Chicken brine is a simple way to make sure your chicken recipes are always moist, juicy, and perfect. This easy brine recipe is only three basic ingredients!
If you don’t know how to brine chicken yet, you’ve come to the right place! This easy brine made with kosher salt, brown sugar, and warm water will bring your dinner to the next level. Use as-is or dress it up with your favorite flavors. Then serve that perfectly cooked meat with an easy salad recipe or quick side dish.
Chicken Brine
Basic Chicken Brine
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Chicken Brine Ingredients
- Kosher salt – It is important to use kosher salt and not table salt when brining meats.
- Brown sugar – We use light brown sugar, but dark will work as well.
- Optional ingredients – Scroll down to see all the ways you can add an extra burst of flavor to your brine!
Kosher salt + brown sugar
How do you make a brine? (Step-by-step)
⭐ First, warm your water. If you use tap water, just set your tap to very warm (you want the sugar and salt to dissolve, you don’t want to cook the chicken).
⭐ Next, stir in sugar and salt. Mix until liquid is translucent (not foggy).
⭐ Then, add additional seasonings if desired.
⭐ Finally, pour over chicken and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Add the brown sugar to warm water
Preparation
Can you prepare brine ahead of time?
You can make the chicken brine one or two days ahead and store it in the fridge if desired. We typically don’t since it is easy to make and room in the refrigerator is pretty sacred with a family of seven.
How long to brine chicken?
For best results, let the chicken sit covered in the brine for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Longer than that can make the texture of the chicken mushy or too soft.
Where should you brine a chicken?
Chicken should always be brined in the refrigerator. Raw chicken should never be left out at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
Then the kosher salt
Storage and leftovers
Can you save leftover chicken brine?
Leftover brine should not be saved and it should not be re-used. The brine will contain bacteria from the raw chicken and should be disposed of after one use.
How do you store brine?
If making brine ahead of time, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a few days or in the freezer indefinitely.
Stir until mixture is no longer cloudy
Variations {What to add to chicken brine}
You can absolutely use this chicken brine recipe as-is (we do often!), but if you want to jazz it up a little and infuse more flavor into the meat, we have a few suggestions!
Make it spicy!
- Sliced jalapenos or hot peppers
- A squirt of sriracha or red hot sauce
- Pour in some of the liquid from your pickled jalapenos
Add some acidity!
- Cut up oranges, lemons, limes, or grapefruit
- Your favorite vinegar (we love apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar)
Herb it up!
- Throw in a handful of fresh cilantro
- Try it with some dried or fresh thyme
- Rosemary is a classic flavor that goes well with chicken
- Dill (dried or fresh) is delicious
Bring the spice!
- Peppercorns are a great addition to chicken brine
- Is it even cooking if you didn’t add garlic?
- Try garlic or onion (fresh or powder) to elevate your flavors
- Toss in your favorite spice mixes, maybe add some Mexican, Indian, or Asian flare!
A touch of sweet!
- Stir in some honey
- Try it with maple syrup
- Molasses add an earthy sweetness
Place chicken in a bag or bowl
Frequently asked questions
Why brine chicken?
Chicken brine draws moisture into the meat and ensures that the cooked chicken will be perfectly juicy and delicious. Brining your meat is like giving it an insurance policy!
Does brining make the chicken sweet?
Even thought the brining mixture contains sugar, it will not make the meat sweet. The sugar adds some depth of flavor and also aids in tenderization.
Why do you use kosher salt for brined chicken?
Kosher salt is often recommended because it has a less intense and more pure taste. Also, the size and coarseness of the crystals makes them easier to pick up. You can use other salts in this recipe, but make sure to check your ratios as
Noteworthy: Kosher salt is NOT all the same. This recipe calls for Morton’s Kosher salt. The other brand of kosher salt available is Diamond Crystal. You can use it but, because the salt crystals are a different size (Morton’s are smaller and therefore saltier), you will want to adjust the amount up.
Add brine
What happens if you brine chicken too long?
If you leave your chicken in the brining solution for too long (in excess of 24 hours) it can break down the muscle fibers too much and will result in a mushy texture rather than the tender texture we are going for.
Do you need to rinse brined chicken?
Some folks insist that brined chicken should be rinsed before cooking, but we find that a simple pat dry with a clean towel or cloth is all it needs.
It will not hurt the chicken to rinse it before cooking, but be careful as rinsing chicken can spread bacteria easily. Be sure to thoroughly sanitize the sink and surrounding area after rinsing.
Make sure the brine covers the chicken.
Tips and tricks
🟢 I like to brine my chicken in a freezer bag so it takes up the least amount of space in the refrigerator.
🟢 To keep the bag from leaking or rolling, place it in a tupperware container.
🟢 Make sure you pop a label on the bag so you remember when the meat went into the solution.
I like to put the bag in a container so it doesn’t tip.
How do you cook brined chicken?
You’ll want to cook the chicken in the same manner you would normally cook your chicken. Here are a few of our favorite recipes to try it on!
- Best smoked chicken drumsticks recipe
- Italian dressing chicken recipe
- Chicken baked in honey mustard
- Teriyaki chicken thighs
- Easy baked chicken
- Crispy pan seared chicken thighs
- Teriyaki and pineapple chicken kabobs
Add a label so you know when it’s ready!
More awesome chicken recipes
- Coconut chicken strips
- Italian chicken sandwiches
- Baked buffalo chicken dip
- Easy chicken nachos
- See all our chicken dinner recipes!
Pat the chicken dry, then season as you normally would.
Tools we love
- Gallon freezer bags – I like to brine our meat in gallon freezer bags so they take up the least amount of space in the fridge.
