How To Beer Brine a Whole Chicken
How to beer brine meat chicken beef pork
Tag: chicken
Creamy Beer Mac and Cheese with Greens and Chicken
My granddad gave me my first cast iron skillet in 1987 and after 35 years of cast iron cooking, I ain’t ever made a pan of mac and cheese. I was almost a little embarrassed when she asked me about my go-to mac and cheese recipe; I felt my skin get all flushed. Got a little mad at myself and pushed out my bottom lip a bit. And, what did I tell her?
How to Tenderize Chicken Breasts
This how to tenderize chicken breast process will help you with two of the main “Chicken For Dinner” problems:
- Dry and Chewy
- Flavorless and Blandness
This Chicken Breast Tendering process will help resolve the “chewy” consistency of the chicken meat and “open up” the chicken meat to spices and other flavors that will enhance the chicken breast flavor. That flavor is in there; sometimes you need to tenderize it so the chicken breast can “take in” that flavor.
I have made two videos for this process that may help you along the way. The first one here is the short. A quick 3-minute video to show you how I tenderize chicken breasts. The one at the bottom of the page is the longer version with a “Cooking Montage” at the end.
Chicken breasts are a staple at our home. Not because they are inexpensive either. The price of a pack of chicken breasts are as spendy as a nice roast of equal weight these days. We like chicken breast meat for many different reasons and the main reason is the flavor.
That’s going to surprise many of you reading this when I say, “Flavor.” Most of us do not associate boneless, skinless, chicken breast and flavor.
Bacon? There’s flavor! Ribs? Delicious! Ribeye? Mouth-watering! Chicken breast? Not really. But, consider many things we eat and drink. Beer for instance. Take away the hops or the malts and what do you have? Iceberg lettuce, celery, black coffee, and a bunch of other foods and drinks are often added to or something added with to bring out and enhance the flavors of those foods and drinks. Even our most delicious meats are “dressed” up a bit to enhance the flavor.
The flavor of chicken is enhanced with things like Sage (my chicken go-to), rosemary, and even ranch dip
Then there’s bacon…who needs no help…at all.
Yes. Baked or even “skillet-ed” chicken breast cooked all by itself and without any seasonings does not taste very well. The blandness is only complicated by the consistency and “chewiness.” Eventually your mouth tells your brain, “Hey! We’ve kinda been chewing this for a bit too long; take a sip of something and help me out.”
I am preaching to the choir; I know I am. So, let’s get started with the process of tenderizing chicken breasts.
The Supplies
You will need three items. I’ve placed links at the bottom of this article if you need to find these items:
- Tenderizing Hammer
- Tenderizing Needles
- Cutting Board
Ready to Cook
Step 1: Place the cutting board out on the counter top.
Step 2: Start with the chicken breast’s tapered end (the thinner end) to your dominant side. I am right-handed; I “point” the chicken breast to my right side.
Step 3: Using the tenderizing needle, start on the thin end and “drive” the spikes into the meat and through to the cutting board. Work in a side to side motion and overlap the areas you’ve started to tenderize by ½ the width of the needle tenderizer.
Step 4: When you have reached the thicker areas of the chicken breast meat, your needle tenderizer may “stick” and “pull” the meat upward. If this happens, back up a bit and re-tenderize a thinner area as you move back forward.
A few considerations before step five:
As we thin the chicken breast, the meat will “spread” out and become wider. We need to “coach” this by first using the needle tenderizer and then the tenderizing mallet. The “holes” the needle tenderizer creates will help the tenderizing mallet from “tearing” the meat up too much.
Some tearing is inevitable and should be expected. The meat has been hit with metal tools and the tenderized meat will not “look” as pretty raw as it does before the tenderizing process. After it cooks, it’ll look as “pretty” as tenderized meat and taste MUCH better.
The little holes in the meat from the needle tenderizer will move and even “clip” some of the meat fibers; it will start to thin down with the needle tenderizer. Then, the tenderizing hammer can “spread the meat out even more.
Step 5: When you have gotten to the thickest part of the chicken breast, start moving the needle tenderizer in a circular motion to “press” the meat out (it’s got to go somewhere, right?).
Step 6: Eventually the needle tenderizer will enter and exit the meat without much resistance. That’s the indication that it’s time to get the tenderizing mallet out.
