The Best Chicken Brinerade
I'm working on a post about cooking juicy, flavorful chicken breasts, and before I publish that, I wanted to post my very favorite brinerade for chicken, with a printable.
I got this recipe from Cook's Country and my goodness, it's SO useful.
What's a brinerade?
It's a cross between a marinade and a brine. So, it's got way less water than a brine does, and it's basically a really salty marinade but with no acid.
(ATK/CC/CI feel that acidic marinades make chicken mushy, not tender.)
What does a brinerade do?
It does an amazing job of making chicken tender, juicy, and flavorful, in very short order.
A quick 90 minute (or overnight if you like) soak in a few pantry ingredients will transform your chicken. Seriously.
What's in this brinerade?
A few ingredients that you probably have on hand already!
- oil
- water
- sugar
- salt
- pepper
- garlic
I know it seems like this should not make a big difference in your chicken, but trust me, it does.
Should you brinerate in a dish or a bag?
I always brinerate my chicken in a glass lidded Pyrex dish, which works great for me and avoids a single-use plastic bag.
But a plastic bag also will work fine.
What should you use brineraded* chicken for?
*is this a word? I don't know!
I use this recipe whenever I need basic chicken for a dish.
For instance, it's great in chicken salads, chicken pasta, on green salads, and in sandwiches. And it's also tasty enough to be eaten just on its own, or with a sauce.
Give this a try if you struggle with chicken breasts! And stay tuned next week for a post with more tips about cooking chicken breasts.
(Scroll down for the recipe.)
The Best Quick Chicken Brinerade
This juicy, flavorful chicken is perfect for sandwiches, salads, pasta, and any other dish that calls for cooked chicken breasts. This chicken is great grilled or cooked on the stovetop.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 (6-8 ounce) chicken breasts
Instructions
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 98Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 0mgSodium 794mgCarbohydrates 2gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 0g
I'm having chicken tonight so I am going to try this. You said we could leave it in overnight so I'm going leave it until I get home from work then cook(about 8 hours). I often have dry chicken breasts. I don't usually take time to brine/marinate. I have found if I don't over cook them, they are usually juicy on their own. That is tough to do if you are like me and multitask while cooking, lol.
I'm happy to know I'm not the only one multi-tasking while cooking. I confess that sometimes the multi-tasking involves a book open on the counter!
I'm happy to report that I tried this method for the chicken and it was delicious in spite of my multi- tasking. I helped with 2nd grade spelling words and packed lunches for tomorrow ...and so...I did overcook slightly. The chicken was still moist and not rubbery or dry.
We do something almost exactly like this except we roast the breasts in the crock pot instead of grilling. We discovered it one chicken-roasting session because the cap accidentally fell off my Italian seasoning, spilling way too much on the chicken. I thought it was ruined, but it was the best, juiciest chicken ever!
hah! that's fantastic, I love a good accidental success, I sadly once ruined a leg of lamb with garlic & rosemary - I enthusiastically put garlic & rosemary in little slits all over the meat just like the tv chefs say to do - I just missed the memo on how a little bit of rosemary goes long way; my lamb cooked beautifully but was covered in an intensely antiseptic smelling thick soapy layer of rosemary oils - I wiped off the soap & ate it anyway & cleared my nasal passages at the same time
Ooh! YAY! Thanks for this post and I can't wait for your post on how to cook chicken breasts.
Specifically because you asked, girl! 🙂
And I need it! Thank you 🙂
Brinerade? Well, I guess the word works. I just had the mental image of Brine-Lemonade when I first read it, which was not a good image.
I'm coming to the conclusion that brining/marinating is the secret for most meat cuts. I learned from Alton Brown about brining a turkey, and my son-in-law who hates turkey now likes it. I learned from that to start brining chicken. Then I saw how to marinate a pork roast in what amounts to a "brinerade," and suddenly the pork was better. We should all be brineraders (another new word?)
I like that this recipe is so easy and has such ordinary ingredients. I'm definitely trying this one. Thanks for the tip!
Hi Kristen! Do you know if this will work as well without the garlic?
The garlic is just for flavoring, not so much for the texture. So yep, I think you could leave it out.
Thanks! Will give it a try...
Also: rest your chicken, people!
A good 15-30 minute rest after cooking, even for plain grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts, can be the difference between dry and moist/tender.
I understand that salt is a critical ingredient in brine, but can it be done with less? I rarely use salt in anything, but I use many other spices.
Yep, you can use less. The brinerade will be a little less effective, but it will still be better than no brine at all.
That was my question, too. I try to minimize our salt consumption. Thanks, Kristen!
Hmmm, can I use olive oil? I rarely use vegetable oil.
Olive oil most definitely counts as vegetable oil!
I am going to try it minus the salt . We r on as low a salt as possible diet, kidney disease. I have found not everything but alot r fine by adding more seasonings
Thanks Kristen I will definitely use this - I usually use chicken thighs & avoid the chicken breasts as I make them too dry & this sounds very versatile - love the sandwich idea
I tried this last night. I put it together in the morning and they were tender and delicious for dinner. Thanks!
I have never cut chicken breasts like that before and it works really well. I tried your brinerade and the end result was FABULOUS. I added oregano, lemon juice and some sweet smoked paprika to really make it zing. Amazing. Thanks so much.
Yay! I am so very happy to hear that.
I tried this several times and it works wonders on my chicken breasts. I’ve been adding a few different seasons, today trying red crushed pepper flakes. So we will see! Thank you for this!!
Isn't it amazing? So simple, but it really changes the chicken so much.
I've been using your brinerade since you first published it. I'm a vegetarian, but I cook meat for my husband. I buy frozen chicken at Costco. Over time, I've learned to omit the water. As the chicken thaws in the brinerade, in a covered Pyrex dish in the fridge, the chicken sheds plenty of water. I just shake it once or twice, and when the chicken is fully thawed, it's ready to grill.