This is a chicken brine that will yield the most succulent, juiciest roast chicken you will EVER have in your life! Brining injects flavour and moisture as well as tenderising – you will be blown away how juicy the chicken breast is!
Once you learn how to brine chicken and taste the incredible results, you will never look back!
Chicken Brine
Brining is the process whereby chicken (or other meat) is submerged in a salty liquid (“brine”) and left to marinate to add flavour, tenderise AND add moisture so the chicken stays juicier when roasted.
It injects flavour and seasoning right into the flesh of a whole chicken in a way that no other method can, even by slathering liberally with herb and garlic butter under the skin which is my favourite non-brining way to roast chicken.
It’s a technique widely used by chefs. In Sydney, there are a handful of restaurants famous for their roast chicken – such as Glebe Point Diner, Boronia Kitchen and Restaurant Hubert – and they are all brined!
This brine recipe is adapted from a recipe by Thomas Kellar, one of the greatest culinary masters of the world.
What does brined chicken taste like?
The chicken is seasoned with salt all the way through the flesh, with a hint of the flavourings of the brine. The brine flavourings are not intended to be dominant – it’s more of a subtle perfume rather than a strong flavour. You don’t need strong flavours when the flesh of chicken is seasoned this way because you’ll taste chicken flavour in a way you never have before!
The juiciest chicken breast EVER!
Here’s an up close and personal of the breast of brined roast chicken – LOOK HOW JUICY IT IS! It’s hard to believe your eyes but it’s true, it IS possible to make chicken breast this succulent – but only with a chicken brine!
What you need for Chicken Brine
To make chicken brine, all you need is water and salt. Everything else is for flavour so it’s optional and customisable – see below for substitutions for each.
Salt and water – the only two ingredients that are non negotiable, they are the brine!
Honey – for a touch of sweet, sub with sugar
Parsley, thyme and rosemary – 100% optional, switch with other herbs, or use dried
Peppercorns – use ground instead
Lemons, garlic and bay leaves – for flavour, optional
How to brine chicken
It’s as easy as this:
Bring all the brine ingredients to a boil with a bit of water – just to bring out flavour a bit and dissolve the salt;
Add cold water to bring the temperature down, then refrigerate until fully chilled;
Submerge chicken upside down (ie drumsticks and breast facing down) and brine for 24 hours in the fridge (even 12 hours is terrific);
pat dry, brush with butter and roast!
How long does it take to roast a 2 kg / 4lb brined chicken?
60 minutes at 180°C/350°F or until the internal temperature is 75°C/165°F or until juices run clear.
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. A 2 kg / 4 lb chicken that is not brined takes 1 hour 25 minutes (see classic Roast Chicken recipe).
Can you use this for other meats?
Absolutely. I use this for pork, turkey breast and small whole turkey. For large whole turkeys, the better way is using a Turkey Dry Brine – more convenient, better result.
Difference between brining and marinating?
Brining is different to marinating in that there is a much higher liquid to meat ratio – a whole chicken is completely submerged in the chicken brine. Marinades usually have far less liquid and the chicken is mostly coated in it, rather than submerged (examples: my favourite Everyday Chicken Marinade, Greek Marinade, Vietnamese Lemongrass Marinade).
What to serve with roast chicken
Something carby and something green! Here are a few suggestions:
Potato and Bread sides for roast chicken
Potatoes au Gratin – my favourite make-head-looks-and-sounds-impressive option, “it’s French, darling”
Paris Mash – for something sinfully rich, and very fine dining style
Everyday Creamy Mashed Potato which we will never, ever tire of
Creamy Mashed Cauliflower for a low carb option (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it)
Warm homemade No Knead Dinner Rolls or an easy, crusty, no yeast Irish Soda Bread
Side salad options for roast chicken
Crisp Garden Salad with Balsamic Dressing, French Dressing or Italian Dressing
Classic Rocket Salad with Shaved Parmesan (aka Arugula) – very fine dining / bistro style and also the world’s fastest side salad
Green Bean Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, a crispy, juicy Cucumber Salad with Herb & Garlic Dressing or, for something different, a Carrot Salad (bet you can’t stop eating this….)
