Brown sugar–brined chicken

Brown sugar–brined chicken

3
Points®
Total Time
8 hr 45 min
Prep
10 min
Cook
35 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
Brining does three major things to meat. Since a percentage of the brine is actually absorbed into the meat and then not released during cooking it yields a juicier cooked result. The salt in the brine acts as a tenderizer, banishing toughness. Plus, whatever you add to the brine infuses the meat with flavor as it is absorbed giving you a much more flavorful end result. Starting with a cut-up chicken here instead of a whole bird makes the process of brining much more manageable. This recipe results in such incomparably flavorful and moist chicken, you will want to make brining a routine part of your chicken prep.

Ingredients

Water

4 cup(s), cold

Packed light brown sugar

3 tsp

Kosher salt

2 tsp

Raw skinless boneless light and dark meat chicken

1¾ pound(s), (1 whole cut-up chicken, about 3 1/2-pounds)

Uncooked onion

1 small, thinly sliced

Garlic

4 clove(s), chopped

Bay leaf

3 leaf/leaves

Peppercorn

2 tsp, whole

Cooking spray

1 spray(s)

Instructions

  1. 1 Combine water, brown sugar, and salt in large bowl; whisk until salt and sugar dissolve.
  2. 2 Place chicken, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns in large heavy-duty zip-close plastic bag. Add water mixture. Squeeze out air and seal bag; turn to coat chicken. Place bag inside large bowl. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 12 hours. Remove chicken from brining solution and pat dry. Discard brining solution.
  3. 3 Spray ridged grill pan with nonstick spray and set over medium heat.
  4. 4 Place chicken in pan and grill, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 30–35 minutes. Remove skin before eating.
  5. Serving size: 1/6 of chicken