Showing posts with label Kitchen Techniques. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kitchen Techniques. Show all posts

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Brining Chicken Pieces


I've noticed an inconsistency in my chicken. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's rubbery. Sometimes it's tasteless. I've had different results cooking a chicken recipe the same way twice. I went to Google with my gripes. I don't know if this is the answer to my prayers, but my searches brought me to All About Brining. Well, first I found this site which talks about how many meats are much more lean that they were in the days of yore, which leads to tasteless meat, and how brining was a possible solution. Now, I don't know if this has anything to do with meat quality, but I'll do anything for a tastier meal. Furthermore, I had never thought about brining chicken pieces. I hear about whole turkey brining, but had never translated that to chicken breasts. Here's a simple recipe for chicken and pork:

All-Purpose Brine

1 quart cool water
1/2 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
1/2 cup sugar
Mix in a non-reactive container until dissolved. Substitute 1/4 cup + 2 TBSP Morton Kosher Salt or 1/4 cup table salt for Diamond Crystal.

Make 1 quart of brine for each pound of meat, not to exceed 8 quarts (2 gallons). Soak meat for 1 hour per pound, but not less than 30 minutes or longer than 8 hours. If brining multiple pieces, base the brining time on the weight of an individual piece.

It's also important to note that chicken pieces float. Put a small dish or bowl over the chicken so it's completely submerged.

Rinse well once done, and pat dry.