Soaking the chicken in brine to avoid dry chicken sounds like it would work. What is brine?
By pat from West Sacramento, CA
Brine is a strong salty solution. I've never brined a bird, but I know people who have, and they say it is wonderful. I try to do low-sodium, so it just doesn't sound like a good idea (although, if I went to someone's house, I'd be sure to taste!).
I checked allrecipes.com and searched for brined chicken. This recipe had the highest reviews:
allrecipes.com/
I think sea salt is the best to use in the water if you want to brine the bird from a health standpoint. I also use low salt in my cooking.
I have never brined one either. Cooking in a crockpot it is never dry though.
To brine or not to brine often depends upon the recipe. However, if it is moister chicken you are looking for (I'm specifically talking about fried or baked chicken pieces with the skin on), try marinating the pieces for 8 hours or overnight in buttermilk, (keep refrigerated).
I haven't tried this for all of my chicken recipes (but will be trying with skinless pieces in the future), but for the ones I have, the finished dish has been quite moist. Be sure to dispose of the buttermilk after marinating.
Go to www.foodnetwork.com There will be more info than you can use there! I brine my chicken and deer before cooking. I use 2 cups salt to about a gallon and a half of water, 1/4 Cup sugar and any other seasonings I may want to add. The chicken is always moist and tender when fried. Not to mention, the taste is the best! Good luck!`
Poultry Brine
1 ½ Gal Water
½ C Salt - Kosher
½ C Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Cajun Spice (Louisiana Cajun Seasoning)
Mix all this together in a bucket (food grade), rinse your bird an put him in there then put a plate on top to hold him under. Stick in the icebox overnight.
Next morning, pull the bird out and rinse, pat dry, add your favorite rub and smoke.
Brine at about 36° any higher you risk spoilage, any lower and it slows down the brining process.
Good luck.
I always use my husbands old orange coleman water cooler to soak my turkey or chicken with just make sure to clean it with a bleach soultion after using for the next time.