- Large glass measuring cup – This measuring cup is great because it can be safely heated in the microwave.
- Measuring spoons – These measuring spoons are great because their shape allows them to fit in most spice jars.
We smoked these and finished them on the grill 🔥🔥🔥
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How to Brine Chicken
Chicken Brine
Ingredients
- 4 cups warm water
- ¼ cup kosher salt Morton's
- 2 tablespoons gently packed brown sugar
- 8 chicken thighs 8 legs, 6 chicken breasts, or 1 medium/small whole chicken
- Optional: additional spices or flavors
Instructions
- If water is cold, heat it for about 90 - 120 seconds in the microwave (you want it very warm, but not hot). You can also do this on the stove top if you prefer.
- Stir salt and brown sugar into water. Stir until salt and sugar are completely dissolved and liquid is translucent.
- Add chicken to a watertight bowl or bag. Pour brining liquid over chicken and seal bag or cover bowl tightly. Make sure brine covers chicken completely; prepare additional brine if necessary.
- Allow chicken to brine in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Pat chicken dry with a clean towel or cloth before cooking.
Video
Nutrition
Try serving your chicken with our classic potato salad recipe!
Basic Chicken Brine
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Lisalia says
I brined a chicken once and it tasted pickled! UGH. It scared me off from doing it again. But this recipe intrigued me. Thanks for all the tips and tricks. Especially the one where it says that salt crystals are not the same size. That could have been my problem! haha. I’m willing to try this again since I love everything I make from your website. Thanks!
Krissy Allori says
This looks so good! I love chicken thighs and this looks like the perfect way to improve that great moisture and add to the flavor. I’m going to make this and grill some up next week.
Ashley F says
I love how simple this is but how flavorful it makes the chicken! Just perfect!
Ginny says
Chicken thighs seem to be quite popular and I don’t know why. To me they are quite fatty. Maybe I haven’t cooked them correctly. Any suggestions?😯
April Woods says
i think it’s a matter of taste. thighs and drumsticks are definitely fattier and richer than breast meat. you can absolutely use this brine on chicken breast if that’s your preference! we have lots of yummy ways too cook all kinds of chicken in our archives 🙂 https://www.mamalovesfood.com/category/chicken/
Carolyn says
doesn’t say how much of each ingredient to place in water.
April Woods says
Hi Carolyn – Exact measurements are provided in the printable recipe card just a little bit about this comment section. If you can’t see it, then you’re likely running an adblocker. Toggle it off and the recipe will be there. Hope that helps 🙂
Bob says
I would like to see the amounts for optional ingredients. For example I want to add tangerines, but I don’t know how much to use. Same with other suggested ingredients.
Thank you.
Rob says
1st time using the brine. I Added an Orange & Raw Honey (from my bee hives) . Grilled the on Medium high +/- 375 for 3 Min on both side to seal the Juices in, Then I lowered the heat to 350 until the thickest breasts reached 160. Soooooo much better than the oil, water & vinegar packages & No Flair Up’s. This technique took my “Grilling Cred” up a notch. I can’t wait to try them on my charcoal grill. Or as my neighbor, a retired Center for Colts put it, “Damn Dude that’s better than sex with my wife”. and his wife is beautiful and they have 4 kids.. LOL
Thank You.
Rob.
April Woods says
Hilarious! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!!!
Belita Walker says
I now see someone else had similar problem and you recommended removing ad blocker. Am not tech savvy however and have no idea where to find this blocker.
April Woods says
I’m sorry, without being able to see your device I’m not sure how I can help further.
Christine says
You should probably cool down your water/brine mixture with some ice before putting your chicken in it so it doesn’t start cooking it. Then put it in the refrigerator.
April Woods says
The water should be warm, not hot. It won’t cook the chicken. Ice cubes would dilute the brine though 🙂
Jess says
I always keep a 2 quart mason jar full of brine in the fridge so we’re ready to go especially for tenderloin that only needs an hour or two. I never thought to use brown sugar though love it thanks.
April Woods says
So genius! I love the idea of keeping brine on hand!
Monica says
What if you don’t have brown sugar. What else can I substitute with.
April Woods says
White sugar should be okay.
James says
what if you’re having someone for dinner that is diabetic? Is it still OK to brine with sugar for them?
Stan Hale says
How do you expect anyone to use this when you don’t list the amounts of each ingredient?! IDIOTS!
April Woods says
(NARRATOR) Stan had to scroll past the detailed instructions in the printable recipe card to leave this comment.
Avont says
haha
JJ says
Wow Stan! Anger issues much? How about you scroll down to the actual recipe like everyone else was perfectly capable of doing 🙄. Very rude of you….just sayin’
Jeremy Alexander says
There’s no reason to use Kosher salt. Salt is salt and it’s exactly the same taste as table salt. The difference is that table salt has iodine in it which is vital to health and is pretty rare in nature. The whole Kosher sea salt is marketing nonsense.
April Woods says
Hey Friend – A quick google search will explain how not all salts are the same and it’s important to pay attention to what kind of salt is called for in a specific recipe. Hope that helps!
J. C. says
Salts are different and it does matter in some recipes. You shouldn’t use processed table salt for ferminting for example. Iodine isn’t hard to get in a diet either, unless you are buying a lot of processed and prepackaged foods. And your body can’t absorb most of the artificially added iodine anyway. I agree that some health food labels are just a marketing thing, but as someone who cooks almost exclusively from scratch, fermints, bakes, and cans her own food, I can tell you salt isn’t one of them. It does matter.
Norm Gherardini says
great email: question; how to prevent that bloody cooked blood next to the leg bone, from chicken that has been frozen. no blood when it’s cooked fresh