Dry Brined Chicken Breasts Recipes

HOW TO DRY BRINE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Pat chicken completely dry, then set it on a rimmed baking sheet or other dish.
• Salt the chicken with coarse or kosher salt on both sides, and in the cavity.
• Whole chicken: use about 1 teaspoon of salt per pound
• Bone-in, skin-on cuts: use about 3/4 teaspoon of salt per pound
• Boneless, skinless cuts: use about 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pound
• After you've salted the chicken, place it in the refrigerator according to the times below. If refrigerating overnight or longer, place a loose tent of foil or parchment paper over the chicken.- Whole Chicken: 8-24 hours- Bone-In, Skin-On Cuts: 2-12 hours- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs: ½-1 hour
• Once the chicken is done brining, cook your chicken as the recipe directs - there is no need to rinse the chicken before cooking!

DRY-BRINED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• In a spice grinder, blitz the bay leaf pieces and peppercorns until finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl and add the salt, brown sugar and garlic powder, and rub it all together with your fingers.
• Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise into two pieces of equal weight, creating one shorter, thicker piece and one longer, thinner piece. Place the four chicken pieces on a large plate or sheet pan and sprinkle generously on all sides with the spice mixture, moving the chicken around to catch any fallen spices. Refrigerate, uncovered, to dry-brine for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour (any shorter and the osmotic brining process won't complete; any longer and you'll end up with deli meat).
• When ready to cook, take the chicken out of the fridge and heat a large skillet with a lid over high heat. Add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the skillet. Carefully add the chicken pieces, smooth sides down, and immediately reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the bottoms are browned but not burnt, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip the chicken, cover the pan and cook until the other sides are browned and the internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat reaches 155 degrees, another 5 to 7 minutes. You may want to pull the longer, thinner pieces off the heat a minute or two sooner, as they may cook faster.
• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to rest for at least 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute. The meat will continue to cook as it sits and should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. You can also check for doneness by cutting into the chicken; it should look white and juicy and no longer pink. Slice the chicken against the grain (that is, perpendicular to the parallel fibers that run within the breast) and serve with lime wedges if you'd like. You can also keep the meat whole and refrigerate it, covered, for up to 4 days.

DRY BRINED ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Remove chicken from packaging, remove giblet packet from cavity, and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Place in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Mix salt, orange zest, rosemary, and thyme together in a small bowl; rub 3/4 of the mixture all over outside of chicken; rub remaining mixture inside cavity. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 to 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove plastic wrap from chicken.
• Bake chicken in preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 2 to 2 1/2 hours depending on size. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove chicken from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 20 minutes before carving.

DRY-BRINE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put all the dry-brine ingredients into a mortar and grind to a fine powder with a pestle, then add to a large bowl. Add the chicken and rub the brine in really well, ensuring it is well covered inside and out. Put a cooling rack over a tray and sit the chicken on top. Chill uncovered in the fridge for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight, but no longer than 24 hours.
• Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 6. Pat the chicken all over with kitchen paper, removing as much moisture as possible.
• Put the butter, tarragon and garlic into a bowl with some seasoning and mix well. Carefully pry the skin on the chicken breasts and legs away from the meat with your hand, being careful not to tear the skin. Spread the butter underneath the skin, pushing right down and around the legs.
• Put the onion, carrot and celery into the bottom of the roasting tray and put the chicken on top. Cook for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 180C/ fan 160C/gas 4 and cook for 1 hour, basting the bird with the butter every so often.
• Put the chicken onto a plate and, with several pieces of tin foil, cover the legs tightly, but don't cover the breasts. Leave for 20 minutes to rest, then carve. Squeeze the lemon into the roasting tin and serve these buttery veg and juices alongside the chicken

BRINED BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS (FROM GIMME SOME OVEN)

Steps:

• DIRECTIONS: *To brine your chicken breasts, simply fill a large bowl with 4 quarts of warm water and 1/4 cup kosher salt. Stir to combine until most of the salt is absorbed. Add the chicken breasts and let them sit in the mixture to brine for 15 minutes. Or you can also also cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. Remove the chicken breasts and pat dry with a paper towel when ready to use. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in a large baking dish. Brush on both sides (turning once) evenly with the melted butter or olive oil. In a separate small bowl, whisk the salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika until combined. Then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the chicken on both sides. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. If you use a cooking thermometer to measure the temperature thickest part of the breast, it should be between 160-170 degrees F. (The FDA recommends 170 degrees F.) Once the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven and loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil. Let the chicken rest for at least 5-10 minutes. Then serve immediately. DIFFICULTY: EASY CATEGORY: GLUTEN-FREE