Brining Boneless Skinless Chicken For Chicken Salad Food

SIMPLE CHICKEN BRINE

Steps:

• Pour the warm water into a container that is twice the volume of the water. Pour in the salt, sugar, soy sauce, and olive oil. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved, then allow the brine to cool to room temperature.
• To use, place chicken in the brine, cover, and refrigerate two hours for skinless breasts, 4 hours for bone-in pieces, and 4 hours to overnight for whole chickens. Drain and pat the chicken dry before cooking. One gallon of brine is enough for 6 pounds of whole chicken or bone-in chicken pieces, and up to 10 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breasts.

DRY-BRINED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• In a spice grinder, blitz the bay leaf pieces and peppercorns until finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl and add the salt, brown sugar and garlic powder, and rub it all together with your fingers.
• Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise into two pieces of equal weight, creating one shorter, thicker piece and one longer, thinner piece. Place the four chicken pieces on a large plate or sheet pan and sprinkle generously on all sides with the spice mixture, moving the chicken around to catch any fallen spices. Refrigerate, uncovered, to dry-brine for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour (any shorter and the osmotic brining process won't complete; any longer and you'll end up with deli meat).
• When ready to cook, take the chicken out of the fridge and heat a large skillet with a lid over high heat. Add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the skillet. Carefully add the chicken pieces, smooth sides down, and immediately reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the bottoms are browned but not burnt, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip the chicken, cover the pan and cook until the other sides are browned and the internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat reaches 155 degrees, another 5 to 7 minutes. You may want to pull the longer, thinner pieces off the heat a minute or two sooner, as they may cook faster.
• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to rest for at least 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute. The meat will continue to cook as it sits and should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. You can also check for doneness by cutting into the chicken; it should look white and juicy and no longer pink. Slice the chicken against the grain (that is, perpendicular to the parallel fibers that run within the breast) and serve with lime wedges if you'd like. You can also keep the meat whole and refrigerate it, covered, for up to 4 days.

BRINING BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN FOR CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE

Steps:

• In a ceramic dish or bowl, mix first 3 ingredients. Then add chicken. Let chicken sit in mixture for one hour. When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the brine, rinse under cold water and poach. To poach chicken: put chicken into a large skillet with 1-2 cups water or chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 5-8 minutes according to the thickness of the chicken breasts (you may want to pound them out to uniform thickness. If so, don't cook too long or you will end up with tough chicken.)

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH MISO-GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 500 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch high-heat baking dish with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, stir 1 tablespoon salt and the yogurt into 4 cups cold water. (The brine helps the chicken retain its moisture, for juicier breasts.) Add the chicken and let sit for 15 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix together butter, onion powder, garlic and chipotle powders, and black pepper until they form a paste.
• After 15 minutes, drain the breasts, discarding liquid. Pat dry, transfer to the baking dish, and spread the paste all over the chicken.
• Roast until the top is golden brown and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 30 minutes. If chicken is darkening too quickly, tent loosely with foil. Let the chicken cool, covered, for 5 minutes. Reserve the pan juices.
• About 10 minutes before the chicken is done, prepare the miso-garlic sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in garlic, lemon zest, black pepper and miso. Return to the heat and add the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons water, then mix until a velvety sauce forms. Remove from heat and stir in the reserved pan juices from the chicken. Taste and season with salt as needed.
• To serve, either slice the chicken breasts across the grain or keep them whole. Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnish with the minced scallions or chives. Serve immediately.