Brining Chicken

Zac and I have lately been on a brining chicken kick. If you haven't tried brining, I highly recommend it. The chicken was so moist and flavorful! It also helps the chicken cook quickly and completely when grilling. This time I brined it using a Shock Top seasonal beer called Honeycrisp Apple Wheat. It added some amazing flavor to the chicken! When I brine, or really do any type of cooking, I usually don't measure a whole lot. That may seem crazy considering my mom is the exact-o cooker and recipes/measuring cups are her best friends ;)... but that's just shows how different we really are. Anyway, so first I pour some water into a pot (about 8 cups I think) and turn the stove eye on high. Then, I add about 1/4 cup of salt (I actually think I added more than that... but most people probably wouldn't want it as seasoned as my husband likes his food.) Everywhere you read says to use about 3/4 cup of salt for a gallon of water. I boil all of it until the salt is dissolved and set it aside to cool. While the mixture cools, I cut the fat off of about 5 lbs of chicken and place in a big bowl or pot. Most recipes say let the brining mixture cool completely so it won't cook the chicken; however, I don't usually do that because of time and wanting to be done prepping the chicken. So, once the brine cools some I pour it over the chicken. Then, I pour a bottle of beer on it and add some other seasonings and a splash of Worcestershire. Make sure the brine completely covers the chicken breasts and place it in the fridge for about 2-3 hours. Then, grill the chicken and enjoy! It was seriously some of the best chicken we've ever had. It pairs nicely with vegetable shish kabobs, too. Tomorrow I plan on brining some chicken with my parents and having a nice early Father's Day grill out. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend celebrating with your families. Happy Father's Day!!

Much love,

Em