After many failed chicken recipes with dry or unseasoned meat, I’ve learned my lesson to always brine chicken ahead of time. Even if I am cooking chicken the same day, I try to reserve at least two hours to brine chicken first because it’s worth it. You can also infuse chicken with different flavors like citrus or herbs using brines, too. Learn how to make an easy chicken brine with our recipe below.
Chicken brine ingredients
This chicken brine includes ingredients that are a balance of fresh herbs, acidity from citrus, and savory seasonings like garlic and soy sauce. I like to bring all the ingredients to a boil over a partial amount of water in a saute pot and simmer for a minute. This simmering allows the ingredients to release extra flavor into the brine. For this chicken brine recipe, I use a combination of limes, rosemary, thyme, garlic, bay leaves, honey, salt, peppercorns, soy sauce, and parsley. You can switch out ingredients you have on hand or prefer, like lemons, shallots, or other herbs like oregano.
How long to brine the chicken
Depending on what part of the chicken you’re cooking, brining chicken should take anywhere between 2 hours to 24 hours. Here’s a simple guide I use:
Boneless and skinless: 2-6 hours Bone-in with skin: 2-8 hours Whole chicken: 8-24 hours
How to cook the chicken after brining
What’s great about this simple brining method is that you can use it for any cooking method. I’ve brined chicken for grilled chicken (like chicken inasal or smoked chicken thighs), fried chicken (like karaage or katsu), or baked chicken thighs
How to adjust future brine recipes
I use a 25% rule of thumb for adjusting chicken brines for future recipes that apply to the saltiness and flavor. If your chicken needs to be more salty, add 25% more brining time. For example, if you originally brined for 2 hours, try brining chicken for 2 hours and 30 minutes next time. If you want more flavor infused from your herbs, add 25% more spices to the following brine.