Step 7: Using the smaller, finer spike-side of the mallet, start from the thinner area of the meat and work up toward the thicker area. Overlap the hammer strikes by ½ of the width of the hammer.
Step 8: Once you reach the thicker parts of the chicken, start the circular pattern of tenderizing to finish spreading the chicken out.
What to Expect
FIRST: If the chicken breast was initially very thick, the meat may “tear up” a bit more than the smaller, chicken breast pieces. This is okay. It’s the thicker pieces that are usually the toughest.
SECOND: This method will create much more surface area. The nature of the tenderizing process is to stretch and separate the meat. It will make it easier to cut and enjoy. And, it will take a brine much faster than a non-tenderized chicken breast. Keep this in mind when you are brining the meat.
Use a red cutting board for meat and one that is both dishwasher safe and can actually fit inside the dishwasher. Nope. You don’t have to dishwash the cutting board; there are other ways to clean the board.
Tenderizing is a process. We will often tenderize many pieces of chicken and brine them on one evening. Then, after the brining process, we’ll pat-dry them all and stow some of the breasts in a zipper bag for later. Note the expiration date of the chicken and ditto this on the zipper bag to keep up with that important information. Toss in a dry paper towel in the zipper bag with the chicken breasts. Later in the week, when you need to make a quick meal, the meat is brined and tenderized and ready to cook.
Affiliate Links to the Items Used in the Video:
Tenderizing Mallet: https://amzn.to/3VZe4KB
Tenderizing Needle: https://amzn.to/3VZe4KB
Red Cutting Board: https://amzn.to/3BhXu0p
Zipper Bags: https://amzn.to/3FzmDX1
Salt: https://amzn.to/3Y4eIIw
Welding Gloves: https://amzn.to/3HjIvXN
Lodge Cast Iron 15” Skillet: https://amzn.to/3HjIvXN
Cast Iron Grill: https://amzn.to/3h6o1XT
Thermometer: https://amzn.to/3UUBOPf
Drying Rack: https://amzn.to/3Bhu3fd
PS: At the time this article is being published, our local Safeway (https://www.safeway.com/) has these prices:
Chicken Breast Boneless Skinless Hand Trimmed – $5.49 per Pound
O Organics Chicken Breasts Boneless Skinless Air Chilled – $8.99 per Pound
USDA Choice Beef Roast Round Tip – $6.99 per Pound
USDA Choice Beef Ribeye Roast Bone In – $9.99 per Pound
Cast Iron Griddle-Cooked Satay Chicken with a Peanut and Beer Sauce Recipe-OLD
Peanut butter, fish sauce, and chicken. This recipe is gonna be interesting! Most importantly it’s going to be delicious. There’s a bit of preplanning and prep but the cook time is “in a jiffy.” You’re gonna love this Cast Iron Griddle-Cooked Satay Chicken with a…
Beer-Brined Coconut Kale Chicken – One-Pan Meal
There’s two things that at 50-years-young that I have to keep in balance: My appetite for cast-iron-cooked, beer-infused, delicious foods and…my midriff. And trust me, the balance is very hard to maintain. I want to eat and drink like I weigh 400 pounds, but I…
Camp Dutch Oven Artichoke, Olives, and Capers Chicken Mulligan
Camp Dutch Oven Artichoke, Olives, and Capers Chicken Mulligan
mul·li·gan /ˈməliɡən/ - a stew made from odds and ends of food. Fire up your coals in the charcoal chimney. You’ll be frying at first and simmering afterwards. You’ll start with 12 briquettes under the Dutch for Frying. Put about 20 briquettes in your charcoal chimney and get the ready. One of the biggest pieces of advice I can offer you when planning your Dutch oven meals is to prep the meals at home and bring the ingredients pre-measured and pre-chopped and ready to go.
Equipment
- 12-Inch Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- Large Bowl for “Seasoning” the Chicken
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Optional: Temperature Checker
- Stir/Flip Spoon/Spatula
- 2 Forks to Shred The Chicken
- Coal Tongs
- Charcoal Chimney
- Optional: Cook Table or Upside Down Garbage Can Lid
- Small brush for ashes
- Lid Lifter
- Lid Stand
- Hot Gloves
- Charcoal
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 to ½ Teaspoon Salt To taste; remember: There’s salt in the capers, artichoke hearts, and kalamata olives
- 4-8 Chicken Thighs Boneless; Skinless
- 2 Tablespoon Ghee Or Grape Seed Oil, Olive Oil, or Good, Old-Fashion Butter!
