugar and salt is important so the meat doesn't end up too far in either direction (sweet or salty). The acidity of the citrus helps tenderize the meat.

Tonight we had a 5 pound roasting chicken. I made the brine as described, with the addition of a shot of molasses and one shot each of lemon juice and lime juice. I soaked the bird for most of the day and then rubbed it under the skin with poultry seasoning. I put a couple cloves of smashed garlic and some orange slices from the brine in the cavity. I tied the feet together and put the bird on an open roasting rack. At 325, I assumed the roasting time would be about 2 hours. The thermometer popped right around 1 hour and 50 minutes, and I let the bird rest while I finished the sides.

End result: delicious! I love how the brine affects the dark meat, which I normally pass over. The entire chicken is super moist, tender, and flavorful. All in all, I would say our five pound bird will end up producing 6-8 moderate servings (our kids are young).

I've also used this brine on pork loins with the same great result. Next time, I think I'll try this technique with a fresh ham.