Apple Cider Brined Chicken
It’s that season again. Weather is turning colder. We’re all starting to look for one pot, hot meals. And Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before we know it bringing festive desserts. Meaning, it is not too early to start thinking about preparing that turkey. If you have never tried brining or are looking for a new recipe to try, brining the perfect bird can be as easy as it is delicious. This apple cider brined chicken is no exception.
Let’s stop here for a moment. You may be asking yourself, if you have never tried a brine, what is the benefit of a brine? Well, first, it makes the bird juicier. Yes, done right, the brine bath actually makes the dry breast meat much juicer. And I think we have all been there when a turkey has been a bit too dry and tasteless, which brings us to the next point.
Brining the perfect bird adds flavor. Brine is not just liquid and salt. No. It is much more than that. Brining adds flavor. Lots of flavor.
Turkey is like chicken to us in our house. We are not huge fans of it. And, we demand that the turkey and chicken meat are as flavorful as possible. So, many years back, we started playing around with brining our birds. Whenever we cook a roast chicken or turkey, we always brine it for a day or two ahead of time. But the process of brining takes less than ten minutes and could be done with children under foot.
Sadly, the Goose had too many other things going on this week than to worry about helping dad prepare a chicken for dinner this week. She was obsessed with her “train ride. Goose.” Every few minutes, up until our train ride, she would ask about “train ride” adding a different name of a family member going with her.
Although she definitely did not help make the chicken, she definitely helped to eat it. And the apple cider brined chicken this week was particularly good with a lightly sweet flavor from the cider. Plus it was fall of the bone tender and the cider made for some particularly flavorful gravy that all of us loved including the Goose.
Ingredients
- 5-10 pound chicken/turkey
- 1/2 gallon apple cider
- 4-6 whole cloves of garlic
- 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons mustard seeds
- 2 Tablespoons black pepper
- 6 Tablespoons salt
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 Tablespoons cinnamon powder
- 2 Tablespoons thyme
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients (except the bird) in a large bowl (or clean bucket).
- Add your bird.
- Let sit for at least overnight, but 24 to 48 hours would be ideal.
- Drain the brine.
- Place bird on it's breast and bake at 325 for 30 minutes per pound. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 165.
I have never used cider before. This looks amazing though!!
Wow. This sounds delicious! We take turns hosting Thanksgiving and this is not our year (thank goodness because I have a newborn), but I’m adding this to my list for next year.
This looks so yummy! I want to try!
xo, Amanda | http://www.thegoldengirldiary.com
I really need to start brining my poultry. I never do it, but only because I am lazy. I think this year might be the year! Do you still baste the bird while it’s cooking?
Yes, I baste the bird occasionally though it’s a bit redundant. Between brining and cooking the bird breast down, the bird would be juicy even without basting.
this looks delicious! And I’m definitely the type to not help cook but help eat too. Lol.
This looks amazing!!
Thank you!
I’m for anything with apple cider 🙂 This looks delicious!!
Thank you!
Lovely bird! Pinned 🙂
Thank you Linda!
We always brine our turkey for Thanksgiving, and this sounds so delicious!! We are often doing whole chickens for dinner on Sunday and stretching for a couple of quick meals, I would love to try this brine next time!
We do the whole chickens pretty often and get a few meals out of it too. Especially now that the weather has cooled. Hope you try it and love it.
I’ve heard great things about brining a chicken/turkey. I’ve never tried it, but now I’m inspired to do so:)
I hope you give it a try Lesley! It’s super easy and really does make for a moist, flavorful bird.
Oh wow! This looks so yummy!
Thank you!
This looks like such a wonderful fall recipe!!
Meghan | BeyondBasicBlog.com
Thank you! It smelled very fall-y while it was cooking.
That looks so good! I never thought to brine in apple cider before!
Glam Hungry Mom
It really added to the flavor! I hope you try it some time.
This looks and sounds delicious!!!
So delicious! It was one of the best roasts we’ve had.