Portions: 6 servings Calories: 625kcal |
If you have never brined meat, you don't know what you've missed. Try this whole brined chicken roast and be convinced too, it will be the juiciest, most flavorful chicken you would have ever cooked, try it and it will become your family's favorite.
Why I ā¤ļø it ⢠Recipe ⢠Ingredients ⢠Preparation
Why I ā¤ļø it
We have heard before the old maxim that while cooking is an art, baking is science. Well, that's not entirely correct, there is just as much science in cooking. And it is science that tells us that brining chicken for roasting works for its intended purpose: making meat juicer, more tender, more flavorful.
A little investment of some extra time can hugely improve your chicken roasts (works for other meats too). You can leave the chicken brining in the morning get it ready for roasting at lunch time. Your brined chicken will be the juiciest whole chicken roast you've ever tried, the perfect weekend meal.
Whole roasted brined chicken recipe
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Utensils and tools
- 20-quart pot (5 gallon [22 liters])
- Roasting tray with wire rack
Ingredients
For the brine
- 1 cup of kosher salt
- ½ cup of red wine vinegar
- 1 red onion, cut into quarters
- 6 clove garlic, sliced
- 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
- Rind of half an orange
- 2 tablespoons peppercorns
For the chicken
- 1 whole chicken, (about 4 lb [1.8 kg])
- ½ cup of vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon of pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
Preparation
Before starting, please make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.
Step 1: Make the brine
To make the brine, pour 1 gallon [4 liters] of water into the pot, and combine with the ingredients for the brine (kosher salt, red wine vinegar, onion, garlic, and parsley).
Step 2: Rest
Butterfly the chicken (cut open through the breast plate and flatten).
Place the chicken in a deep pot and cover completely with the brine mix. Place the chicken in the fridge and let it rest for 4 hours.
Step 3: Preheat
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F [175°C].
Take the chicken out of the brine and discard the brine. Rinse the chicken to eliminate the excess salt (be mindful of salmonella cross-contamination). Pat dry with paper towels and brush all over with oil. Sprinkle the chicken with pepper.
Step 4: Roast
Place the chicken skin side up on the roast tray with rack.
If you have a meat thermometer
Roast until the thermometer reaches 71 °C [160 °F], start measuring at 1 hour.
If you don't have a meat thermometer
Roast for an hour, remove from the oven and turn around, the chicken will be ready when you can pierce between the thigh and body and the juices run clear. If any red or pink shows, return to the oven for another 15 minutes and repeat the test.
What's brining?
Brining is the practice of bathing meat in brine (water with a high concentration of salt) to make it tenderer and juicier.
Using red wine vinegar, salt, and a few other ingredients and herbs of choice, I ended up with the juiciest chicken roast I have made so far. It was plump, tender and bursting with flavor, you will be sure to incorporate this technique in your cooking after you try it.
Top tips
You can also add other herbs if you like, adding a sprig of rosemary or some thyme are two of my favorite, if I have them at hand.
Serving suggestions
You can roast potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables along with the brined chicken, and make your meal in just one step.
Nutritional information
Calories: 625kcal - Carbohydrates: 3g - Protein: 39g - Fat: 50g - Saturated Fat: 10g - Cholesterol: 156mg - Sodium: 534mg - Potassium: 432mg - Fiber: 1g - Sugar: 1g - Vitamin A: 290IU - Vitamin C: 5.6mg - Calcium: 33mg - Iron: 2mg
FAQs
What is brining chicken?
Brining chicken is soaking it in highly concentrated salt water to add moisture and improve the texture of the chicken.
How to brine chicken with vinegar?
Vinegar can be added to the brine to soak the chicken and improve its flavor prior to roasting.
Print card
This is just a printer-friendly summary, some useful details are found in the recipe above.
Brined chicken roast, brining chicken for roasting
Ingredients
For the brine
- 1 cup of kosher salt
- ½ cup of red wine Vinegar
- 1 red onion cut into quarters
- 6 clove garlic sliced
- 1 bunch of parsley
- Rind of half an orange
- 2 tablespoons peppercorns
For the chicken
- 1 whole chicken (4 pounds, [1.8 Kg])
- ½ cup of vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon of pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
Instructions
Step 1: Make the brine
- To make the brine, pour 1 gallon [4 liters] of water into the pot, and combine with the ingredients for the brine (kosher salt,Ā red wine vinegar,Ā onion,Ā garlic, andĀ parsley).
Step 2: Rest
- Butterfly theĀ chickenĀ (cut open through the breast plate and flatten).Place the chicken in a deep pot and cover completely with the brine mix. Place the chicken in the fridge and let it rest for 4 hours.
Step 3: Preheat
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F [175°C].Take the chicken out of the brine and discard the brine. Rinse the chicken to eliminate the excess salt (be mindful of salmonella cross-contamination). Pat dry with paper towels and brush all over with oil. Sprinkle the chicken with pepper.
Step 4: Roast
- Place the chicken skin side up on the roast tray with rack.
--If you have a meat thermometer
- Roast until the thermometer reaches 71 °C [160 °F], start measuring at 1 hour.
--If you have a meat thermometer
- Roast for an hour, remove from the oven and turn around, the chicken will be ready when you can pierce between the thigh and body and the juices run clear. If any red or pink shows, return to the oven for another 15 minutes and repeat the test.
Notes
Nutrition
Publicado por Tia Clara - Dec 3, 2012
Nelly
Very good chicken. I added more herbs and garlic, it has good flavor.
Mary
I made this brine chicken which was good. I used lemon juice instead of wine vinegar about 2 Tablespoons honey several cloves of garlic a whole onion tsp dried thyme tsp rosemary. Oil and water are same as above.
Edna
Hi. is the recipe for 2 chickens or just one?
Tia Clara
1 whole chicken.
Michelle
Hi Clara. I made this yesterday and me and my family loved it. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for this simple recipe.
Kankana
I never tried brining and I do agree with you on the chemistry part! Baking is more tricky than cooking. These looks perfect and love the styling!
Tia Clara
That depends on what you cook. Meat is pretty tricky, trickier than any baking I've done.
Mayra
I've always heard people raving about brining turkeys, I have never tried it, but now I have too. I want to dig into that chicken.
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com
I've heard that brining makes the best chicken. I am yet to try it. Your photos are so beautiful!
Tia Clara
Thanks, Julia. It does make it a lot juicier. Instead of the chicken losing its own juices, it loses the water it gains.
Paul-David Cooper
I brined a turkey for two days outside in a plastic liner filled with things like sea salt, cinnamin sticks, Raspberry wine vinegar, basil, oregano crushed garlic and onion wedges. Of course it was very cold outside and perfect for brining large birds. The turkey was magnificent. I had never had anything so moistand juicy. I recommend brining to anyone that wants something exquisite and tasty.
Carol Lovett
I've never brined my chicken but I would love to try one of these days.