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Brined Roasting Chicken Recipe

Brined Roasting Chicken Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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I discovered the art of brining turkey a few years ago and transferred the technique to roasting a whole chicken. I guarantee you will have a moist bird and rich flavorful gravy from the pan drippings. -Julie Noyes Louisville,Kentucky

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Brined Roasting Chicken Recipe

Prep: 30 min. + marinating Bake: 1 hour 20 min.

Yield: 8 Servings

30 80 110

Ingredients

8 cups warm water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns, crushed
1 tablespoon whole allspice, crushed
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 roasting chicken (6 to 7 pounds)
4 cups cold water
1 teaspoon canola oil
3/4 to 1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions

For brine, combine the first seven ingredients in a large kettle. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until salt is dissolved. Remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature.
Remove giblets from chicken; discard. Place cold water in a 2-gal. resealable plastic bag; add chicken. Place in a roasting pan. Carefully pour cooled brine into bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, turning several times.
Discard brine. Rinse chicken with water; pat dry. Skewer chicken openings; tie drumsticks together. Brush with oil. Place chicken in a roasting pan.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 80-90 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 180°, basting occasionally with pan drippings (cover loosely with foil if chicken browns too quickly).
Remove chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Pour drippings and loosened browned bits into a measuring cup; skim fat and discard. Add enough broth to measure 1 cup.
In a small saucepan, combine flour and broth mixture until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with chicken. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Facts 6 ounces equals 412 calories, 24 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 134 mg cholesterol, 786 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 43 g protein.

Originally published as Brined Roasting Chicken in Taste of Home February/March 2005, p30

Full-Bodied White Wine

Enjoy this recipe with a full-bodied white wine such as Chardonnay or Viognier.

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Brined Roasting Chicken

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Reviewed on Jun. 05, 2013 by apopsicle

First made it for Easter and have since made it for every other special occasion since!!! This is my new go-to chicken recipe and one of the few that my picky kids will eat. For saltier chicken, keep it in brine for twice the amount of time and don't rinse before cooking. For less salt (especially in the breast-meat) brine for 2-3 hours only. THANK YOU for this recipe! Its going to replace the turkey for Thanksgiving

Reviewed on Jul. 22, 2012 by allykenai

The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is because I added alot of spices to it. With the spices this chicken is 6 stars! I didn't use the Molasses and used Soy Sauce instead. I know, not the same thing, but that's what I wanted. I added by the tsp full: garlic and herb seasoning, onion powder, dill, Mrs. Dash original blend, parsley, and basil. Left in brine for eight hours, then grilled it for 90 minutes using a tin-foil 'bowl' on our gas grill. Delish!

Reviewed on Oct. 18, 2011 by heidizaksheske

I have made this recipe several times and it is a favorite. The chicken always turns out moist and delicious.

Reviewed on Oct. 17, 2011 by galinthewoods

A good roast chicken recipe.

Reviewed on Jan. 31, 2011 by Liz Provencher

I tried this on a small chicken I picked up to make a special meal for our 1st Wedding Anniversary. It was amazing, it is most definatly something I will be doing again. I was super moist, and had an amazing flavor. My chicken was small, only about 3 pounds, so I halved the recipe, and let it sit in the fridge for about 24 hours. Wonderful taste, and so easy.

Reviewed on Dec. 23, 2010 by Cricket115

fabulous! I will make a turky soup with the left-overs.

Reviewed on Sep. 18, 2010 by teekytee

needs a little something else, but t was good.

Reviewed on Nov. 08, 2009 by swinny

This chicken was very moist. I am thinking about doing this for Thanksgiving.

Reviewed on Sep. 24, 2008 by mleachman

My brother had been raving about 'brine chicken' but when I tried his recipe... nothing. I tried this recipe (which had you cook the brine first, I think that may have made the difference) and it was FANTASTIC! My family raved!