Brining is a fail-safe way of ensuring moist, tender Chicken. This Chicken Brine Recipe is easy to make and well worth doing especially when preparing Chicken breasts for roasting, air frying, grilling or smoking.

Moisture loss will happen to all meats during cooking. A food scientist at the University of Georgia discovered that meat typically looses about 30% of its weight during cooking but will only loose about 15% if it has been brined.

That’s all the science I need, to convince me, to make this simple Brine for Chicken.

Use this Chicken Brine Recipe for all cuts of Chicken and also for other proteins that will be quick cooked, such as all pork cuts, turkey, veal, fish and shrimp.

Ingredients

Chicken: fresh breast meat.
Sugar: white, granulated.
Salt: kosher.
Flavoring: I used lemon and lime wedges.

Instructions

Determining How Much Sugar and Salt to Use.

To make a Brine that is going to be effective in keeping meats juicy and tender, it is important to add the correct proportion of salt, sugar and water. The type of salt you are using will affect the quantity of salt you use. Please refer to the table in the recipe for Brine for Chicken Wings under the “More About Brining” section to see how much salt to add.

1) Choose a container with a tight fitting lid. Place the chicken in it and add the amount of cold water needed to cover the meat.

2) Remove the chicken from the container. Doing this will show how much water is needed. Knowing this will in turn tell you how much sugar and salt to add.

Making the Brine

3) Empty the container of water. Add salt to the empty container according to the table in Brine for Chicken Wings recipe.

4) Add sugar (the amount needed according to the Brine for Chicken Wings recipe) and mix.

5) Add the amount of boiling water needed according to the table in the Brine for Chicken Wings recipe.

6) Add wedges of lime and lemon. Feel free to give them a quick squeeze before dropping them in.

7) Stir well together to help dissolve the salt and sugar in the hot water. The hot water will also help extract some flavor from the citrus fruit.

8) Add the correct amount of ice cubes according to the table in the recipe for Brine for Chicken Wings. This will cool down the liquid in the container, we don’t want the chicken to cook.

9) Add the amount of cold water needed for the water quantity to match how much was needed in Step 2.

10) Using tongs, return the chicken to the container.

11) Mix the chicken around to incorporate everything.

12) Put the lid on and place the container into the refrigerator to brine. Brine Chicken for more than 12 hours and less than 24 hours.

Should I Brine Longer than 24 Hours?

Good question! Many recipes will tell you not to, as the meat becomes too salty. So what is the ideal length of brining time?

Using the correct amount of salt, sugar, ice, hot and cold water, I prepared some Chicken Breasts to be smoked. I used the Smoked Chicken Breast recipe. Smoking is a cooking method that can potentially dry out Chicken, so this was a good experiment to conduct, to evaluate the saltiness and juiciness of the meat.

I did the experiment and here’s what I discovered.

	At 12 hours of brining	At 24 hours of brining	At 30 hours of brining
Juiciness	Juiciness present.	Little more than at 12 hour level.	Same amount as 24 hour level.
Saltiness	Little saltiness present	More saltiness, may be too much for some.	Overly salty.

Conclusion –

Definitely Brine Chicken Breasts to ensure juiciness but do not exceed 24 hours of brining. I liked the salt level at 24 hours but it may be too salty for some. If you are not a salt fan or are on a low sodium diet, then brine the Chicken for 18 hours.

Flexibility

I would not advise veering from the sugar and salt content related to the amount of water needed.

You can choose what type of flavoring you would like to add to the brine. I added lemon and lime wedges because I was going to season my Chicken breasts with a Chorizo Seasoning. Flavorings you can add, include garlic or onion powder, other citrus fruit, fresh herbs (bay is particularly delicious) all spice berries and peppercorns.

A Tip From Me

Don’t use high end salts for brining. Typically they are expensive and once they have served their purpose (of brining food) they are thrown away. Use table or kosher salt, they are cheaper and just as effective.

Got Questions?

I’ve got answers – hopefully!

What meats should not be brined? Fatty foods such as lamb and beef do not need to be brined. Their fat content keeps them moist during cooking.
Does brining destroy meat proteins? The salt present in brine has the ability to denature proteins, that means the proteins in muscle fibers will begin to unwind and swell. As they unwind, the bonds that had held the protein bundle together start to break.
Can I use this recipe to brine fish? Yes, brining fish will yield a firmer texture which will help if the fish is to be smoked or grilled. Fish only needs 15–20 minutes for filets or small fish, whereas a larger side of fish, such as salmon or halibut need about 30 minutes. Remove from brine and pat dry. No need to add salt.

Safe Handling of Chicken

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention have the following safety information regarding handling raw chicken:

Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling chicken.
Raw chicken is ready to cook. It doesn’t need to be washed first. According to a USDA study, 1 in 7 people who cleaned their sink after washing chicken still had germs in the sink.
- If you choose to wash chicken, do so as safely as possible:
  1. Run the water gently over the chicken to reduce splashing.
  2. Then immediately clean the sink and area around the sink with hot soapy water and sanitize them thoroughly.
  3. Wash your hands for 20 seconds.
Use a separate cutting board for raw chicken.
Wash cutting boards, utensils, dishes, and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing chicken and before you prepare the next item.

For more information on safe practices with chicken or any other type of food please refer to the website for the CDC.