This chicken brine recipe is made with lemons, honey, fresh herbs and spices, and produces a juicy tender chicken every time! A foolproof way for succulent and flavorful roasted, smoked or fried chicken.
If you’ve never had a brined chicken before, you’re missing out! It takes just minutes to make a chicken brine, but the end result is nothing short of fabulous. Serve your brined chicken with glazed carrots and rice pilaf for a complete meal.
I always get anxious about cooking large items of poultry like whole chickens and turkeys. It’s just so easy to either overcook the birds until they’re dry as a bone, or undercook them so they’re raw in the middle. This chicken brine infuses a whole bird with tons of flavor and helps to keep it from drying out in the oven. Brined chicken is the best chicken you’ll ever eat!
How do you make chicken brine?
To make this recipe, you’ll need salt, honey, lemons, herbs, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves. Everything goes into a large pot with water and is simmered until the salt has dissolved. After the mixture has cooled to room temperature, you can add your chicken to the pot, then refrigerate it until you’re ready to make dinner.
Why do you brine chicken?
Chicken is a naturally lean type of meat which mean it’s prone to drying out. When a chicken is placed into brine, it absorbs some of the brine which helps to both keep it moist and also to season it all the way through. When you’re working with a brined chicken, even if you overcook it a bit, it should still come out tender and juicy.
How long do you brine chicken?
A whole chicken should be submerged in brine for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours. Do not go past the 24 hour mark, as your chicken may be overly salty if it sits in the brine for too long. If you’re looking to brine bone-in chicken pieces such as chicken thighs, drumsticks or breasts, you’ll want to soak them for about 4 hours. If you’re working with boneless chicken pieces, you can brine them for about 2 hours.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- This recipe tends to work well with smaller chickens in the 3-5 pound range. This is simply because you’re more likely to have a deep pot to brine a smaller chicken in. If your chicken is larger than the biggest pot in your house, you can use a brining bag.
- Be sure to use kosher salt, do not use table salt in this recipe. Table salt measures differently than kosher salt and your chicken will be too salty with table salt. I typically use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- Feel free to mix up the flavorings to fit your preferences. You can try orange instead of lemon, brown sugar instead of honey, add dried chiles for a little spice, or use fresh sage instead of thyme.
- Make sure the liquid is completely cooled before you add the chicken for food safety reasons. Sometimes when I’m in a hurry, I add a cup of ice cubes to help speed the process along.
How do you cook brined chicken?
You can cook this type of chicken in any way that you would normally cook a whole chicken. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Roasted Chicken with Garlic and Herbs
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
- Peruvian Chicken
- Rotisserie Chicken
- Fried Chicken
Once you try a brined chicken, you’ll be hooked! Everyone will think you’re a gourmet chef when they get a taste of your perfectly cooked chicken. While making a this brining solution is an extra step in the cooking process, it’s totally worth it in my opinion.
Chicken Brine Video
Chicken Brine Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 1/2 cup kosher salt do not use table salt
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 5 cloves of garlic smashed and peeled
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 lemons sliced
- 4 lb whole chicken
Instructions
- Place the water, salt, honey, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, parsley and lemons in a large pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes or until salt has dissolved.
- Turn off the heat and cool completely.
- Add the chicken to the cooled brine. Make sure the chicken is completely submerged.
- Cover the pot and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse with cool water; pat dry with paper towels. Proceed with roasting, smoking or frying the chicken.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on January 2, 2019 and was updated with new content on January 13, 2022.
Riz says
Hi,
Great brine recipe! Would the chicken maintain its juiciness if I grill it in an oven rotisserie after brining it?
Sara says
Yes that’s totally fine just make sure to use a thermometer so the chicken doesn’t overcook!
Nora Bagaman says
Dear Sara,
Thank you for this. The chicken is truly juicy and tender and sooooo delicious. I will definitely keep this brining recipe. And your potato au gratin is a winner. I did bothbrecipes today and my husband gave me a two thumbs up.
Marcia says
Can the used brine be frozen for at a later time?
Sara says
I’d be hesitant to recommend that simply because I’m not sure if it would be a food safety hazard.
Abby says
Hi! How long should i brine my chicken wings?
Sara says
Brine for 2-6 hours!
