If you want to take the flavor and texture of your roasted or smoked chicken to the next level, use this quick and easy chicken brine!

This easy chicken brine, made with simple ingredients, is perfect for a smoked whole chicken, thighs, or chicken breasts. Using this brine is your best bet for ensuring that the meat is moist, juicy, and tender.

If you are new to brined chicken, you’re in for a treat. While we all love grandma’s Sunday chicken recipe, even grandma couldn’t guarantee a tender and juicy chicken every time. This simple chicken brine infuses flavor and moisture, keeping meat juicy during cooking.

Why should I brine chicken?

Chicken meat, particularly the breast, is quite lean and covers a large surface area, which makes it prone to drying out. To combat this, skilled cooks often use a brine solution to infuse moisture and flavor. Some of the solution is absorbed into the meat, resulting in plumper and juicier chicken. This technique is especially helpful when cooking chicken in a smoker at low temperatures.

Brine Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• Morton kosher salt (see note below)
• White sugar
• Garlic
• Black peppercorns
• Fresh rosemary (sub with fresh thyme)
• Dried sage
• Bay leaves
• Red pepper flakes (optional)
• Zest of 1 small lemon (optional)
• 1 cinnamon stick (optional)

A Note About Salt

Not all salt is created equally. In truth, we should be measuring salt by weight. For this recipe and all our brine recipes, we choose Morton Kosher salt. It is consistent in size and weight and dissolves well. The size of the crystal determines the amount of salt by volume. It is important to use this kosher salt rather than table salt or diamond crystal salt.

How to Make a Chicken Brine

• On the stove top: In a medium stockpot, bring 2 cups of water to a simmer with the sugar and kosher salt over medium heat for 1 minute, until dissolved. Once the mixture is dissolved, remove the stockpot from the heat.
• Add remaining ingredients: Next, stir in the garlic, rosemary sprigs, black peppercorns, dried herbs, bay leaves, and any optional ingredients like red pepper flakes, lemon zest, or a cinnamon stick. Then, add the remaining 6 cups of cold water.
• Cool the brine: Allow the brine to cool for 30 minutes. After that, place the stockpot in the refrigerator for an additional 30-45 minutes, or until it is completely cooled.
• Brine the chicken: Once the brine is cold, submerge the raw chicken in the liquid. Cover the pot and return it to the refrigerator for 6 hours. Brine chicken thighs, breasts, and drumsticks for 4 hours.
• Season and cook: After brining, remove the chicken from the solution and pat it dry with paper towels—do not rinse. Season with a low-salt or no-salt rub, and cook as directed.

How to Brine a Chicken

• Large pot: First, make sure you have a large enough stockpot to accommodate the brine and the chicken.
• For whole chickens: Submerge the chicken in the solution, cover the stockpot, and place it into your refrigerator for 6 hours.
• For parts like breasts, legs, and thighs: Place chicken parts into a large marinating/oven baking bag, and pour brine over top. Secure the bag and place it into the refrigerator for 4 hours. For chicken wings, please use our Wing Brine recipe.

Tips

• Please refer to one of our turkey brines for poultry weighing more than 4 pounds.
• Always use coarse salt like kosher salt for brine recipes.
• Make sure the brine has cooled completely before using. Do not submerge the chicken in warm or hot liquids.
• Add your favorite herbs, spices, and savories to this brine recipe.

More recipes to try

• Apple Cider Turkey Brine
• Easy Chicken Injection Marinade
• Pellet grill Smoked Turkey

Print

Chicken Brine Recipe

This quick and easy chicken brine is made with onions, fresh herbs, carrots, and celery. These classic flavors are well suited for baked and smoked whole chickens or chicken pieces.

Course Marinades/Brines

Cuisine American BBQ, American Food

Keyword chicken brine, poultry brine

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 minute minute

Total Time 11 minutes minutes

Servings 2 quarts

Calories 114kcal

Ingredients

• 8 cups of water
• 1/3 cup Morton kosher salt see note below
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3-4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 medium fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
• zest of 1 small lemon optional
• 1 cinnamon stick optional

Instructions

• In a medium stockpot, simmer 2 cups of water with the sugar and kosher salt for 1 minute over medium heat.
• Once dissolved, remove the stockpot from the heat.
• Stir in the garlic, rosemary sprigs, black peppercorns, dried leaves, bay leaves, and optional ingredients (pepper flakes, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick).
• Stir in the remaining 6 cups of cold water.
• Let the brine cool for 30 minutes, then place the stockpot into the refrigerator for an additional 30-45 minutes, or until it is thoroughly cooled.
• Once the mixture is cold, submerge the raw chicken in the brine liquid. Cover the pot and place it back into the refrigerator for 6 hours.
• Brine chicken pieces like thighs, breasts, and legs for 4 hours.
• Once brined, remove the chicken from the solution and pat dry with paper towels. Do not rinse.
• Season with a low-salt or no-salt rub, and cook as directed.

Notes

Not all salt is created equally. In truth, we should be measuring salt by weight. For this recipe and all our brine recipes, we choose Morton Kosher salt. It is consistent in size and weight and dissolves well. The size of the crystal determines the amount of salt by volume. It is important to use this kosher salt rather than table salt or diamond crystal salt. 

Nutrition

Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 18911mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 52IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 1mg

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