Herb Brined Chicken

Brine

2 liters water

115 grams salt

60 grams sugar

3 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons whole peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

4 chicken thighs (with skin and bones)

Mirepoix

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 stalk of celery, roughly chopped

Make the brine and let it cool. Heat all of the brine ingredients over a medium high heat until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

Once the brine has cooled, place the chicken and brine into a large container, so that the chicken is completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. (If you are using skinless boneless chicken, reduce the brine time. If you use turkey or a whole chicken, increase the brine time.)

While the chicken is in brine, combine the onion, carrots, and celery in a large oven proof dish or pan that has at least 1 ½” sides. After the chicken has been in brine for two hours, remove the chicken from the brine. Brush off most of the herbs and place the chick on the bed of mirepoix. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (This step is really important. When you take the chicken out of brine, the outermost meat will be the saltiest, but the innermost meat won’t have much flavor. Allowing it to rest overnight allows the salt in the chicken to reach an equilibrium throughout the piece of meat.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chicken for 30 - 40 minutes covered with foil. Increase the temperature to 400 degrees and remove the foil; bake for another 15 - 20 minutes. The inside temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees.

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.

A Little Lagniappe

You can make the best chicken stock with the leftovers from this recipe! After the chicken has cooked, pour the pan juices and mirepoix into a large pot. Add water. (You may also want to add some peppercorns and garlic or some dried herbs, but it’s not necessary. Bring up to a rolling boil for 10 minutes. Then lower the heat and let it simmer for 2 hours.