Flavorful, moist and delicious! Those are the results you'll get with brining—give it a try.
More About This Recipe
- Ever tried brining turkey, pork chops or chicken? It’s a fantastic way to infuse flavor and ensure the meat stays juicy. This brining chicken recipe calls for brining the chicken in water, beer, sugar and salt, then seasoning with a flavorful rub before baking for an unbeatable taste. When making this recipe, you will need to plan ahead, as it calls for 8 to 24 hours of refrigeration time, but it’s well worth the wait. This recipe serves six, so it’s awesome for a family or hosting a small gathering, but is also a great option for meal prepping if you’re cooking for one or two people. Need more chicken recipes? We’ve got thousands more to choose from.
Beer-Brined Chicken
- Prep Time 15 min
- Total 11 hr 40 min
- Servings 6
- Ingredients 11
Ingredients
Brine and Chicken
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup kosher (coarse) salt
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cans or bottles (12 oz each) beer or nonalcoholic beer, chilled
- 1 whole chicken (3 to 3 1/2 lb)
Rub
- 3 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
-
Step1Line 2-quart bowl or saucepan with 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add water, kosher salt and brown sugar; stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Stir in beer. Add chicken. Tightly seal bag; refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
-
Step2Line 13x9-inch pan with foil. Remove chicken from brine; rinse thoroughly under cool running water and pat dry with paper towels. Discard brine. Place chicken, breast side up, in pan. Refrigerate uncovered 1 hour to dry chicken skin. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix all rub ingredients except oil; set aside.
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Step3Heat oven to 375°F. Brush oil over chicken. Sprinkle with seasoning mixture; rub into chicken skin. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest piece is cut to bone (170°F for breasts; 180°F for thighs and drumsticks). Let stand 15 minutes for easiest carving.
Nutrition
280
Calories
18g
Total Fat
27g
Protein
0g
Total Carbohydrate
0g
Sugars
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories
- 280
- Calories from Fat
- 160
- Total Fat
- 18g
- 28%
- Saturated Fat
- 4 1/2g
- 22%
- Trans Fat
- 0g
- Cholesterol
- 85mg
- 29%
- Sodium
- 720mg
- 30%
- Potassium
- 250mg
- 7%
- Total Carbohydrate
- 0g
- 0%
- Dietary Fiber
- 0g
- 0%
- Sugars
- 0g
- Protein
- 27g
% Daily Value*:
- Vitamin A
- 15%
- 15%
- Vitamin C
- 0%
- 0%
- Calcium
- 0%
- 0%
- Iron
- 8%
- 8%
Exchanges:
0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 4 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 Fat;Carbohydrate Choice
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