Fatima says
Hi,
If I don’t have lemons can I use lime juice as a replacement? In a pre-quarantine world I could have just run out to get it but who knows when those days will come back!
Sara says
That should be fine!
Christine says
Hi there, what is the minimum time for brining in order to produce the effect? Just could your recipe for tonight and I’d say I only have like 30 min to an hour before my birdie needs to be in the oven..🍗
Sara says
In that case it wouldn’t be worth brining unfortunately!
Charlotte Vincent says
The best chicken I ever made! And I have been cooking for 50 years. It’s flavorful and tender. I fried chicken breasts for guests.
Kay says
Can you leave the salt out of the brine or cut it in half? My hubby is on a very low sodium diet, but I’m wanting to smoke some bonless, skinless chicken breasts I have as something special for him.
Thanks
Sara says
You could try cutting down the amount of salt but it cannot be omitted, it is the basis of the recipe.
Thiru says
Hi Sarah.. in your recipe you mention 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup of honey, etc.. what standard of measure is this? In terms of millilitres (ml) how much would 1/4, 1/2 cup be? Thanks
Dustin says
You can use a convertor on Google. Just Google ml to cup or cup to ml and put in the amount you want converted. It will tell you the conversion .
Thiru says
Hi Sarah, I plan to try the brine a whole chicken next weekend. Once done with brining, can I use the brine again for chicken pieces, drumsticks, etc.. what needs to be done?
Sara says
You could re-use it, but I’d use it within 24 hours for food safety purposes.
Cristina says
5 Stars!!! The best brine recipe…My chicken turned out so delicious and flavorful, it’s definitely the best roasted chicken I’ve ever made. I will never skip this step again, so worth the extra time. I’m looking forward to brining my turkey for Thanksgiving this year with this recipe.
Felecia says
Hi ,
I did Cornish Hens. They turned out great . Thank-you. Will definitely brine again.
Emma says
AMAZING…. I left my chicken drumsticks in the brine for a day and a half. Unintentional. I smelled so aromatic and after I baked it, it turned out so delicious. Thank you for sharing.
jess says
can you make the brine ahead and keep it in the fridge for, say, a week so that you can portion it for brining chicken breasts throughout the week? or do you have to use it up the same day?
Sara says
It will stay good in the fridge for 4-5 days!
Amy S. says
Followed the brine recipe exactly, let brine for about 20hrs then smoked the chicken. The most tender and delicious chicken ever according to myself and everyone else that ate it!!!
Monica Maldonado says
Hi, if my chicken is not completely submerged do I add more water?
Sara says
Yes add water to cover!
Leonard Longoria says
Okay I have a billion questions but I will ONLY ask one. I completed your brine suggestion. Now do I need to add any flavors under the skin before grilling???? Oh wait, how long do I grill?? That was two, ooops.
Sara says
You can add more seasonings if you want, just go easy on the salt. Are you trying to grill a whole chicken?
Leonard Longoria says
I smoked the bird last time, gave it a nice rub and was so awesome!!!
Today I want to throw it in the oven. And rub suggestions ???
Great brine btw
Anne says
Can you use this brine if just doing chicken breasts not a whole chicken?
Sara says
Yes just brine them for 4 hours instead!
Joanne Winslow-Spragge says
Hi Sarah,
Can you use the brine for soup stock or anything else after the chicken is removed for roasting or must it simply be discarded?
Of course it would have to be seriously heated through because of the raw poultry sitting in it for a few hours… but there is a lot of good stuff in there!
Thanks – haven’t tried recipe yet. Will do.
Jo
Sara says
The brine is super salty so it wouldn’t be good for using in another recipe!
Lebo says
I tried this,divine!👌🏽
Stori says
Used this for the roasted garlic herb chicken! It’s a must! And I didn’t even get to brine for the full 8 hrs. Sarah has it going on!
Renee says
Wow, I used this for the roasted chicken recipe on this site, & oh my gosh, this made the chicken soooo tender! Now I totally get why people brine their chicken or turkey!
Renee says
Hi Sarah,
Can you suggest measurements for using dry herbs, instead of fresh, as that’s all I have in the pantry. Thanks!
Sara says
I’d use 1 teaspoon of each!