How To Brine Chicken Breasts: A Secret To Amazing Chicken

Not to brag or anything, but I make darn good grilled chicken breasts.  Like, my-sister-requests-them-for-her-birthday-dinner good.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts often get a bad rap for being the iceberg lettuce of the protein world…a bland necessary evil but absolutely nothing to get excited about.  However, I really struggle with the texture and flavor of chicken thighs or bone-in chicken, so I’ve made it my mission to crack the code on delicious chicken breasts.

My best friend (my Cheese) put me on to wet brining a few years ago, and it’s become an invaluable tool in my arsenal.  I often forget to put chicken in to marinate in the morning before I leave for work, and so what I will often do when I get home at night is make up a brine, throw the chicken in, go for a run, and fire up the grill as soon as I’m back.

We’re going to talk about both wet brine and dry brine methods here, as both are great (but I’ll tell you my new favorite at the end).

How to wet brine chicken

I’ve read a number of things on wet brining, and none of them agree fully.  For instance, I haven’t tried putting sugar in my brine.  But overall the technique is very flexible and forgiving—and it scales based on how much time you have.  You wouldn’t want to use the same amount of salt for an overnight soak as you would for a 30-minute one!  And this works equally well for grilling or baking.

Fill an appropriate-sized bowl with water and add the salt.  Using a spoon (or your hand, like I do), stir the salt in til it’s mostly dissolved.  Make sure your chicken breasts are roughly even thickness (helps with the grilling or baking), then put them in the water.

Once you’re ready to rock, pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels.

How to dry brine chicken

Get a plate out and grind or sprinkle salt across it.  I like to use fresh-ground pink Himalayan sea salt.  Place the chicken breasts (or tenderloins or whatever) on the salt and press down, then sprinkle or grind more salt on the top side as well. 

Let rest for at least 15 minutes, though I’ve let it go more like 45 accidentally and it’s fine.  You can also let it rest uncovered in the fridge overnight as well, particularly if you’re cooking skin-on chicken and want crispy skin.

How to cook your brined chicken

If you’re grilling these, make sure to really get oil on there when you’re done, so it doesn’t stick (regardless of whether you’re dry or wet brining).

From here, it depends on how you’re planning to use your brined chicken breasts.  You can season, bake, grill, saute, whatever.  For me, I generally grill them.  In that case, put them on a plate and coat them with a little bit of olive oil on all sides, then sprinkle or pat on whichever spices or rub you’re using.

I’ve used a bunch of different ones, including some amazing chicken biryani spice I got in Istanbul.  Lately my go-to has been a combination of Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute and their Everything Bagel seasoning.  The two together are just a flavor explosion in your mouth, with a bit of heat but also some great savory aspects.

Your grilling time will depend on the thickness of your chicken breasts, but I typically start with 4 minutes on each side and then test them with a thermometer to see what more is needed.

A thermometer is a MUST HAVE for amazing chicken breasts—it’s the only way to make sure they’re cooked without cutting into them and losing all the juices.  That’s why they get dry and sad (well, that and overcooking).  This thermometer is the one I use.  Chicken should be between 145 F to 165 F to be done (I usually go around 150 for smaller cuts and 160 for thicker cuts to be safe).

Look at that!  It’s crazy how fast a good salty brine can take chicken breasts from bland and dry to moist and flavorful.  

So which one is my fave??  Ever since I’ve discovered dry brining, I’ve been obsessed.  It’s a little easier (no messy water, having to dry the chicken, etc.) and I love the little crispiness the outside gets.

Other chicken recipes you’ll love:

• Dynamite Grilled Chicken
• Chicken with Creamy Feta Sauce
• The Famous Pinterest “Man-Pleasing” Chicken
• Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken
• Maple-Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potato Hash
• Middle Eastern Grilled Chicken Shawarma

How to brine chicken breasts (wet or dry)

For wet brine:

Fill an appropriate-sized bowl with water and add the salt.  Using a spoon (or your hand, like I do), stir the salt in til it’s mostly dissolved.  Make sure your chicken breasts are roughly even thickness (helps with the grilling or baking), then put them in the water.

