Citrus Herb Brined Chicken Recipes

CITRUS HERB BRINED CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Dissolve the kosher salt in the hot water; then add the ice and cold water to chill mixture. Add the lemons, limes and fresh herbs to the brine. Make sure to put it in a container large enough to hold two chickens.
• 2. Add the chickens and put the container in the refrigerator. The chickens should sit in the brine for at least 8 hours but overnight works best.
• 3. After the brine step is complete, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, remove the chickens from the brine and discard the brine. Dry the chickens with a disposable towel and lightly oil skin. season with salt and pepper.
• 4. Place the chickens in a roasting pan elevated on a rack.
• 5. Roast for 20 minutes per pound based on the weight of the chickens, plus 15 minutes, or until the thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken but not touching the bone reads 170 degrees.

CITRUS AND HERB BRINED ROASTED TURKEY WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• 1. Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey and reserve for the gravy. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water. Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• 2. Brine: 1 cup salt 1 cup brown sugar 2 oranges, quartered 2 lemons, quartered 6 sprigs thyme 4 sprigs rosemary To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary. Note: if you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.
• 3. ***Turkey Stock for basting and making gravy*** **Make this before you put your bird in the oven** 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Reserved turkey neck and giblets 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped 1 onion, coarsely chopped 1 large celery stalk, coarsely chopped 1 small bay leaf 3 cups canned turkey stock, chicken stock, or canned low-salt chicken broth 3 cups water For the turkey stock: Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Add the turkey neck, heart, and gizzard to the pan and saute until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add the chopped vegetables and bay leaf to the pan and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Pour the stock and 3 cups of water into the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the stock is reduced to 4 cups, about 1 hour, adding the chopped liver to the pan during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Strain the stock into a clean pot or large measuring cup. Pull the meat off the neck, chop the neck meat and giblets, and set aside. ***You will use this stock to baste the turkey and for the gravy.
• 4. ***Ingredients for inside of Turkey cavity*** 1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature 1 large yellow onion, cut into 8ths 1 large orange, cut into 8ths 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 bay leaves 2 sprigs thyme ** 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock, for basting.
• 5. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels, inside and out. Place breast side down in a large, heavy roasting pan, and rub on all sides with the butter. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and thyme. Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string.
• 6. Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, turn, and baste with 1/2 cup stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.
• 7. Remove the Turkey from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
• 8. ***Gravy***
• 9. For the pan gravy: Pour the reserved turkey pan juices into a glass-measuring cup and skim off the fat. Place the roasting pan on 2 stove top burners over medium heat add the pan juice and 1 cup turkey broth and the white wine to the pan, and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining 3 cup of broth and bring to a simmer, then transfer to a measuring cup.
• 10. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a light roux. Add the hot stock, whisking constantly, then simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved neck meat and giblets to the pan and adjust seasoning, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Pour into a gravy boat and serve.
• 11. The turkey is so moist and flavorful done this way, Happy Thanksgiving everyone, enjoy !

PERFECT CHICKEN BRINE

Steps:

• Mix water, kosher salt, white sugar, garlic, sage, basil, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a large pot over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the salt and sugar are dissolved completely, about 20 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and cover with a lid. Cool brine at room temperature for 2 hours before refrigerating to cool completely.

CITRUS TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Rub salt onto your turkey, and place remaining salt, lemons, oranges, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and pepper into a large pot. Place the turkey in the pot, and fill with water. Refrigerate overnight. Discard brine after removing turkey.

LEMON HERB-BRINED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Remove and discard skin from all chicken pieces except wings. Add all chicken pieces to large resealable plastic bag; place in large bowl.
• Bring 2 cups water, lemon peel, salt, garlic and herbs to boil in saucepan. Remove from heat; pour into separate large bowl. Add remaining water, dressing and ice; stir until ice is melted.
• Pour over chicken; seal bag. Refrigerate overnight. Remove chicken from dressing mixture; discard dressing mixture. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature 20 min. Meanwhile, heat greased grill to medium-high heat.
• Grill chicken 2 min. on each side. Reduce grill to medium heat. Grill chicken 8 to 18 min. or until done (165°F), turning occasionally and removing chicken pieces from grill when done. (Smaller pieces will cook more quickly. See tip for suggested grill times.)