Finding the perfect recipe for cooking Alton Brown chicken brine can be a daunting task. With so many different variations and techniques available, it can be difficult to know where to start. This article will provide you with the essential information and tips you need to create a delicious and flavorful Alton Brown chicken brine. We'll discuss the key ingredients, the different methods of preparation, and the best way to cook your chicken to ensure a juicy and tender result. So whether you're a seasoned cook or just starting out, this article will help you find the perfect recipe for your Alton Brown chicken brine.
Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!
ONE POT CHICKEN
True confession: When it comes to a roast or rotisserie chicken, I don't care a hoot about crisp skin. Sure, I want it flavorful, and golden brown is always nice, but what I'm after is great meat. Freak? I think not. So here is my recipe for roast chicken. I've never done this on television because it rarely creates a "camera perfect" skin, but listen to me...it's the best chicken I've ever made. And it may just be the easiest. I know...I've gone on the record many times as being anti-baste, but that's when turkey was the critter in question and turkey ain't chicken. In this case, we want to promote browning and getting some of the fallen fat up top will assist that process...in this case. This recipe first appeared in EveryDayCook.Photo by Lynne Calamia
Provided by Sarah Chanin
Categories Mains
Time 9h25m
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Dissolve the first dose of salt in the water in a containerI typically use a straight-sided container to ensure the bird will submerge. large enough to hold the chicken. Make sure the bird's cavity is empty and place in brine, breast-side down. Cover and refrigerate 8 to 12 hours. (I usually do this in the morning after I make coffee so that I can cook it that night.)
- To cook, place an empty 4-quart cast-iron Dutch oven in the middle of your oven and crank it to 550°F.
- Give the oven at least 30 minutes to get hot. Meanwhile, drain and thoroughly dry the bird with paper towels, allowing it to come to room temperature while you wait on the oven.
- When the oven is good and hot, rub the bird down with the oil and sprinkle on the remaining teaspoon of salt. Then, open the oven door, slide out the rack holding the Dutch oven, and drop the bird straight down into it, breast-side up. Quickly cover with the hot lid, slide the rack back in, and close the door as quickly as possible.
- Leave the chicken alone for 15 minutes. Then, remove the lid and baste the top of the bird with some of the juices that have accumulated at the bottom of the pot. Cook 12 minutes.
- Remove the Dutch oven to a safe spot (the cooktop would be fine) and don't touch for 10 minutes. Then, remove the lid and allow the bird to rest for 5 minutes. At this point, use your instant-read thermometer to take a reading right in the middle of the breast. I usually see 150°F at this point, and that's ok. Carryover heat will take care of the rest.
- Slide a pair of tongs or a wooden spoon into the cavity and gently lift the bird out to a platter or carving board, tilting it first so that any hot juices drain into the pot.
- I serve this in a rather unorthodox, but insanely satisfactory manner: Pour the juices (a lovely co-mingling of schmaltz and jus) into a few bowls and position around the platter which should be central to the table. Give everyone a knife (not too long or sharp) and allow them to carve off hunks of bird, which should be dipped (by hand) into the juices and consumed forthwith. Plates? We don't need no stinkin' plates! But you will need several napkins. You're welcome.
RING OF FIRE GRILLED CHICKEN
Steps:
- Lay the chicken on a plastic cutting board, breast side up, with the neck facing you. Remove both wings at the joint between the wing and drumette. Remove the thigh quarters by slicing down on either side of the back end of the breast. Grab both legs, pop the joints that connect to the back, and turn the bird over. Remove the thighs and legs by slicing where they attach to the backbone. Hold the thigh and leg together, feel for the slight indentation where the joints meet and make an incision at this joint. Set the leg and thigh down and slice to separate. Repeat with the other leg piece. Turn the bird back over, breast side up, put your knife against the breastbone and slice down along the rib cage, cutting the breast meat away from the bone. Be sure to include the drumette when removing the breast. Repeat on the other breast. Freeze the carcass for making stock or discard.
- Put the chicken pieces in a 1 gallon resealable plastic bag with the water, honey, and salt. Seal the bag and move around vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to distribute the honey and dissolve the salt. Set the bag in a leak-proof container and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.
- Meanwhile, combine curry powder, chili powder, cocoa powder, adobo powder, cumin, and hot smoked paprika in a 1 gallon resealable bag.
- Pat the chicken with paper towels until very dry. Do not rinse.
- Put the chicken in the bag with the spice mixture and shake to thoroughly coat the chicken. Lay the pieces on a cooling rack set inside a half sheet pan. Rest for 30 minutes.
- Spritz 2 pieces of newspaper lightly with vegetable oil and put in the bottom of a charcoal chimney starter. Fill the chimney starter with natural chunk charcoal, 2 to 3 pounds, and set on the charcoal grate of a kettle grill until hot and ashy, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Prepare a ring of heavy-duty aluminum foil with the center 9-inches in diameter. Put this ring over the chimney starter and lay on the charcoal grate.
