On a whim, I decided to brine a whole chicken overnight with ingredients I had on hand--no real recipe.
I thought I'd share the recipe with you--and even if you're a novice in the kitchen, this recipe should be straight forward and easy to follow.
What You'll Need
- 1 whole chicken
- Sea Salt/Kosher Salt
- Red wine
- Rosemary
- Minced Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Pepper
- Bay Leaf
- Stock pot
- Roasting pan
- Meat thermometer.
First Things First: Get to Know Your Chicken
Roasting a chicken is really one of life's little pleasures. There is something nourishing and comforting about cooking a chicken. It makes a house smell like home. Even if your cooking repertoire is limited, add this one to your collection.
Before cooking or brining your chicken, you will need to reach into the chicken and grab the innards: a little bag with the heart, liver, and the gizzard inside. You can set them aside to make gravy stock (which is what I do.), or you can toss them.
(I only say this because if you've never cooked a chicken, you may not know this, and what a nasty surprise that would make!)
Once you have gotten rid of the innards, let the chicken rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels.
Brining Your Bird
A brine is simply a saltwater bath. Letting your meat or poultry soak overnight gives it a nice tenderness and allows the flavors to infuse into it.
- Once your chicken is done resting, take out your stockpot, place the bird in the pot and submerge in water.
- Add the sea salt. (I don't do exact measurements, but a good, healthy pour will do.)
- Add wine and olive oil.
- Add your dry/other ingredients.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
(Or if you live in Minnesota like I do, stick the stockpot out in the garage.)
Experiment with measurements and ingredients. The key to a good brine is the salt. Stick with a good kosher/sea salt, and do not use table salt (i.e., iodized salt).
Roasting Your Chicken
Believe it or not, the hard part is over!!
When you're ready to cook your chicken, you'll need to follow some of what you did before. You'll need to remove the chicken from the stockpot and set aside (on a plate is fine...or your roasting pan).
And, again, let the bird rest at room temperature. And, again, wipe down excess liquid and pat the chicken dry.
(And guess what I discovered with this recipe? My chicken turned blue from the wine.)
Use this time to prepare your roasting pan. If you're going to add potatoes, now is the time to chop and season them.
(BTW, it's okay if you don't have a roasting pan. You can use a disposal aluminum one or a glass baking dish. I always use disposable ones at Thanksgiving--easier clean-up.)
When you're ready to go, place your chicken in the roasting pan--breast side up. (If you can't tell which side that is, it's still all good. More often than not, I have the same issue.)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place your chicken in the oven and cook, uncovered.
Knowing Your Time and Temp
A little word about time and temperature. The best thing you can do for yourself (and any guests who should be partaking of your chicken greatness) is to invest in a meat thermometer. Depending on the size of your chicken, your chicken should take about an hour to 90 minutes to cook. Your serving temperature should be 160 degrees.
Place your meat thermometer just underneath the breast of the chicken to test. Once your temperature is around 152-155, remove the chicken and allow it to rest for another 20 minutes. It will continue to cook.
Nothing says yummy like the browned skin of a chicken. If it's browning too quickly, cover it up. If it's not, place it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
Enjoy!!!!
(Sides include wilted spinach with bacon, homemade gravy, roasted potatoes, and Stovetop stuffing. I cheated.)
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| (image courtesy of Framed In The Doorway) |
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| (image courtesy of Framed In The Doorway) |
FITD love!
xoxo
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