Lemon Curry Brined Chicken
It’s Spring and that means it’s time to warm up that grill! Grilled chicken is a staple in our family from March through October, but it wasn’t always my fave ((sorry chicken lovers)). It seemed like no matter what I did to the outside of that bird, the inside was dry, tough and flavorless.
All that changed thanks to an episode of America’s Test Kitchen on PBS – all about brining the bird. As with every ATK episode, there was some science, some technique and a lot of precision – oh and an obviously PERFECT bite of chicken at the end of it all.
Science & precision are great to watch on TV but when it comes to getting the hungry herd fed, I really need simple and speedy. Thankfully, this lemon curry brine recipe is a breeze!
Simply place kosher salt, sugar, a handful of peppercorns, red curry paste and your favorite lemon-herb dry seasoning into a 2-gallon plastic zip-top baggie.
Pour about 1 gallon of hot water (not boiling, just hot tap water) into the baggie and zip it closed. Shake until salt & sugar have dissolved.
Then add enough ice to chill the brine. Once the brine is chilled, add your chicken, zip the bag closed and refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours depending on the type and amount of chicken.
Once the grill is ready, pat the brined chicken dry and grill as usual! I PROMISE this chicken is nothing usual – so moist, tender and crazy delicious. A little zip from the lemon and that curry paste flavors that chicken all the way to the bone! So very good.
- 4 lb chicken, I used chicken legs
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/3 c kosher salt
- 2 T lemon pepper seasoning
- 2 t peppercorns
- 3 T red curry paste
- hot tap water, approximately 1 gallon
- ice
- Place all ingredients except chicken & ice into a zip top 2-gallon plastic bag. Close the bag and gently shake the bag until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Re-open the bag and add ice until the water temperature is chilled. Add chicken to the chilled brine and refrigerate for 2-3 hours for dark meat and 6-8 hours for white meat.
- Once grill is prepared and brought to temp, remove the chicken from the brine, pat dry and grill as usual.
- Serves 8