know how to brine a chicken.

While a theme here is that every gentleman should be apt and able in the kitchen, not every dish needs to be complicated.



One simple way to make the ordinary extraordinary is brining. Working with poultry, brine can add all sorts of flavour and moisture to the meat. There is something very alluring and sophisticated about serving up a familiar dish like roast chicken, and having people experience it in an entirely new way.

A good start is simply brining in salted water, as often when cooked poultry looses moisture, and the salt adds flavour throughout.

The beautiful thing about brine is that more or less any flavours can be added to the meat simply and easily, the flavours you start with will be the flavours you end with.

Two Yolks has an excellent and easy to prepare brine recipe:

Brine:
1 gallon (7 litres) water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh rosemary
1 bunch fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
1 head garlic, cut in half horizontally
1 onion, sliced
3 tbsp black peppercorns, crushed
2 lemons, halved

1 whole chicken

1. Combine all the brine ingredients in a large pot; squeeze the lemons as they are added. Bring to a simmer over high heat to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until chilled.
2. Add the chicken to the brine and weigh it down with a plate to keep it submerged. Allow to brine for 8 to 12 hours.
3. Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse well, and dry with paper towels. Let it rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
4. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator an hour before cooking.
5. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. (230ºC)
6. Roast the chicken in a roasting tray until it reaches an internal temperature of 160ºF(82ºC). Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
7. Serve immediately.

Serves 3 to 4.