- ½ - 1 Red Onion Chopped
- 2-4 Garlic Cloves Minced
- ¼ Cup Capers With Brine; likely the only additional salt you’ll need
- ½ Lemon Thinly Sliced
- 1 ½ Cup Beer at Room Temperature [12 ounces] IPA or Lager will work A-OK
- 1 ½ Cups Chicken Broth Chicken Bone Broth or Regular Old Chicken Broth; May not need it all
- 2 Cups Artichoke Hearts Canned
- 1 Cups Kalamata Olives
- 1-2 Teaspoon Chopped Fresh Parsley per serving
Instructions
- Fire up your coals in the charcoal chimney. Start with 12-20 briquettes under the Dutch for Frying (we’ll be searing the chicken).
- Get the lid stand ready to receive the lid later during the cooking steps.
- In your large bowl, combine the 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
- Add the chicken thighs and rub the seasoning into the chicken until evenly coated; set aside.
- Heat the 2 Tbsp of oil/ghee in your 12” cast-iron Dutch oven over 12-briquette heat; get that hot pot ready to receive thy blessings!
- Remove the seasoned chicken thighs from the bowl. If they are still moist, pat the chicken thighs dry.
- Place the chicken thighs in the hot oil, spacing them evenly, and sear until the meat begins to brown. Turn the chicken thighs and sear them on the opposite side for a few minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside. If you are doing more than 4 or 5 thighs, brown the thighs in two batches in order to allow for a good browning and not “boil” in their own juices.
- In the same Dutch Oven and over 12 to 20-briquette heat (you may have to add a few or get some more briquettes ready depending on their burn rate), add the onion and the garlic and get the camp full of that awesome aroma. When they are almost ready...
- Add the capers and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
- Add the room temperature beer and deglaze the Dutch Oven, stirring to loosen any browned bits stuck to the bottom.
- Once you reach simmering, cook for about 5 minutes to let the flavors “get to know each other.” If it starts to boil, remove some of the briquettes. You just need “medium” heat for the simmering to work its magic.
- Return the whole thighs to the Dutch Oven in a single layer.
- Add just the amount of chicken broth needed to leave a bit of the chicken to still be above the liquid. Do you want soup or a stew?
- Cover the Dutch Oven with the Dutch Oven lid.
- OPTIONAL: Add coals to the top of the Dutch Oven
- Let this cook until the chicken reaches 165°F / 74°C (if you are a little low, don’t worry...there’s more cooking time).
- Pull the lid from the Dutch and set it on the lid rack/stand.
- Once the chicken is at temperature, use the two forks to shred the meat in the pot. You could remove the chicken thighs from the Dutch oven to roughly chop if you prefer.
- Add the artichoke hearts and olives and continue simmering for 10 minutes to get the artichoke hearts and olives nice and hot.
- Add the lemon slices on the top of the stew to prep for serving.
- To serve, scoop the stew into serving bowls and garnish with the chopped fresh parsley. Placing the stew over some rice will really “bring it home!”
Video
Notes
NOTES: *Often I will start with more charcoal briquettes than I need. For example, this recipe calls for a 12” Dutch oven. The “rule of thumb” for frying (searing) in the Dutch oven is the same number of briquettes under the Dutch as the diameter of the Dutch. Me? I would start with 20 briquettes. This is for two reasons. 1) you may need a few more under the Dutch oven to get it good and hot for frying. It may be a windy day and your temperature may need to be adjusted to “make up” for the environmental challenges. 2) Leave 2-3 hot briquettes in the charcoal chimney in order to have some lit to set you next set of briquettes to burning to get them ready to replace the ones under the Dutch that will be “weakening” as they burn away.
Nutrition
Serving: 6gCalories: 414kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 21gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 2091mgPotassium: 380mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 190IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Double Cast Iron Skillet Chicken in Beer and Lemon Broth
This recipe has morphed from Beer and Iron’s Rockin’ Chicken recipe that is cooked outside to this inside version that has all together become an entirely different…and delicious…recipe. The concept here is to use a hot cast iron skillet to “hold the chicken” down in…
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