Portions: 6 servings Calories: 472kcal |
If you have never brined meat, you don't know what you've missed. Learn how to brine a whole chicken for roasting, it will be the juiciest, most flavorful chicken you would have ever cooked, try it and it will become your family's favorite.
By - Revised . Original Dec 3, 2012.
Brined Chicken Roast Recipe.
Why we ❤️ it
- We have heard before the old maxim that while cooking is an art, baking is science. But 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.
Brined Chicken Roast Recipe
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Utensils and tools
- 20-quart pot (5 gallon [22 liters]) Or plastic container
Ingredients
For the brine
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons peppercorns
- 1 red onion, cut into quarters
- 6 garlic cloves, sliced
- ½ cup red wine Vinegar
- 1 orange
For the chicken
- 1 whole chicken, (4 pounds, [1.8 Kg])
- 1 bunch parsley
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pepper, (freshly-cracked, or ground)
Video
Preparation
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, and garlic).Squeeze the orange juice into the brine, and add the squeezed orange halves.
2. Cutting the chicken
- Butterfly the chicken (cut open through the breast plate and flatten).Clean the chicken from excess fat, skin and any pieces of organs.
3. Marinating
- Place the chicken in a deep pot covered completely with the brine mix, add parsley.Place the chicken in the fridge and let it rest covered for 4 hours.
4. Prepare to roast
- 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.
5. Roast
- Place the chicken skin side up on the roast tray with rack.-If you have a meat thermometerRoast until the thermometer reaches 71 °C [160 °F], start measuring at 1 hour.-If you have a meat thermometerRoast 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.💡 You can place vegetables on the tray to roast alongside the chicken (like potato, carrots, sweet potato, or onions)
6. Serve
- Carve and serve the chicken.
Top tips
- Herbs: 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.
- Vegetables: You can roast potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables along with the brined chicken, and make your meal in just one step.
Serving suggestions
Some side dishes that go great with this is Broasted potatoes, Mashed potatoes, Stuffed tomatoes, and Carrot and Cauliflower gratin.
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Learn more
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.
For a similar recipe, check out this smoked spatchcock chicken recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
Very good chicken. I added more herbs and garlic, it has good flavor.
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.
Hi. is the recipe for 2 chickens or just one?
1 whole chicken.
Hi Clara. I made this yesterday and me and my family loved it. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for this simple recipe.
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!
That depends on what you cook. Meat is pretty tricky, trickier than any baking I've done.
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.
I've heard that brining makes the best chicken. I am yet to try it. Your photos are so beautiful!
Thanks, Julia. It does make it a lot juicier. Instead of the chicken losing its own juices, it loses the water it gains.
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… Read more »
I've never brined my chicken but I would love to try one of these days.