• I don’t use an exact amount, but if you’re only doing like 15-60 minutes then I’d say 4 tablespoons of salt for roughly 2 cups of water (I fit two small breasts in a bowl with that).
• You can scale that amount up or down based on the amount of chicken you need.  I often go a little extra salty and only let them soak for 20 minutes.
• If you’re wanting to brine for longer, decrease the proportion of salt to water; you can do it up to overnight.

Once you’re ready to cook, pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and cook however you like.

For dry brine:  

Get a plate out and grind or sprinkle salt across it.  I like to use fresh-ground pink Himalayan sea salt.  Place the chicken breasts (or tenderloins or whatever) on the salt and press down, then sprinkle or grind more salt on the top side as well. 

Let rest for at least 15 minutes, though I’ve let it go more like 45 accidentally and it’s fine.  You can also let it rest uncovered in the fridge overnight as well, particularly if you’re cooking skin-on chicken and want crispy skin.

If you’re grilling these, make sure to really get oil on there when you’re done, so it doesn’t stick.

If you want to grill the chicken…

From here, it depends on how you’re planning to use the chicken.  You can season, bake, grill, saute, whatever.  Whether wet or dry brine, I generally grill them because I’m lazy and it’s easy.  In that case, put them on a plate and coat them with some olive oil, then sprinkle or pat on whichever spices or rub you’re using.  I’ve used a bunch of different ones, including some amazing chicken biryani spice I got in Istanbul and a combination of Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute and their Everything Bagel seasoning.

Grill on high (350-450 F on my gas grill) for 3-4 minutes on each side, and then start checking with a digital thermometer.  Chicken breasts need to be between 145 F and 165 F…I go more like 150F to be safe, but if you’re really paranoid you can go higher.  Let them sit for 5 minutes or so on a plate before cutting in, to let the juices settle and keep them moist.

How To Brine Chicken Breasts (Wet or Dry)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Brining is a super simple technique that will help your chicken breasts (or other cuts) be flavorful and moist, a crazy easy dinner. Here are both wet brine and dry brine techniques.

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Ingredients

• Chicken breasts (or other cut)
• Olive oil, other spices for cooking
• For wet brine
• Table salt (see notes)
• Water
• For dry brine
• Salt (I prefer sea salt or pint Himalayan salt)

Instructions

1. If wet brining: Fill an appropriate-sized bowl with water and add the salt.  Using a spoon (or your hand, like I do), stir the salt in til it's mostly dissolved.  Make sure your chicken breasts are roughly even thickness (helps with the grilling or baking), then put them in the water. Once you're ready to cook them, pat the chicken dry with paper towels.  
2. For dry brining: Get a plate out and grind or sprinkle salt across it.  Place the chicken breasts (or tenderloins or whatever) on the salt and press down, then sprinkle or grind more salt on the top side as well.  Let rest for at least 15 minutes, though I've let it go more like 45 accidentally and it's fine.  You can also let it rest uncovered in the fridge overnight as well, particularly if you're cooking skin-on chicken and want crispy skin.
3. From here, it depends on how you're planning to use the chicken.  You can season, bake, grill, saute, whatever.  If you're grilling, put them on a plate and coat them with some olive oil, then sprinkle or pat on whichever spices or rub you're using.  
4. Grill on medium (350-450 F on my gas grill) for 3-4 minutes on each side, and then start checking with a digital thermometer.  Chicken breasts need to be between 145 F and 165 F...I go more like 150F to be safe, but if you're really paranoid you can go higher.  Let them sit for 5 minutes or so on a plate before cutting in, to let the juices settle and keep them moist.

Notes

• Wet brining notes: I don't use an exact amount, but if you're only doing like 15-60 minutes then I'd say 4 tablespoons of salt for roughly 2 cups of water (I fit two small breasts in a bowl with that). You can scale that amount up or down based on the amount of chicken you need. If you're wanting to brine for longer, decrease the proportion of salt to water; you can do it up to overnight.
• Dry brining notes: Different types of salt will work fine. I tend to prefer to just grind pink Himalayan sea salt, which is my everyday salt anyway. Make sure to really get these oiled if you're grilling, as they'll stick otherwise.
• I've used a bunch of different spices and rubs, including some amazing chicken biryani spice I got in Istanbul and a combination of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute and their Everything Bagel seasoning.

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