Chicken Brine and Roast Chicken
Brine a whole chicken with salt, lemon, herbs, honey and garlic, then roast it with butter until cooked through.
By Cookin' Kitchen
- Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Servings: 5 servings
Recipe
Chicken Brine and Roast Chicken
Brine a whole chicken with salt, lemon, herbs, honey and garlic, then roast it with butter until cooked through.
Cookin' · https://cookin.club/recipes/chicken-brine-and-roast-chicken
- Prep
- 15 minutes
- Cook
- 1 hour
- Total
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Servings
- 5
Ingredients
For 5 servings
Brine
Roast chicken
Equipment
- Large pot
- Refrigerator
- String
- Rack
- Heavy-based roasting tray
- Oven
- Aluminum foil
Instructions
Brining
Step 1: Pour about one-third of the water into a large pot, large enough to hold the brine and submerged chicken. Add the remaining brine ingredients. Bring to a boil, boil for 1 minute, and stir to dissolve the salt.
Step 2: Remove the pot from the heat and pour in the remaining water. Cool the brine completely before using; do not add the chicken while the brine is warm.
Step 3: Turn the chicken upside down, with the legs and breast facing down. Submerge it in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for 12–24 hours. If the underside is not fully submerged, make sure the breast side is under the brine.
Roasting
Step 4: Remove the chicken from the brine and pat it dry to remove excess moisture.
Step 5: Tie the legs with string if desired and tuck the wings underneath. Drizzle or brush most of the butter over the chicken, including underneath.
Step 6: Sprinkle with pepper and the tiniest pinch of salt. Place the chicken on a rack in a heavy-based roasting tray and set aside for 20 minutes.
Step 7: Preheat a fan-forced oven to 220°C/430°F.
Step 8: Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F. Roast the chicken for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the internal temperature at the joint between the leg and thigh is 75°C/165°F, or the juices run clear.
Step 9: Check the chicken at 45 minutes. If it is not browning evenly, rotate the tray and brush the top with the remaining melted butter.
Step 10: Remove the chicken from the roasting tray, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 10–15 minutes.
Step 11: Serve with a tiny drizzle of the pan juices, which are salty. Alternatively, make gravy while the chicken rests.
Notes
Ingredient notes
Use kosher or cooking salt, not table salt. If using table salt, reduce the amount by 2 tablespoons.
For the honey, use the same amount of maple syrup or use 1/4 cup brown sugar.
The fresh herbs are optional: use more of one listed herb, substitute other fresh herbs, or use 1 tablespoon dried herbs.
Substitute lime or orange for the lemons, or leave them out. Ground pepper can replace the peppercorns.
Brine for 12–24 hours; 18–24 hours is ideal. Do not brine for more than 24 hours, as the chicken can become too salty.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 432 kcal
- Fat
- 17 g
- Saturated fat
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Protein
- 63 g
- Sodium
- 189 mg
- Cholesterol
- 188 mg
Estimated values; they will vary with the exact ingredients and brands you use.
About this recipe
Brine a whole chicken in a salt-and-water mixture flavored with lemon, herbs, honey, garlic and peppercorns. The brine seasons the chicken throughout; the herbs and other flavorings can be adjusted or left out.
After brining, pat the chicken dry, brush it with melted butter and roast it on a rack. Allow time to chill the brine completely before adding the chicken.
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