The chicken is so moist, you can serve it as is with a tiny drizzle of the pan juices (which are quite salty, so don’t go overboard!). If you’d like a gravy, make it while the chicken is resting – the recipe is in the notes.
I’ve also been known to drizzle with a touch of melted butter and squeeze of fresh lemon juice – it’s divine! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Chicken Brine
Ingredients
Brine
- 2 litres / 2 quarts water , cold tap water
- 1/3 cup kosher or cooking salt, NOT table salt (Note 1)
- 2 lemons , quartered
- 10 sprigs parsley , fresh
- 7 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 5 bay leaves, fresh (or 3 dried)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
Roast Chicken
- 1.5 – 2 kg / 3-4lb chicken , whole
- 3 tbsp / 40g butter , melted
- Salt and pepper to season
Instructions
Brining
- Pour about 1/3 of the water into a large pot (large enough for the brine and submerged chicken) with remaining Brine ingredients. Bring to boil boil 1 minute, stir to dissolve salt.
- Remove from heat, pour in remaining water. Cool completely before using (I cool about 30 min then refrigerate 1 1/2 hours). DO NOT put chicken in before full cool, this is a health hazard (Note 4).
- Flip chicken upside down (so legs and breast are on underside. Submerge chicken in brine, cover and refrigerate for 12 – 24 hours (Note 5). Don't worry if underside of chicken doesn't stay under water – the the breast side is, that is what matters.
Roasting Brined Chicken:
- Remove chicken from brine and pat dry to remove excess moisture.
- Tie legs with string (if desired), tuck wings under. Drizzle/brush with most of the butter all over, including underside (butter will firm up on contact).
- Sprinkle with pepper and the TINIEST pinch of salt, place chicken on a rack in a heavy based roasting tray. Set aside for 20 minutes.
- Preheat fan forced oven to 220°C/430°F.
- Turn down the oven to 180°C/350°F, then roast chicken for 50 minutes to 1 hour (Note 7) or until the internal temperature at the joint between the leg and thigh is 75°C/165°F, or until juices run clear.
- Check at 45 minutes, rotate the pan if not browning evenly, and brush top with remaining melted butter.
- Remove chicken from the roasting tray, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Chicken is so juicy, it needs little more than a tiny drizzle of the juices in the pan (go easy, it's salty). Otherwise, make a gravy while the chicken is resting – see Note 8.
Recipe Notes:
- Honey – sub same amount maple syrup, or 1/4 cup brown sugar
- Fresh herbs – use more of one of them, switch out with sage leaves or other fresh herbs of choice. OR use 1 tbsp dried herbs of choice
- lemons – lime, or oranges, or leave out
- Peppercorns – sub 1/2 tsp ground pepper
3 tbsp / 40g flour (any white)
All liquid from pan topped up with LOW SODIUM / Reduced Salt chicken broth to make up 1 cup
1 cup / 250ml water Melt butter over medium heat, add flour, stir for 1 minute. Add half the liquid while whisking. Once incorpoated and lump free, add remaining liquid & water. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring regularly, until gravy thickens. Season with pepper – I highly doubt you will need salt! 9. Frozen chicken can be put in the brine once it’s partially thawed. It will finish thawing in the chicken while it brines. 10. Source: Brine based on a recipe by Thomas Keller, one of the great masters of the culinary world! Known for high end iconic restaurants such as Per Se in New York and the French Laundry in the Napa Valley. 11. Nutrition per serving, chicken only.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published May 2014, updated November 2019 with fresh photos, video and most importantly, Life of Dozer added!
Life of Dozer
Dozer taking me for a walk in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall!
Staying in an Air BNB for a week, cramming in meetings and generally pretending to be a Melbourne-ite for a week. First time I’ve driven down – it’s a long 10 hour drive – but I REALLY wanted to bring Dozer down with me this time and I’m so glad I did. He’s having a blast, more photos to follow – he’s causing a riot down here!
