Citrus Brined Chicken

Brining does not make your chicken salty, it simply makes it more tender and seasoned right down to the bone! 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp salt for every cup of water added to cover chicken

10 whole cloves

2 bay leaves

1 orange, quartered

1 lemon, quartered

4 chicken legs

1 onion, sliced

a bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley

dabs of butter

sage, rosemary, thyme and black pepper

Place the chicken legs in a baking dish (or resealable bag) and add the orange and lemon pieces, giving them a little squeeze as you add them. Boil 2 cups of water and add the salt, cloves and bay leaves. Stir to dissolve the salt then place in the fridge to cool. Once completely cooled pour over the chicken. If you need more water dissolve salt in hot water then cool completely before adding it. Once the chicken is covered (or mostly covered) by the brine, refrigerate it for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook rinse the chicken well in cold water then pat dry with paper towels. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Discard the brine water.

Lay onion slices and parsley on the bottom of a 13 X 9" baking pan and place the chicken legs on top. Add the orange, lemon, cloves and bay leaves to the pan. Add dabs of butter on the legs then sprinkle sage, rosemary, thyme and black pepper to taste.

Roast at 425°F for 45-60 minutes or until internal temperature reads 165°F. Spoon juices over a couple of times during cooking.

Let rest 5 minutes before serving. (I cheated and used a store-bought gravy here!) The chicken was even better the second day!

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