The Magic of Brining

My dear friend Missy recently passed on a recipe of Tender Apricot Chicken. I was a little hesitant to put apricot on my chicken, but I figure one of these days I'll be brave and give it a try. Until then, I do need to share with the world my favorite cooking method. I hope it brings smiles to your face once some of this delicious food is introduced to your taste buds.

Several months ago my Husband Levi talked on and on about the delicious benefits of brining chicken before it's cooked. Our conversations often went something like this. When asked, "What's for dinner tonight", and my response had anything to do with boneless chicken breasts, his smile would become fixed, his eyes would become a little heavy and he would slowly make his way out of the kitchen and pray for it be edible. After a few meals like this, he started to talk about brining and how it would be fun to try. Brining? I didn't know what that was. Best to stick with a tried and true (although not a lip smacking and satisfying) method.

As many people know, boneless chicken breasts are very easy to dry out. Even the cook with very little experience can dry out a full pan in only minutes. It doesn't take a genius to transform a perfectly juicy, plump chicken breast into a dry, hard, flavorless, tough piece of meat. Few people can claim to creators of juicy and deliciously flavored chicken perfection. I my friends, are one of them. It's a magic skill called ~ohhh~ Brining.

Raised in a house where salt was used very little, the concept of brining was very foreign. I first became aware of this cooking method by Levi's good friend, best man at our wedding, and current boss Jason. He invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner two years ago and served a brined turkey. I had no idea what that meant, but seeing that Jason is a professional chef, I knew it must be good. After one bite of the brined turkey, I became instantly aware that there is a whole wonderful world of brining out there for me to discover.

With this new found knowledge and practiced skill, I worked my brining magic on some chicken breasts served at our 4th of July BBQ held this year. It was a hit. And now I pass my magic card to all of you in hopes that you now become part of the minority, and no longer produce dry, tasteless chicken for your friends and family to consume.

Happy cooking!

Brine solution: 4 cups water to 6 tablespoons Kosher salt.
Add herbs of choice. I used around 1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning and 1 bay leaf.

Preparing Chicken: Place chicken in large ziplock bag and tenderize it using flat side of mallet to 1/2" thick. Place chicken in brine solution and rest for at least 2 hours. Once complete, remove chicken and rinse with fresh water.
*Optional- Season with a very small amount of additional seasoning (I like McCormick's Montreal Chicken seasoning).

Cooking: Grill on medium heat about 3-4 minutes each side or until inside isn't pink.

**Warning**
It's hard to go back to the old style once you try brining.