Sweet Tea Brined Chicken

“Sweet tea is a classic southern drink, and it also makes a fantastic brine for chicken. The tannins and spices in the tea add a subtle herbal note to the chicken. This recipe is much better when marinated for 24 hours so plan ahead, and you will have less to do the day of.”

Difficulty

Intermediate

Yield

Serves 8

Ingredients

4 tea bags, black tea1/2 cup brown sugar1/4 cup salt1 onion, thinly sliced1 lemon, thinly sliced3 garlic cloves, crushed2 sprigs rosemary1 tablespoon black pepper8 chicken thighs

Equipment

Bowls of various sizesCutting boardChef’s knifeMeasuring cupsMeasuring spoonsSpatulaMedium potTongsTasting spoonsDish towel

Gather your mise en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

Bring a pot with two litres of water to a boil. When boiling add the sugar, salt, and the tea bags. Let Extracting flavours by letting sit in hot water. Think of a teabag making a cup of tea.steep for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the onion, peel and slightly crush the garlic by smashing it with the side of a knife. Thinly slice the lemon, and measure black pepper.

Remove tea bags from the brine and add the rosemary, garlic, onion, black pepper, and lemon. Let the mixture cool completely (putting it in the fridge or adding some ice will speed up this process, and add the chicken. Let marinate for at least 6 hours, but overnight is better.

Preheat the BBQ to medium high. Remove the chicken from the brine and dry with paper towels.

Grill until cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F, no need to Adding flavour to a food to enhance its taste. It can be as simple as salt and pepper or herbs, spices vinegars and condimentsseason as it has already been brined.