Re: Brining Chicken Breasts, Thighs, Legs, Pork Chops Etc.
Originally Posted by
bakerman
->
I also use a brine but for much longer with less salt and more water. I usually brine overnight.
I pull the chicken out of the fridge about 2 hrs ahead of time, pat to dry and then season with salt, black pepper, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Let set to come up to room temp so the deep fat oil temp does not drop too much. Then I coat with flour and a few TBLSP of corn starch to add extra crispness. Then deep fry as normal. Delicious.
Must agree with you Bakerman. On some of the recipes for Brining, they do suggest the longer the better, but 30 minutes does exactly the same job so I have just gone with that. The chicken breasts really did turn out lovely and tender and moist, (something which I don't always manage to get with both all of the time). The recipe I saw said that this way of brining is the creme de la creme for sliced chicken in a salad, so it must come out perfect as there is no hiding the chicken when it is served with a salad.
As it also said, herbs, garllic peppercorns etc are solely to season the brine, but they are not necessary, just the salt and cold water is required. So I followed that.
It really does make a difference though, doesn't it? Wish you had passed this tip on to me BM, I would have used this method from day one if I had known.