Chicken Brine
HB-3376 · Hand-built original · Western
A whole chicken brined with lemon, herbs, honey and garlic, then roasted in butter until the juices run clear.
WesternMains25 hr 15 minServes 5432 kcalGluten-freeEgg-freeDiabeticRenal
Main ingredient: chicken
Pairs well with: roasted potatoes, rice pilaf, green beans, caesar salad, garlic bread
Servings:5quantities adjust to match
Ingredients
- 2 quarts water (cold tap water)
- 1/3 cup kosher or cooking salt, NOT table salt
- 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)
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 3 lb 5 oz-4 lb 7 oz / 3-4lb chicken (whole)
- 3 tbsp butter (melted)
- Salt and pepper to season
Method
- Boil about one-third of the water in a large pot with the salt, lemons, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, honey, garlic and peppercorns for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt.
- Pour in the remaining water and cool the brine completely, about 30 minutes at room temperature then 1 1/2 hours in the fridge.
- Submerge the chicken breast-side down in the cold brine, cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
- Lift out the chicken, pat dry, tie the legs, tuck the wings under and brush most of the melted butter all over.
- Sprinkle with pepper and a tiny pinch of salt, set on a rack in a roasting tray and leave for 20 minutes.
- Roast in an oven heated to 430°F, then turned down to 350°F, for 50 minutes to 1 hour until the thigh joint reaches 165°F or the juices run clear, brushing with the remaining butter at 45 minutes.
- Rest loosely covered with foil for 10-15 minutes and serve with a drizzle of the pan juices.
Prep: 15 min · Cook: 60 min · Total: 1515 min
Nutrition (per serving, where published)
432 kcalCalories
63 gProtein
5 gCarbs
17 gFat
1 gFibre
1 gSugars
189 mgSodium
188 mgCholesterol
1 servingServing