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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.

The BEST chicken brinerade recipe

 

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.)

brinerating chicken

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!

brinerade

  • 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.

brineraded chicken

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.)

seared chicken breasts

The Best Quick Chicken Brinerade

Yield: 4 chicken breasts
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

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 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 (6-8 ounce) chicken breasts

Instructions

  1. Combine first six ingredients in a lidded container; stir to combine.
  2. Add chicken, toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 90 minutes or up to 24 hours.
  3. Cook chicken on a preheated grill or in a hot pan on the stove until chicken reaches 160°F, flipping once.
  4. Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.

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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 98Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 0mgSodium 794mgCarbohydrates 2gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 0g

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Dicey

Friday 14th of June 2024

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.

Regina Nunez

Sunday 15th of March 2020

I tried this several times and it works wonders on my chicken breasts. Iโ€™ve been adding a few different seasons, today trying red crushed pepper flakes. So we will see! Thank you for this!!

Kristen

Monday 16th of March 2020

Isn't it amazing? So simple, but it really changes the chicken so much.

Anna

Monday 26th of August 2019

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.

Kristen

Tuesday 27th of August 2019

Yay! I am so very happy to hear that.

Kirst

Thursday 22nd of August 2019

I tried this last night. I put it together in the morning and they were tender and delicious for dinner. Thanks!

Deidre

Wednesday 21st of August 2019

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

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