Brining is a concept that is relatively foreign to me. I never grew up in a house that brined chickens or turkeys, and did not know much about the potential benefits to the meat. The theory of brining is that it leads to more tender and juicer meat. I wanted to give brining a shot, but put my own spin on it with one of my very favorite briney ingredients- pickle juice.
I used a good quality kosher pickle juice, fresh garlic slices and some peppercorns for a little bite. I also used our normal grilling method for chicken. What was the result? It was actually really really good. I thought there would be a lot of pickle flavor, but thankfully there wasn't and the salt level in the meat was great. I could taste the garlic flavors as well, but couldn't really pick out the peppercorns in the end result. Would I do this again? Absolutely! It makes me interested in trying more brining methods for our chicken and turkey.
Tonight, I am having a few girls of for a little dinner and henna- so excited! Have a great weekend!
Ingredients
4 Chicken Breasts
2 1/2 cups pickle juice
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 Tbl black peppercorns
Instructions
Approximately 8-12 hours prior to grilling, place chicken, garlic and peppercorns in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour pickle juice over chicken. Press out the air, seal and place in the fridge.
Preheat grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from the bag and grill for about 5-6 minutes per side or until juices run clear.