# Brining Chicken Breast?



## Mylegsbig (Apr 18, 2005)

I wanto also put Lemon juice and teriyaki sauce in the brine.  Can i do this? 


Thanks.

what exactly SHOULDNT you put in a brine solution?

Also, i want to brown the meat, then finish baking it in the oven.  Can i do this with brined chicken?


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## Mylegsbig (Apr 18, 2005)

Also, the recipes call for Diamond Kosher Salt, the salt i have is Alessi Sea Salt, pretty thick grains.  How much of this should i use for brining one pound of chicken breast?


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## lutzzz (Apr 18, 2005)

Probably more than you ever wanted to know about brining here  

http://www.cookshack.com/barbeque_guide/101/Brining101.htm


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## GB (Apr 18, 2005)

Yes you can use these although I would be careful with the lemon juice. Maybe only add that in the last half hour to an hour of brining (I recommend brining chicken breasts for 2 hours. The acid in the lemon juice could possibly have a negative affect if you leave it in there too long. short of acids, most things would be fair game for brining. The only requirements are salt and water.

As for your sea salt, that is probably not the best salt to use. You want to use something that will dissolve easily. If that is the only salt you have then crush it so that it is not so big. Put it in a zip lock bag and beat it with a fry pan or rolling pin or something. You want the brine to taste pleasantly salty. I know that isn't a great answer, but I never measure the salt in my brine. I think of it this way...If I was making salt soup this is how I would like it to taste.


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## jennyema (Apr 18, 2005)

Yes, you can flavor the brine. 

Brine is a solution of salt, sugar and water, with flavoring agents added as you see fit.

I always add flavoring agents like garlic, pepper, bay leaves, molasses etc. I also always add soy sauce (the umami thing).

You can also use fruit juice or broth instead of water. 

But when you add soy sauce (or teriyaki sauce) or commercial broth, you should use less salt than the basic recipe. If you use fruit juice, molasses, etc. you should use less sugar than the basic recipe.

I'd be careful about the amount of acidic ingredients in the brine (like lemon juice). I often use my habanero vinegar in my brine but not a lot of it.

Now about the salt.

Do you have regular table salt on hand? If so use that, as sea salt is sorta $$ to use in brine. 

Because of the size of the crystals, you use less regular table salt than Diamond Crystal. 

If you use the sea salt and the crystals are larger than table salt, I'd not change the amount except to decrease it becasue of the teriyaki sauce.

Brine should taste salty like seawater

You can brown brined chicken and then oven cook it just fine.


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## Mylegsbig (Apr 18, 2005)

Okay for one pound of chicken breast, with table salt, the very fine grain stuff, how much water, sugar, and salt do i use?

Thanks alot.   Do i have to bring it to a boil first?


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## jennyema (Apr 18, 2005)

Look at the link up above for some other "recipes" but my basic proportions are 1 gallon water/ 1/2 cup table salt/ 1/2 cup or slightly less brown sugar.  I usually eyeball it and dont measure, but make it so that it tastes salty like seawater.

When i use kosher salt I use more.

If you are flavoring your brine with things like herbs, garlic, bay, etc. you should bring it to a simmer for a bit in order to infuse the brine. But if you are adding only teriyaki and lemon you don't need to do this.

Heating the brine to a boil WILL help dissolve the sugar, though. BUT the brine needs to be COLD when you use it, so factor that in.


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## Mylegsbig (Apr 18, 2005)

I used 1 quart of water, 1/4 cup of salt and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar for 1lb of chicken breast.  Sound ok?


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## PolishedTopaz (Apr 18, 2005)

No kidding Jen on the soy? Hmmmm cut back on the salt? Or just use scant? I bet the molasses adds awesome depth like brown sugar yes? And heating too.......ok this we can do. And how much lemon and teriyaki to 2 qts. Some ginger........ooooooooooh heaven! Thanks your a doll! WINK! 

My Leg........I do 2 quarts and equal parts salt and sugar 1/4c. each.......too add to Jennys'. Start room temp or slightly cooler, add flavors, bay, garlic, peppercorns, onions, whatever floats ya. Heat SLOWLY on low heat, when simmering, remove from heat, allow to come to room temp, add chicken [or pork], toss into fridge, keep 2+ hours, cook.


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## Mylegsbig (Apr 18, 2005)

Well i used 1/4 cup of salt for only one quart of liquid, it's already in the fridge.  Some other Chef here in the thread "Your Tips for Pork Knowledge" Said 1/4 cup for one quart of liquid...... i hope my food isnt ruined.


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## jennyema (Apr 18, 2005)

I've seen a few recipes that call for 1 cup of salt to a gallon of water (which translates into 1/4 cup to a quart) but that has always seemed a bit too salty ffor me.  

Let us know how it turns out.

You did use sugar, too, right?  That's important.  It brings out the savory flavor, as opposed to merely salty.

PT -- I usually use maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Kikkoman low sodium soy sauce to a gallon of water.  I do that first and then add the salt so I can taste it and make sure it's not too salty.


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## Mylegsbig (Apr 18, 2005)

heres what i did.

i brought one quart of water, 1/4 cup salt, 1/2 cup gran. sugar, 1 1/2 bay leaf, couple dashes of thyme, 3 cloves garlic, handful whole black peppercorns, dehydrated onions, some soy sauce, to a boil, stirring it whole time.  then i poured it into a dish and put it in the freezer until it was cold, pretty cold to the touch. then i put 3 chicken breasts (about one pound total) into the liquid in a dish, and weighed it down so it was submerged for about 1 1/2 hours.  I'm serving it with stir fry veggies and white basmati rice.  Havent had dinner yet but it's almost done.


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## Mylegsbig (Apr 18, 2005)

came out way too salty, but very tender

-bigleg


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## GB (Apr 19, 2005)

A lot of brining is trial and error (at least in the beginning). Now that you know your chicken came out too salty you will be able to adjust the amount of salt next time. I think it took me three tries to get it exactly where I wanted when I first started. I am glad it came out so tender for you


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