Sweet Tea Brined Chicken Recipes

SWEET TEA BRINE

Steps:

• 1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Remove from heat, add tea bags, cover and let steep for 10 minutes.
• 2. Remove tea bags. Add sugar and salt to tea, stir until dissolved.
• 3. Add rosemary, pepper, garlic, onion, and lemon to tea, mixing well. Cool completely. When completely cooled, stir in 2 cups of ice until melted - brine should be cold.
• 4. Transfer cold brine to plastic bowl(with lid) or heavy duty zip locking freezer bag. Completely submerge chicken in brine. Place in fridge 24 hours before cooking. *If you use a freezer bag, do yourself a favor and put the bag in a large bowl in case of leakage.
• 5. Before grilling, drain and discard brine and then pat chicken dry before grilling. Do not rinse chicken.

SWEET TEA BRINED FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• To make the brine: Zest, then quarter the lemon. Put the lemon zest and quarters in a saucepan. Add the tea, sugar, and salt. Simmer the mixture over medium-high heat until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add 1 quart of ice water and the chicken. Brine the chicken in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Drain the chicken and blot dry.
• Combine 2 cups flour, the masa harina, crab boil seasoning, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the 8 eggs with the buttermilk. Put the remaining 2 cups of flour in a third bowl.
• Prepare a breading station by lining up the bowl of flour, then the bowl containing the egg and buttermilk mixture, and finally the bowl of seasoned crust mixture. Roll the chicken in the flour, then the egg mixture, and then the crust then put the legs and thighs in a single layer on a plate or baking sheet. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Fill a large deep pan with enough oil to completely submerge the chicken. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 300 degrees F. Add the chicken and cook until it is golden and the juices run clear, 15 to 25 minutes. Drain the chicken on a rack then serve.

SWEET TEA-BRINED CHICKEN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Sweeten the tea to taste, then add the canola oil, pickling spice, garlic, onion, kosher salt, celery salt and black pepper while it's still hot. Refrigerate until cool, then add the chicken breasts to the brine. Refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.
• When ready to cook the chicken, preheat a grill to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken from the brine and grill until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the middle registers 165 degrees F, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Let the chicken cool, then dice it.
• Add the diced chicken, mayonnaise, pecans, honey and apple to a bowl and toss to combine. Put a large scoop of chicken salad on each croissant bottom, then top with lettuce, tomato, red onion and the croissant tops.

SWEET TEA-BRINED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a 3-qt. heavy saucepan; add tea bags. Remove from heat; cover and steep 10 minutes.
• Discard tea bags. Stir in sugar and next 6 ingredients, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cool completely (about 45 minutes); stir in ice. (Mixture should be cold before adding chicken.).
• Place tea mixture and chicken in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag; seal. Place bag in a shallow baking dish and chill 24 hours. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade; pat chicken dry with paper towels.
• Light one side of grill, heating to 300° to 350° (medium) heat; leave other side unlit. Place chicken, skin side down, over unlit side, and grill, covered with grill lid, 20 minutes. Turn chicken, and grill, covered with grill lid, 40 to 50 minutes or until done. Transfer chicken, skin side down, to lit side of grill, and grill 2 to 3 minutes or until skin is crispy. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

SWEET TEA BARBECUED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Pour apple juice and water into a large shallow roasting pan. Mix seafood seasoning, paprika, garlic powder and pepper; rub over chicken. Place in roasting pan., Bake, covered, until juices run clear and a thermometer reads 170° to 175°, 50-60 minutes. Transfer chicken to a foil-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Whisk barbecue sauce and sweet tea; brush some of mixture over chicken., Place chicken on greased grill rack; grill over medium heat 3-4 minutes per side, brushing occasionally with remaining sauce.

SWEET TEA-BRINED CHICKEN WITH MAPLE GLAZE

Steps:

• PREPARE chicken.
• STEEP tea bag in water in a large bowl for 5 minutes, covered. Remove tea bag and discard.
• WHISK in sugar and salt until dissolved. Add ice, lime juice, lime halves, and mint; stir. Place the chicken in brine and refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours.
• BLEND all the dry spices for the rub together. Remove chicken from brine and massage both sides with the rub before grilling.
• Place the chicken skin side down on the grill and set 2, which have been wrapped in heavy duty foil, on top of chicken. Cover and cook (over medium heat) until browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Flip the chicken over, replace the brick and grill 20 to 25 minutes more, or until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees.
• Glazing: Remove the bricks and glaze every 2 - 3 minutes until 16o degrees. Then take the bird off the grill and let it rest.