Lemon Brine
Enough brine for 5 (1-1 ½ lb. chicken breasts) or 1 whole chicken (approx. 5lbs)
4 liters water
320 grams coarse salt
200 grams sugar
2 medium onions (peeled and julienned)
1 lemon halved
35 grams whole black peppercorns
35 grams fennel seeds
3 bay leaves
3 large garlic cloves (peeled and cut in half)
20 grams whole rosemary (includes stem)
Combine ingredients
Bring to a simmer
Cool 5 minutes, once cool, add chicken ( for breasts brine 6-8 hours; for whole chicken brine for 12 hours) once removed from brine pat dry, season with pepper, and roast. (Careful if seasoning with salt as brine has salt in it already)
Recipe Extras!
Use some plates to weigh down the chicken, making sure it is completely submerged in the brine
My preference for cooking chicken breasts is to cook skin side down in a pan. I heat the pan, add oil and butter, allowing this to get hot before adding the chicken. When its nice and hot, I add the breasts(skin side down) and some fresh thyme leaf.Once the skin has begun to brown, I put the pan with the chicken in a 350 degree oven, keeping the breast skin side down. The skin protects the meat from the extreme heat in the pan and allow a gentler heat to cook the exposed meat. I occasionally remove the pan from the oven and baste the exposed meat with pan drippings. Once I remove the breast from the oven I rest it 3-4 minutes skin side up before serving. This will keep the skin crispy!