Hi Nagi
Could I use Maryland pieces instead of a whole chock?? And would the ratio change
Thanks
Hi Paul, yes you could – I haven’t tested the ration and brine time though so can’t give you a precise recipe – N x
Good for you Dozer have a great time in Melbourne best regards from your Canadian Pal Luca 🐕👍
Nagi – you have made me change my mind a number of times and yet again here – as a nutritionist etc I naturally decrease salt whenever possible but the benefits of brining have sunk well and truly home ! To me the latter always consisted just of water and salt – thanks ‘teacher’ this one is one too hard to resist even if one does not bake turkey !!
I’d like to try this brining method for Christmas but I’m worried it might turn out too salty. What do you think?
Hi Carol! It’s fair to say that the chicken is nicely seasoned when using a brine. Not as salty as restaurants but better than “everyday cooking” because the salt is spread all the way through the flesh. If you would like to go for more lightly seasoned, cut the salt bak to 1/3 cup 🙂 N x
Thx Nagi, will give it a try, also thx for your blogs, they do make me laugh. A girl after my own heart. xx
Hi Nagi, I agree a brined chicken is the only way to go. I do have a problem with your formula for roasting. If 20 mins. + 10 for 1 lb. wouldn’t a 4 lb. chicken be more than 60 mins.? At least when I cook a 3 1/2 lb. chicken it takes at least an hr.+15 mins. at 350 degrees. anyway just wondering. Look forward to your emails/recipes
Hi Claudia! We’re BOTH right! (I think – I just woke up, haven’t had my morning coffee yet 😵) A 4 lb chicken would be 10 minutes x 4 = 40 minutes, plus 20 minutes = 60 minutes. This is the cook time formula for BRINED chicken – it cooks about 20% faster than unbrined chicken. As with you, my normal roast chicken takes 1 hr 15 minutes to cook at 3.5 – 4lb chicken! N xx
This is a definite try with my next roasted chicken. 😉
Yes! Do! 🙂 N x
I have been using a very similar brine for years on both pork and chicken. After years of adding the aromatics, I now use only salt and sugar. Despite how much I added of any aromatic, I never noticed it imparting any flavor to the meat. And then somewhere I read that brining with added aromatics will never impart any flavor to the meat because most flavor molecules are too large to pass through the cell walls of meat. But then again, some people swear they can taste the aromatics in the cooked meat. I use just Kosher salt in the proportions shown on this recipe plus about an equal amount of white sugar. I brine individual chicken breast anywhere from 8 hours to 2 days. It works wonders on pork chops, too. Just make sure you rinse well before cooking.
Hi Brian! I haven’t read about the molecule sizes being too large to pass through the meat but I can easily believe that there would be a school of thought along those lines 🙂 You are right in that the flavourings are SUBTLE. They are not intended to be strong – no one eats this and says “YUM, lemon garlic chicken!!!” But if I skip the flavourings, I can tell that it’s just plain salted chicken. Still tasty, but I would definitely make a gravy. Whereas when I add the flavourings, I don’t feel the need to! N xx
It looks like the 2 of you are having lots of street fun👍.
BTW love the brine recipe.
