Sobremesa Stories

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How To Keep Chicken Moist In Any Recipe

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Like I explained in my very first post on this blog, I’m a big believer that inviting people into our homes and around our tables is one of the best ways we can love them. I love serving our friends and family food that I’ve made with my own hands, and there’s something so sweet about knowing their stomachs and hearts can be nourished by time around our table.

How To Keep Chicken Moist In Any Recipe

But friends…I haven’t always been a confident cook (and I’m still growing in that confidence).  It’s been a gradual process that began when my friends and I first moved into our college house (named the Bungalow).  I started out by cooking more basic things like chicken breasts and chopped vegetables, sautéing them in a bit of olive oil and covering them in some pre-made barbecue or teriyaki sauce for flavor.  Soon I started to try other meats besides chicken, eventually including other cooking techniques and trying more complex recipes.  I still try to incorporate some sort of new cooking technique every other week or so to keep learning, and I love trying new recipes!

The Science Of Cooking

How to Keep Chicken Moist In Any Recipe

The more I began to try my hand at cooking, the more I realized that much of becoming a good cook is understanding the WHY behind what you’re doing. My mom is the master of this after reading hundreds of Cook’s Illustrated magazines and cooking for hundreds of people over the years.  I learned so much from watching her in the kitchen!  Although my strongest memories of cooking with my mama usually involve something sweet like delicious zucchini muffins or chocolate mint cookies,  I always admired her ability to create something beautiful, healthy, and delicious for dinner.

If I had to choose the one most important cooking technique my mama taught me, I know without a doubt which one I’d choose: brining your chicken or pork before you cook it.

 I’m telling you…this technique is MAGICAL, and so, so easy!  All you do is soak the chicken in a solution of salt, brown sugar, and water for a while before following whatever recipe you’re doing that night.  I’ll save you the long-winded explanation, but  the time spent soaking in the water helps the meat to retain moisture as it cooks.  The salt helps break down proteins so they hold more moisture while the meat is cooking and the brown sugar acts as a flavor enhancer.  If you think I’m talking crazy, check out this article from Fine Cooking.  It’s science, people!

 

Brining chicken (or pork or turkey) before you cook it in just about any way makes it moist and delicious.  And considering there are few food situations worse than trying to choke down a dry-as-heck piece of chicken, I’d say this is pretty important.  If you’ve ever wondered how to keep chicken moist…you have GOT to try this!

How to Brine Meat (Chicken breasts, Turkey, or Pork)

  1. Mix 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 4 cups water in a large bowl until mostly dissolved.
  2. Pour into a Ziploc baggie and place back in the bowl.  Place the meat into the bag, close it, and swirl it around until the meat is covered.
  3. Let sit anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours (I usually put it in the fridge if it’s more than 30 minutes).  Remove it when you’re ready to cook and then follow the instructions of whatever recipe you’re cooking.

Seriously, y’all…it’s that easy.  When you are trying to cook a quick meal on a weeknight,  this small step can save you from choking down dry chicken if you stop paying attention and overcook something (which if you’re like me, is pretty common).  I do this almost every time I cook pork or chicken, and it has made even the simplest recipes ten times better.

A Few Quick Tips

  • A lot of meats nowadays come already injected with salt solutions or broths.  Double check to make sure the meat you’re buying is 100% natural before you brine it or your meal will be extra salty.
  • Don’t brine red meat! You can marinate red meat in yummy marinades with salt in them, but brining is more for poultry, pork, and some seafood.  Cuts of meat that are already very moist like chicken thighs probably don’t need brining as well.
  • Some meats vary in how long they should brine, so maybe do a quick Google search if you’re trying something crazy (for example, pork can last a lot longer without drying out than some seafood.)

Have you ever brined meat before you cooked it? How did it turn out? Any other easy cooking techniques you can recommend to make good recipes even better?

How To Keep Chicken Moist In Any Recipe Sobremesa Stories

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Comments

    • You absolutely could! The brown sugar is really just for flavor…in fact I’m not even sure what it does as much as my mama always used it. 🙂 The salt is what actually breaks down the protein and helps it to hold more moisture. If you try it you’ll have to let me know how it goes!

  5. I brine fresh turkeys with the salt mix,herbs an orange – anything that sounds good. It is the salt and water that do the tenderizing as you said. A turkey requires a whole day. I do it in the cooler outside or if you have an extra refrigerator in the garage use it to brine. You can buy brining bags that are huge to hold a whole turkey. I never thought of pork but what a great way to do do a pork tenderloin which is usually as dry as dust. Thanks

    • Iris, that’s a great tip! My mom said she also does a dry rub with salt for bigger things like whole turkey. Pork chops are maybe my favorite thing to do this on because it really helps keep them moist. Thanks for stopping by and sharing some tips!

    • Oh that’s a good idea! I’ve never tried it before doing a crockpot recipe. You’ll have to give it a try and let me know! 🙂

  8. I love that you are spreading the love for brining as it truly is magical and I’m always surprised at how many people have never heard of it! I don’t use the brown sugar when I brine but I think I’ll give it a go next time to see if I can taste any difference!
    Meg @ Pinch of Nutmeg recently posted…Fiesta in Your Mouth Mexican RiceMy Profile

  13. Visiting via Imparting Grace!

    This is great info and I’m glad I popped over for a read. I consider myself a pretty good cook but I have honestly never brined my chicken before. It sounds like something I should try.

    I’m wondering if I can omit the sugar (I have a sugar intolerance) and if I can have similar results. I’ll have to try!

    • I think you could omit the sugar…my mom says it’s just a flavor enhancer anyway, and she’s much more of an expert than I am! 😉 Thanks for stopping by!

  15. What a great idea! I have never tried brining, but I’m going to try it asap! Thanks for linking up with us at the Best of the Blogosphere!

  16. Lauren – Excellent Tips! I can’t say I’ve tried this method but after hearing you rave about it, we may have tottery it with dinner tonight! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing at Dream. Create. Inspire. Link! I hope to see you there again this afternoon!

    Cat
    Cat @ Pocketful of Posies recently posted…Vintage Doily Table RunnerMy Profile