Simple Chicken Brine (2024)

  1. Pour warm water into a container that is twice the volume of the water. Add salt, soy sauce, sugar, and olive oil; stir until sugar and salt have dissolved. Allow brine to cool to room temperature.

    Simple Chicken Brine (1)

More About This Recipe:

This chicken brine recipe results in perfectly tender and flavorful chicken every time. Plus, it comes together quickly with just five ingredients you probably already have on hand!

How to Brine Chicken

You'll find a detailed ingredient list and step-by-step instructions in the recipe above, but let's go over the basics:

Chicken Brine Ingredients

These are the five simple ingredients you’ll need to make this chicken brine recipe:

  • Water: This simple chicken brine starts with a gallon of warm water.
  • Salt: Kosher salt tenderizes the meat, helps it retain moisture, and adds flavor.
  • Soy sauce: Soy sauce lends even more salt and flavor.
  • Sugar: White sugar adds subtle sweetness and helps promote browning.
  • Olive oil: Olive oil helps ensure moist and tender meat.

From the Editor

Nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of brine ingredients. The actual amount of brine consumed will vary.

How to Make Brine for Chicken

Here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make chicken brine at home: Pour the warm water into a large container, then stir in the remaining ingredients until the salt has dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

How Long to Brine Chicken

How long to brine your chicken depends on what kind of chicken you’re using.

  • For skinless breasts, brine for two hours.
  • For bone-in pieces, brine for four hours.
  • For whole chickens, brine for at least four hours or up to overnight.

How to Use Chicken Brine

Always brine foods in a food-grade, nonreactive container such as a stainless steel or enameled stockpot. You can also use a brining bag or a food-grade plastic bucket.

Using the brine is simple: Just place the chicken in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for the recommended time depending on the type of chicken you’re using.

What to Serve With Chicken

Looking for serving inspiration for chicken? We’ve got you covered. Explore these mouthwatering recipe collections for crowd-pleasing ideas:

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

“Been using this brine for years,” according toEE L. “I'll add a half teaspoon of garlic powder and onion powder and it is great.”

“This is my go-to brine recipe,” saysAlain DeWitt. “I've used it with chicken, turkey, and duck. Easy and adaptable by adding your own seasonings.”

“Delicious,” ravesEmily co*ker Wedgewood. “The only changes I made were to substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce. I added a little bit more salt because the coconut aminos don’t have quite as much sodium as the soy sauce.”

Editorial contributions byCorey Williams

Simple Chicken Brine (2024)

FAQs

What is the simple brine formula? ›

Basic Brine

Place that volume of water in a container large enough to hold the brine and the meat. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for every cup of water you used and mix until the salt is completely dissolved. For example, if you are using 1 gallon (16 cups) of water, add 16 tablespoons (1 cup) of salt.

How much water and salt to brine chicken? ›

What Is the Brine Ratio? The basic ratio of salt to water for a brine is 4 tablespoons of kosher salt per 1 quart (4 cups) of water. If you are using fine table salt, reduce the amount to 3 tablespoons.

What is the shortest time to brine chicken? ›

The salt solution is higher than your standard overnight brine, so you want to make sure to limit your brining time to 2-3 hours at room temperature or 4-6 hours in the fridge. I like to brine my chicken in the morning, drain after a few hours, then let it air dry in the fridge until I'm ready to cook it.

What is the ratio of sugar to water for brine? ›

As a general starting point, take one gallon of water and add 3/4 cup (preferable - but you can use up to a cup) of salt (Kosher is best), 1/2 cup of sugar and then the rest is up to you. Sliced onions are nice, a few cloves of crushed garlic add a nice flavor and then there's the spices and herbs.

What is the best brine method? ›

Dry-brining is our preferred method for seasoning both large and small pieces of meat, poultry, and sometimes even seafood. Along with producing juicy, flavorful results, dry-brining also helps us get better Maillard browning and crispy skin.

Do I rinse chicken after brining? ›

What to Do After the Meat Is Brined. After waiting the appropriate amount of time, remove the meat from the brine and pat it dry with a paper towel. You won't need to rinse it with fresh water unless you accidentally brined it for too long.

Is it worth brining a chicken? ›

Salt breaks down proteins in the meat, which means it will not contract while cooking. In other words, pieces of brined meat will lose less water in the cooking process, which leads to a juicier meal. It also seasons the chicken — which means even more flavor.

Can I brine chicken for 1 hour? ›

The rule of thumb is to let a chicken brine for approximately one hour per pound of meat, though you may want to lengthen or shorten that time depending on the strength of your salt solution or the level of salt you want to achieve.

Can you over brine chicken? ›

Not only does this flavor the chicken, but it also helps the chicken retain juices while cooking, giving you a juicier final product. There is a word of caution with this trick. If you over-brine the chicken, you'll end up with some kind of cured chicken with an odd texture, which isn't great.

How long to brine chicken breasts? ›

For skinless, boneless chicken breasts, 30-60 minutes is the sweet spot. Bone-in, skin-on breasts can brine for up to 2 hours, thighs for 6 hours, and wings for up to 8 hours (or overnight).

Does brined chicken cook faster? ›

The formula is: About 15 minutes for every 500g/1 lb. So a 2 kg / 4 lb chicken will take 60 minutes, and a 1.5kg / 2 lb chicken will take 45 minutes (give or take 5 – 10 minutes, also smaller chickens will take about 20 minutes per 500g/1lb). Brined chicken roasts about 20% faster than chicken that is not brined.

How long to refrigerate chicken after brining? ›

After the chicken has been brined, you don't have to cook it right away. It can be removed from the brine and kept in the refrigerator, covered, for up to three days, or wrapped well and stored in the freezer for up to two months. When you're ready to cook, pat the chicken dry but don't rinse it off.

Can chicken sit in brine overnight? ›

Dry brining, also known as salting, is a simple technique that involves rubbing your chicken with salt and letting it rest in the refrigerator overnight. While it chills, the salt acts as a drying agent, making way for irresistibly crisp skin after cooking.

What is brine solution formula? ›

The chemical formula of ammoniacal brine solution is \[N{{H}_{3}}+NaCl+{{H}_{2}}O. \] Brine is a saturated salt solution of sodium chloride. Ammoniacal brine is a commercially important chemical used in the ammonia soda process. It can be used to make sodium carbonate soda ash and other chemicals.

What is the overall equation for brine? ›

Overall process: 2 NaCl + 2 H 2O → Cl 2 + H 2 + 2 NaOH.

What is the mixture of brine? ›

A brine is essentially just salted water, but for such a simple solution it can do many things. Brines are used to salt cheeses such as feta and halloumi, not only for flavour, but to inhibit the growth of a variety of moulds, to preserve it and in some cases to draw out moisture, helping it to develop a rind.

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