# Can you brine skinless, boneless chicken breast?



## abjcooking (Mar 1, 2005)

Can you brine skinless, boneless, chicken breast?  I'm fixing chicken taco's tinight.


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## GB (Mar 1, 2005)

You sure can. I do it all the time. I keep them in the brine for two hours. I would definitely not go past three. Two seems to work perfectly for me though.


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## abjcooking (Mar 1, 2005)

Thanks GB.  

When I usually brine chicken with the skin, I only brine it for 45 minutes.  I will try keeping it in for a full 2 hours next time.  
As soon as my brine cools I will put the breast in.  I will be able to brine it for 1 1/2 hours tonight.


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## GB (Mar 1, 2005)

Let us know how it turns out


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Mar 1, 2005)

I wanted to add something here, but couldn't as GB's already given you what you need.  Be bold.  Make the best tacos you've ever made.  

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## kitchenelf (Mar 2, 2005)

I brine my boneless skinless chicken breasts in buttermilk for 2 days.  They are absolutely wonderful!!  Then I will marinate in soy sauce, pineapple juice, white wine, dry sherry for 1 day OR I will add some branches of rosemary to the buttermilk.


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## abjcooking (Mar 2, 2005)

Thanks for all the advise.  I ended up brining the chicken in a sugar, salt, water brine for about 2 hours.  Then I cubed the chicken and put it into the frying pan and simmered it with some chicken taco seasoning mix (I had to add a few more spices to this), and water.  I simmered it a little longer than I wanted trying to get the water to evaporate, but the chicken still turned out tender where otherwise it would have been tough.  So I think it worked perfectly, the taco's were excellent.  I served them with some spanish rice, onions, cilantro, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, alvacado, and sour cream.


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## lyndalou (Mar 2, 2005)

When you use a salt water brine, do you rinse them off  before you cook them?


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## GB (Mar 2, 2005)

I don't rinse. The most I might do is pat them dry depending on how I am cooking them.


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## abjcooking (Mar 2, 2005)

I also pat mine dry.  

My basic brine is 1/4 cup sugar, 2T to 1/4 cup kosher salt, and 8 cups hot water to dissolve salt and sugar.  Let cool before putting chicken in.  Pat dry chicken after 2 hours and cook as usual.


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## lyndalou (Mar 2, 2005)

Do you rinse the chicken off before you cook it after you use the salt brine?


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## mudbug (Mar 2, 2005)

lyndalou, geebs and Alix both told me not to when I brined prok chops for the first time, so I believe the same would go for chicken.


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