Bourbon Brine Chicken
by Sommer Collier — on Feb 5, 2024 
This is simply the best bourbon Brine Chicken recipe, guaranteed to turn chicken breasts into a moist, incredibly flavorful, and utterly irresistible main dish!
This Brine Recipe Makes The Juiciest Chicken
I believe there is no chicken better than brined chicken…. Like turkey, no matter how you decide to cook it, sautéed, roasted, or grilled, chicken that comes out of brine is always more juicy and flavorful.
Today we’re sharing our favorite Chicken Brine recipe with a little added flavor from Kentucky bourbon. Although you can omit the bourbon, or swap it for your alcohol of choice such as spiced rum or brandy, we believe this combination of salt, sugar, spices, and bourbon creates a delectable flavor for the meat!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
This simple brine recipe will give you the juiciest chicken you’ve ever tried. Get ready to bid farewell to that tired, dry bird!
Why You’ll Love This Brine Chicken Recipe
- Versatile – This brine recipe works great with every cut of chicken including wings, breasts and thighs.
- Aromatic flavors – The cinnamon, allspice and bourbon all work together to create an intensely bold flavor.
- Meal prep friendly – Make this chicken and enjoy it all week long in salads, sandwiches or bowls!
I promise Brine Chicken will be your new go-to recipe for grilling, roasting or just a simple weeknight meal.
Ingredients and Tips
- Water – You need both cold and boiling water
- Chicken – You can use any type of chicken from boneless chicken breasts to large bone-in split breasts.
- Brown sugar – Use the packed light variety.
- Kosher salt – Salt is essential in brining, and if you can’t find kosher salt, sea salt is also just as good.
- Bourbon – This is optional, but it definitely adds a rich layer of flavor.
- Spices – You’ll need cinnamon sticks, whole black peppercorns, whole allspice, and bay leaves.
- Garlic – whole cloves, smashed
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Citrus – Add in orange or lemon slices for a citrus packed twist.
- Herbs – Sprinkle in some thyme or rosemary for herby flavors.
- Maple syrup – Swap the sugar with maple syrup.
- Alcohol-free – Instead of bourbon, which is totally optional, use apple juice.
- Low-sodium – Use half the amount of salt for a version with less sodium.
How To Make Bourbon Brine For Chicken
This bourbon-based brine for chicken is pretty simple to make. You just need to combine all of the ingredients, let the chicken marinate for a couple of hours and then you’re ready to cook!
Find the full Brine Chicken recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storing Notes
- Storing Leftovers – You can store extra unused brine in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Do not store or reuse brine that has come in contact with raw chicken. Store uncooked brined chicken in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Store cooked brined chicken in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing Leftovers – Unused brine that hasn’t come into contact with raw chicken can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Cooking Method Suggestions
- How to Roast Brined Chicken – You can oven-roast bone-in chicken breast at 375°F for 35 to 45 minutes. Boneless chicken breast will roast in approximately 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size.
- How to Grill Brined Chicken – For grilling, preheat a gas grill or charcoal grill to 400°F. Grill boneless chicken pieces for 8 to 12 minutes flipping once, or bone-in chicken pieces for 12 to 15 minutes per side.
- How to Smoke Brined Chicken – Smoke the chicken at 350°F. Cook boneless pieces for 10 minutes, flip, and cook for another 10 minutes. Smoke bone-in chicken for 25 minutes, flip, and cook for another 20 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Soaking raw chicken in a combination of salt, sugar, and aromatics helps to infuse the meat with lots of flavor. In addition to being incredibly flavorful, chicken breast that has been brined is also supremely juicy and tender!
The alcohol breaks down the protein fibers, allowing the brining liquid to get deeper into the meat. And bourbon is delicious, of course! After cooking the chicken doesn’t taste overwhelmingly like alcohol. Instead, the meat simply has a delicate warm taste of bourbon.
Brine the chicken for a minimum of 4 hours. Bone-in pieces can be brined for up to 24 hours. Boneless pieces should be in brine for only a maximum of about 8 hours. Any longer and the delicate meat will begin to over-tenderize and become unpleasantly soft, or possibly too salty.
No, do not rinse raw chicken. You don’t want to wash away any of that amazing flavor! Simply pat the skin dry with a clean paper towel before cooking.
You don’t want the chicken cooking in the brine because the water is too hot.
Bourbon Chicken Brine Recipe + Video
Video
Ingredients
- 6 cups boiling water + 3 cups cold water
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup bourbon sub rye whiskey, spiced rum, brandy
- 1-2 cinnamon sticks
- 5 teaspoons whole peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 2-3 whole garlic cloves smashed
- 4-5 pounds chicken breasts bone-in or boneless (or swap for chicken thighs or wings)
Instructions
- Boil 6 cups of water.
- Meanwhile, set out a large mixing bowl. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and bourbon, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, allspice, bay leaves, and garlic.
- Pour the boiling water over the sugar mixture. Stir well to dissolve the salt and sugar. Then pour in 3 cups of ice-cold water to bring the temperature down. (You don't want the chicken cooking in the brine because the water is too hot.)
- Place the chicken pieces in the brine. Cover and refrigerate. Brine the chicken pieces 4-8 hours for boneless chicken, or 6-24 hours for bone-in chicken pieces.
- When you're ready to cook, remove the chicken from the brine, pat it dry with a paper towel. Then cook as desired. See suggested cooking methods in the notes section below.
this brine really made this chicken super moist and flavorful! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
Look forward to trying this brining method! Is it necessary to add more seasoning before grilling or roasting?