- Carefully and evenly distribute the hot charcoal outside the ring. Set an aluminum pie pan in the center of the ring to catch any drippings. Set the cooking grate in place and heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Lightly oil the cooking grate. Arrange the chicken pieces, skin side down, on the grate over the hot coals. Turn the legs a quarter turn every 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the thighs, wings, and breasts after 4 to 5 minutes. Skin should blister and darken in color. Adjust intensity of heat by turning the grill grate to expose chicken pieces to cooler or hotter coals, as needed, and to avoid flare-ups.
- After 9 to 10 minutes total cook time, move the breast to the center of the grill and cover with a second aluminum pie pan. After 10 to 11 minutes total cook time, put the wings on top of the pie pan. Lean the thighs and legs against the side of the aluminum pie pan away from the direct heat of the coals. Turn every 2 minutes. Put any pieces that finish cooking on top of the pan. After 18 to 20 minutes total cook time, check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer inserted in the deepest part of each piece. The pieces should reach 155 degrees F.
- Remove the chicken to a clean, medium bowl. Cover with a tea towel and rest 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately
PERFECT CHICKEN BRINE
Brining chicken adds tons of flavor and keeps the meat moist. Several years of experimenting with ingredients and method and I finally found the right combination for my perfect chicken brine.
Provided by Kate Leifker
Categories Side Dish Sauces and Condiments Recipes
Time 2h30m
Yield 20
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Mix water, kosher salt, white sugar, garlic, sage, basil, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a large pot over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar are dissolved completely, about 20 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and cover with a lid. Cool brine at room temperature for 2 hours before refrigerating to cool completely.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 37.8 calories, Carbohydrate 9.2 g, Fat 0.1 g, Fiber 0.6 g, Protein 0.6 g, Sodium 3422.9 mg, Sugar 6.7 g
ALTON BROWN'S BRINED TURKEY
A salt water brine changes the cellular structure of the turkey and allows it to both hold in the moisture, as well as pull the seasonings deep into the meat. It's actually a very simple process that will yield beautiful and delicious results. My mom told me how good Alton's recipe was and that she was going to repeat it again this year. I decided to try it myself. It's, hands-down, the best roasted turkey we've ever had. The brine and aromatics create an amazing symphony of flavors that starts with the aroma of making the brine and follows right through to the rich, full gravy. I've also used this recipe on a whole fresh chicken by halving the recipe and adjusting the cooking times.
Provided by Tinkerbell
Categories Whole Turkey
Time P2DT3h
Yield 12-14 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- 2 to 3 days before roasting:.
- Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
- Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
- The night before you'd like to eat:.
- Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
- Place the bird on rack of roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels.
- Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
- Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and cover the breast with a foil triangle. Then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 666.1, Fat 31.1, SaturatedFat 8.8, Cholesterol 263.4, Sodium 9696, Carbohydrate 12, Fiber 0.6, Sugar 10.7, Protein 79.3
BASIC BRINE FOR JUICY, TENDER CHICKEN OR TURKEY
I never make any sort of chicken/turkey without brining it first. Once you try this recipe, you won't either. This is my standard brine that I use most often. This allows me to add any flavoring, dry rub, or sauce to my chicken without competing with the brine flavors. The brining process forces water into the muscle tissues of the meat by a process known as diffusion and osmosis. This additional moisture causes the muscle tissues to swell and hold more water. The resulting water in the muscle tissues will make the meat more moist and tender. Any spices herbs or other flavorings you add to the brine solution will get taken deep into the meat with the water.
Provided by Brandess
Categories Chicken Breast
Time 5m
Yield 1 gallon
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Mix brine together well with a whisk.
- Place 1 whole chicken (thawed or frozen- you may also use chicken parts.) in brine for 2 hours up to over night. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
- Remove chicken from brine and rinse chicken well. You are now ready to make a tender juicy chicken dish of your choosing.
- NOTES: You can do this with turkey, as well. Also, you will notice that your leftovers, even after refrigerated overnight, are so tender and juicy whether eaten cold or reheated. The moisture retention really helps to make a chicken meal morph into a second meal when it holds its moisture. If doing a whole turkey, use the recipe servings changer to up the servings to 6-10. Put your turkey in an insulated cooler with enough water to cover and add in a 5 pound bag of ice. Brine overnight.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 557.6, Sodium 56741.4, Carbohydrate 143.9, Sugar 142.4, Protein 0.2
Tips:
- Use a large container to brine the chicken, such as a stockpot or Dutch oven.
- Make sure the chicken is completely submerged in the brine.
- Brine the chicken for at least 4 hours, but no longer than 24 hours.
- If you are using a wet brine, you can add additional flavors to the brine, such as herbs, spices, or citrus zest.
- If you are using a dry brine, you can rub the chicken with a mixture of salt, pepper, and other spices.
- Rinse the chicken thoroughly before cooking.
- Cook the chicken according to your desired method.
Conclusion:
Brining chicken is a great way to add flavor and moisture to the meat. It is a simple process that can be done with a few basic ingredients. By following the tips above, you can brine chicken perfectly every time.
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