Description
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.
Ingredients
- 4 cups water (divided)
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of kosher salt
- 1 tbsp tamari ( or soy sauce)
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary
- 1/2 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.
Notes
The equipment section may contain affiliate links to products I know and love.
This brine can be used for all kinds of chicken recipes. If you want to roast a whole chicken or make fried chicken parts or just pan fried breast, it will lend flavour and juiciness to your meat.
The calories here are calculated assuming 1 whole chicken makes 6 portions. But then, since you throw away the brine after leaving the chicken in it, they only apply very partially in the end, by whatever remains on the chicken skin, so can be neglected. I just added them for completeness of the recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Ingredient
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 110