Print
Large pot with raw chicken in a brine with bay leaves and peppercorns.

Recipe: How to Brine a Whole Chicken

  • Author: Christine Pittman
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Brine Time: 4 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Entrée
  • Method: Brine
  • Cuisine: American

DESCRIPTION

After doing a series of tests and comparisons, this is the recipe and method that I’ve found works best for brining a whole chicken.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 8 cups cold tap water
  • 9 Tbsp. Morton’s Kosher Salt*
  • 2 Tbsp. garlic powder (optional)**
  • 1 (3-5 lb.) whole chicken

Instructions

  1. In a large pot stir together water and salt until salt is dissolved. Add the garlic powder, if using.
  2. Add the chicken. Make sure it is fully submerged. If not, use a narrower pot/bowl, or make more of the brine mixture.
  3. Transfer pot with chicken and brine to the refrigerator. Allow chicken to sit in brine for 4-6 hours. See chart above to determine optimum time.
  4. Remove chicken from brine. Discard brine. Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
  5. Cook the chicken however you would normally cook it, but do not add any salt to it. Other seasonings are fine to add.

Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!

Notes

*Different kinds of salt have different sized crystals so you need different amounts depending on the type. Use 12 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, OR 9 tablespoons of Morton’s kosher salt, OR 6 tablespoons of fine or table salt.

**If you’d like to add more flavors to your brine, know that they don’t always penetrate well into the meat. I’ve had the most success with pureeing the ingredients into the brine. A recipe and instructions for this method are given in my turkey brine recipe here, and is explained a bit above under the heading Adding Flavor To Your Chicken Brine.