Boneless, Skinless Honey-Brined Chicken Breasts

Grilled chicken fillets

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Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 4 servings

When it comes to brining poultry, whole turkeys are sure to be the first to come to mind, but soaking boneless breasts in a salted water mixture also works to create tender, flavorful meat. You will be surprised how much moister your boneless-skinless chicken breasts are when you give them a soak in this simple honey brine. Once brined, the chicken breasts are ready to use in a variety of recipes calling for boneless chicken breasts.

Ingredients

  • 1 quart cold water

  • 1/4 cup salt

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Add the water, salt, and honey to a 4-quart container. Whisk until the salt is completely dissolved. Add the chicken breasts, and place a small plate on top to assure the chicken is submerged.

  3. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but no longer than 2 hours. Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse, and pat dry with paper towels. They're now ready to cook in any recipe that calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Tips

  • Kosher salt dissolves more easily than table salt, but since it is a coarser grain, you need to add more to the brine liquid. A ratio to work from is 1 1/2 cups kosher salt to 1 gallon water.
  • Make sure to rinse the chicken breasts once you remove them from the brine or else they will be too salty.
  • Do not let the chicken breasts sit in the brine for longer than 2 hours. Boneless chicken can become mushy and way too salty if left in the brine too long.

How does brining work?

A brine is a mixture of water and salt and often other seasonings. Because the brine has more salt than the meat, the liquid, through osmosis, flows through the cell walls into the meat adding moisture and flavor. The salt also tenderizes the meat by breaking down the proteins.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
262 Calories
4g Fat
17g Carbs
37g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 262
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 102mg 34%
Sodium 7172mg 312%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 37g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 31mg 2%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 320mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)