Brined Chicken

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 (5 -6 lb) whole chickens
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons ground pepper (peppercorn medley ( , green, red, and black)
• 2 teaspoons sage
• 2 teaspoons rosemary
• 2 teaspoons thyme

Recipe

• 1 clean chicken and set innards in a medium pot 1/2 full of water. simmer on a very low flame, covered, for 1-1/2 hour. add salt and pepper to taste. this step can wait until you put the chicken in the oven if you prefer.
• 2 combine spices in a bowl large enough to cover the chicken. start with 2 cups of water and stir until salt is dissolved.
• 3 place chicken in bowl, breast down, and cover with water.
• 4 cover bowl with cling wrap and let soak 1 hr per pound (eg.: soak a 6 pound bird for 6 hours).
• 5 preheat oven to 400°f.
• 6 place chicken, breast side up, on a 1/2 sheet pan with wire cooking rack, filled 1/3 full with brine solution, and cook for 1-1/2 hours.
• 7 remove chicken from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cooking.