He’s causing a riot down here!!! N xx
My family originates from Sicily and we have always brined our chicken for at least an hour before cooking. I think the actual reason for doing this is that the salt kills any bacteria that may be lurking, and the juicy tenderness is just an added plus. By the way, for many years I raised Dobermans. Here’s a few helpful tips about leash control when walking a large dog. https://pets.thenest.com/properly-hold-dog-leash-4484.html
Aww thanks for that tip Diane! To be honest, it was because he saw a large bird and he lunged for it!! Other than birds he’s actually very good on a leash 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi
Great article/recipe for brining chicken. I have been thinking about brining fish and wonder if the process would be the same or perhaps for a shorter period of time. Regularly buy frozen fish fillets but once defrosted the amount of moisture in them is immense. I think I read that brining fish can help to dry it out? Any thoughts?? K
Hi, Kaye. I haven’t tried brining fish, but I do remove the individual fillets from their vacuum-sealed pouches when I remove them from the freezer. I place them on a rack over a plate, or even just over crumpled foil, and the excess moisture drains out while they thaw in the fridge. Has worked well for me. B
Hi Kaye! If using for fish, scale the recipe down significantly (user recipe slider), cut the salt down by half and just marinade for 1 hour. Fish flesh is much more fragile than meat so it takes less salt to penetrate. I will share a fish marinade soon if you could like? It’s got similar flavours! N x
Thanks Nagi
I would appreciate the fish marinade recipe and thanks for the tips, I will give it a go.
K
Thanks Barbara
I do pat them dry with kitchen towel but it requires loads to mop up all the ecxess. I understand brining also firms the fillets whixh would be useful.
K
Would the Brine Recipe be suitable for injecting prior to Smoking (Cold Smoking)
Hi Kaiza! I don’t know about injecting but I imagine it would be IDEAL for brining prior to smoking! It seasons the flesh all the way through just like you want for smoked meats 🙂 N x
Thanks for the recipe 😀
I’ve always brined my chook mainly because it breaks down a lot of the fat and produces a lean & tasty chicken. My t&t recipe uses sugar & apple cider vinegar, rather than honey & lemon juice.
We’re having a roast chook on Monday, so I’ll be trying your version. It sounds like it will taste even better than mine.
Yes! Isn’t the skin of brined chicken wonderful?? Thin and crispy! Wish there was more of it 😂 N x
Can I unfreeze the chicken in the brine?
I mean, if the chicken is frozen, do I need to thaw it first and THAN brine, or those processes can be done simultaneously?
You can put a partially thawed chicken into the brine and it will finish thawing while brining. A fully frozen chicken will take too long, therefore be in the brine too long, and end up too salty. I hope this helps 🙂
Thanks Beth! Well, I rarely cook an entire chicken. I was thinking drumsticks or chicken breasts.
But your comment makes sense – thanks!
Thanks Beth!! You’re bang on – I do exactly that for both dry and wet brines! N xx
Can you use this brine for other poultry[turkey, duck , goose]?
Hi Kerry! I haven’t tried with duck or goose but I imagine it would be perfect for these two especially because the meat has a stronger flavour 🙂 For turkey, absolutely but if it’s a BIG turkey, it might post logistical issues in which case I recommend the Dry Brine for Turkey in this recipe -> https://promotown.info/genius-easy-juicy-roast-turkey-dry-brined/%3C/a%3E N x
Nagi has a fabulous dry brine with her roast turkey recipe on here. Highly recommend 🙂
I wish I knew you guys were visiting the best city in the world! I would have come and given you both a huge cuddle 😘
It was all a bit of a rush to be honest!!! Loving it – the weather has been incredible!! Very lucky 🙂 N x
Did the Succulent Roast Chicken again tonight. Absolutely fantastic. If you have garlic butter, instead of normal butter, it makes it even better and the gravy fantastic.
🙌 So glad you love this recipe!!
Oh my. What a winner. Fabulous recipe. Loved this. My hubby said it was the best chicken he has ever had. Its a ten out of ten from me. XX
I made this roast chook for Christmas Day. Truly the most succulent and tastiest chicken ever. The breast meat was so incredibly moist and tender and not a dry piece of meat any where. Thank you for another divine recipe, that will be replicated again and again.
I think I have a new roast chook recipe! This was just perfection, I’ve never made such a juicy roast chicken with such crispy skin before. I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing. I’m thinking this chook plus some stuffing, gravy and roast veg could make the best Christmas roast ever…
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Beck, thank you for letting me know! And YES to a Christmas roast….N x
If I am roasting a 7lb roster do I need to increase the brining
Hi Lil! Yes, please increase the brining liquid proportional to the size you are using. 🙂