KDENISE977
New Member
I want to make some good bbq chicken this weekend and I'm reading up on brining. Never done this before, I've always just marinaded. Anyone have any suggestions? 
Brine vs. Marinade
- Thread starter KDENISE977
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lovinmaryland
Well-Known Member
How are you cooking the chicken? Brining usually helps make the meat moist imparting a little flavor, while marinating packs a lot of flavor & often helps to tenderize.
KDENISE977
New Member
gas grill ... I've used the McCormicks brand of marinades(Chipolte Pepper, Bourban and brown sugar, Hickory Maple) before and a few store bought bottle brands, but have never been overly impressed with any of them which was why I was looking up brining?:shrug:
brining works great for meats that tend to dry out. personally i use brine on turkey and goose but havent tried it for chicken, probably not a bad idea.
Foodnetwork has a few brine recipies that you could probably use.
kwillia
n/a
I love love love grilled chicken breast but hate that it tends to dry out too much... you made me look it up and now I'ma gonna have'ta try it... 
How to Brine Chicken Breast Easy for Best Juicy Recipe | eHow.com
How to Brine Chicken Breast Easy for Best Juicy Recipe | eHow.com
lovinmaryland
Well-Known Member
Yea I agree. The ones I have used arent good at all.
I usually bake or fry when I brine, and grill my marinated items.
Here are two easy marinades that are FANTASTIC you could try. I came up w/ these myself and dont always measure so you dont have to worry about them being dead on acurate, they still work great. The longer you marinate the more flavor they will have. I actually started marinating some chicken this morning in the first recipe for dinner tomorrow night.
Mexican Marinade:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup oil
1 small bunch of cliantro
4-6 cloves of garlic
2 Tsp salt
1 Tsp pepper
1 Tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Process all ingredients in food processor or blender then pour over 6-8 chicken breast (or whatever type of chicken you are using)
Spicy BBQ Marinade
1 cup of beer
1 cup of bottled bbq sauce (I use sweet baby rays)
2-3 garlic cloves finely minced
1 T hot sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
a few dashes of liquid smoke
mix ingredients until combined & pour over chicken.
KDENISE977
New Member
THANK YOU, I'm going to try this second one this weekend !!
lovinmaryland
Well-Known Member
GWguy
*
I love love love grilled chicken breast but hate that it tends to dry out too much... you made me look it up and now I'ma gonna have'ta try it...
How to Brine Chicken Breast Easy for Best Juicy Recipe | eHow.com
I find that skinless breast meat drys out no matter what you do with it. If I use breast meat (prefer dark meat) I brine it, then cook it with the skin on and remove the skin before serving. Adds flavor and moistness with only a few extra fat calories.
migtig
aka Mrs. Giant
I like to brine, but everybody needs to try....
Butter. Seriously.
Take your skinless chicken breast and put on a tray. Pour melted butter over the top. Salt and pepper. Flip it over. Repeat. Let sit for a little while coming up to room temperature. You will not die. Turn on the grill and grill the chicken. Brush with butter prior to flipping. It is simply amazing what some butter can do.
GWguy
*
migtig
aka Mrs. Giant
Paula?
I'm a better cook and don't fake my accent for the tv crowd. I also don't have endorsements nor do I have diabetes.
I am serious, try it GW.
KDENISE977
New Member
When I was in college and worked at a Lonestar steakhouse, that's what they did. I thought it was some all special marinade they used before they put the chicken on the grill because they called it "GO JUICE"...yeah, learned later...it was butter.
GWguy
*
I'm a better cook and don't fake my accent for the tv crowd. I also don't have endorsements nor do I have diabetes.
Actually, I've seen that recipe before. Just had to give you a dig...
lovinmaryland
Well-Known Member
I'm a better cook and don't fake my accent for the tv crowd. I also don't have endorsements nor do I have diabetes.
Its true. You see it a lot on Top Chef especially when they are making steaks. They are drowning them in butter
migtig
aka Mrs. Giant
Its true. You see it a lot on Top Chef especially when they are making steaks. They are drowning them in butter
I resisted trying it myself for a long time. I thought it would be "greasy" or something. It's not, it's simply amazing. You must try it just once. If you like it then I'll tell you my mayo trick next.
Don't want to scare you all too much.
KDENISE977
New Member
Its true. You see it a lot on Top Chef especially when they are making steaks. They are drowning them in butter
YUP...Ruth's Chris steaks...salt/pepper/butter, that's it.
libertytyranny
Dream Stealer
its a scientific fact that everything is better with butter :shrug: but I rarely have issues with BS chicken breast drying out on the grill because I watch the cook time carefully. Overcooking is the fastest way to dry chicken, and people are so afraid of "raw" chicken they air on the side of overcooking. I test mine by feel, but take them off sooner, rather than later. then let them rest before slicing.
Nickel
curiouser and curiouser
Yeah, we have grilled chicken (boneless/skinless breasts) at least once a week and Dustin always cooks them to perfection without drying them out.