Home cooks need to stop brining their chicken in salt water for 24 hours

I worked the Sunday brunch shift at a spot in Portland last month and three different cooks sent back chicken that was so salty you could taste it from across the pass. They all said they brined it overnight from a recipe online. A brine is about salt and time getting balanced. 4 hours max in a 5% salt solution is all you need. Any longer and you are just making a salt lick. Who else has seen this happen in their kitchen?

3 comments

3 Comments

anna5676d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, I mean technically a 5% brine is a bit on the low side for quick brines but you're totally right that overnight is way overkill for chicken. 2-4 hours is really the sweet spot before you start getting into ham territory.

diana1556d ago

You know, @anna567, I actually read somewhere that chefs argue about brine times all the time, and some say the real secret is in the temperature rather than the clock. Cold brine, warm chicken, that kind of thing. It makes sense if you think about it, because if your brine is too warm you're asking for trouble with bacteria. But yeah, overnight is just too long unless you're making deli meat. That hammy texture is real, I ruined a whole fryer once leaving it in a salt bath for 12 hours, it was like eating a salt lick. So 2 to 4 hours is perfect, especially if you pat it dry and let the skin crisp up in the oven.

bethj446d ago

Has anyone tried putting a little bit of sugar or honey in their brine? I did that once on a whim and my chicken came out with this real nice golden crust, not too sweet or anything. My neighbor told me it helps balance the salt and keeps the meat from getting that weird spongy texture if you go a few minutes over.