With my Black Garlic being nearly used up, I wanted to see how it performs in a Chicken brine and found it does beautifully. The Buttermilk and salt making the chicken super juicy and tender, combining this with powdered dried Shiitake Mushrooms gives this Black Garlic Brine a fantastic depth of flavour.
The Inspiration
Apart from, of course, the Black Garlic I made a few weeks ago, I found this recipe, using dried porcini mushrooms in the brine. I knew I wanted to brine the chicken for my Black Garlic Roast Chicken Summer Salad, so the combination was perfect.
Check this post for detailed instructions on how to make your own Black Garlic.
The Ingredients
Knowing from my Black Garlic Mushroom Salad how well these work together with their deep umami flavours, I decided to include shiitake in ground form in my brine. Combined with Tamari, adding saltiness and even more layers of flavour, it takes this chicken to a whole new level. Thyme and Lemon ad freshness and zing, while working beautifully with the Black Garlic Butter, I pushed under the skin before roasting.
Meal Prep
While I love being in my kitchen and pottering around, I’m a big fan of preparing whatever I can the day before I make a big meal, like my Black Garlic Roast Chicken Summer Salad. And meal prepping that one too, for the rest of the week. Brining a chicken, the day before roasting plays right into that. It means all I have to do on the day is push some seasoned butter under the skin, and I will be rewarded with a perfectly juicy, incredibly well seasoned bird after just 1h in the oven. (Depending on the size of your chicken that is.)
How to Use
You can just throw some new potatoes into the oven with the chicken, to have them roast alongside (add some lemon wedges, thyme, rosemary, and smashed garlic cloves in their skin too while you are at it) and call it a Sunday roast. Having fantastic leftovers for all kinds of other meals over the week. Or you can go all out with the above-mentioned salad, getting all your veggies in one delicious, colourful bowl. I know which one I prefer in summer.
The brine can be varied endlessly. You could leave out the dried mushrooms if you have none on hand, and just use fresh garlic instead of the black. It will still be delicious. Just make sure you fill it up with cold water after dissolving the salt and sugar in the pot by briefly boiling it. The heat will also release all the herby and lemony flavours, which is what we want here. But you don’t want to warm up your chicken by placing it in the hot water, hence the 2-step process.
And there is my chicken ready to go to rest in the fridge, letting the brine do it’s job. Check my Black Garlic Roast Chicken Summer Salad recipe for the beautiful results.
I’ve kept this recipe separate, as it can be used in so many ways and isn’t mandatory to the salad. Though highly advised.
For more amazing Black Garlic Recipes check these:
Sumac Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Black Garlic Mushroom Sauce
Black Garlic Butter with Lemon
Burger with Black Garlic Aioli
Black Garlic Cashew Ranch Dressing
Black Garlic Roast Chicken Summer Salad
Black Garlic Sourdough Bread with Chocolate
Mushroom Spinach Pasta Bake with Black Garlic
Black Garlic Mushroom Salad with Berries and Blue Cheese
Sourdough Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Black Garlic
Black Garlic Brine for Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 cups water divided
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ cup of kosher salt
- 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary
- ½ cup dried shiitake mushrooms ground to a powder in your spice grinder
- 5 black garlic cloves pureed with a fork
- 5 fresh garlic cloves smashed
- 1 lemon washed, zest grated. Rest sliced.
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of water, brown sugar, kosher salt, tamari or soy sauce, thyme, fresh garlic, and the ground shiitake mushroom powder. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove the saucepan from heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups of water and buttermilk. Pour the cooled mixture from the saucepan into the buttermilk-water mixture.
- Add the black garlic mash, lemon zest and lemon slices to the brine mixture.
- Stir the brine thoroughly to ensure all the ingredients are well combined.
- Place the chicken pieces (such as chicken breasts, thighs, or a whole chicken) in a large resealable plastic bag or a container suitable for brining.
- Pour the brine mixture over the chicken in the bag or container, making sure the chicken is fully submerged. If needed, add more water to cover the chicken entirely. Do not spill half the brine, because your container is too small. Don’t be like me.
- Seal the bag tightly or cover the container with a lid, and place it in the refrigerator to brine. The brining process generally takes 4 to 8 hours, depending on the size of the chicken pieces or the whole chicken. I usually leave it until the next day when I want dinner. Just make sure to not leave it any longer.
- During the brining time, you can occasionally turn the chicken or gently shake the container to evenly distribute the flavours.
- After the brining time is complete, remove the chicken from the brine and discard the brine.
- You can now roast or fry your chicken as usual. Check my Black Garlic Roast Chicken Summer Salad for one way to use it.
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