Soaking chicken (and turkey, and even pork chops) in saltwater results in a juicier meat. And I do this either with a brine or marinade.
Should you add sugar to the brine? It’s up to you. It does adds flavor and promotes better browning of the skin.
Which salt should I use? Because of the difference in the size of the crystals, you cannot equally replace kosher salt for table salt. Generally speaking table salt is about twice as concentrated as kosher salt, so for every tablespoon of table salt, use 2 tablespoons of kosher salt.
How much brine to make? Depends on the quantity of meat and choice of brining container. I prefer to use gallon zip-top bags, which is perfect for 6 chicken breasts, or 4 pork chops. 1 quart of brine is more than sufficient for this. If you’re brining a whole chicken or larger container, make 2 quarts.
Quick Brine Ingredients:
- 1 quart water
- 1/4 cup table salt (or 1/8 cup kosher salt)
- if using brown sugar (optional) use same amount as of salt
Directions:
- warm up water, add salt, stir until dissolved, cool
- add meat to gallon zip-top bag (or container of choice), place in fridge for 30 minutes (not more than 1 hour)
- roast or grill meat