If you enjoy cooking turkey or chicken, then you should have a good turkey or chicken brine recipe in your back pocket. If you’re cooking turkey or chicken without brining, what are you doing?! Creating a brine is the best way to serve a juicy, tender, bite of protein. Continue reading as I share with you an easy all-purpose turkey /chicken brine recipe.
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My Go To Brine Recipe
There are two common types of brine used in cooking these birds. These cooking techniques are either a wet brine or a dry brine with salt. In this recipe I will share my wet brine recipe used for either chicken or turkey. There is no need for a basic dry brine recipe. For a dry brine, simply season your bird by covering it with kosher salt. When cooking any bird, turkey or chicken, there’s one key rule I always go by:
Wet brine for frying, smoking, or grilling. Dry brine for roasting.”
The only exception I make to the rule above is when it comes to baking. In my southern style baked turkey wing recipe. These flavors bake and melt together for a few hours, so there’s no need to brine my turkey wings.
Simple Turkey Brine Ingredients
The most basic wet brine recipe is 1 part salt, 1/2 part sugar, and water. However, we’re not basic cooks, so we’re going to elevate this recipe with various aromatics such as thyme, bay leaves, celery, garlic, lemons and more! In reality, you can add any seasoning to a basic brine recipe to create amazing infused flavors. For BBQ, try adding hickory smoke seasoning or BBQ seasoning for example.
Recommended Equipment
My Favorite Food Storage Container for Brines
I use the following food storage container for all of my brines. These work great for chicken wings, turkey, lamb and more!
Why You Need This Simple Turkey Brine Recipe
With brining, the common key ingredient is salt. Salt not only seasons your protein, releasing flavors from the inside out, but over time, salt also breaks down protein enzymes. This breakdown causes the protein to retain more moisture in the cooking process, resulting in a more tender, juicy cut of meat. It also prevents surface-level flavors.
For this all-purpose turkey and/or chicken brine recipe, I recommend allowing the protein to chill in the brine mixture overnight for maximum flavor. However, a few hours prior to cooking will still increase the moisture retained in turkey and chicken if you’re low on time.
Tips For This Recipe For Turkey Brine
- Dissolve ingredients in warm water, yet do not add turkey or chicken until brine mixture has completely cooled.
- You can quickly cool a warm brine mixture by adding ice cubes
- For storage and food safety, allow immersed turkey or chicken to chill in a temperature controlled environment such as the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Brine is a saltwater solution (that’s balanced by sugar) often infused with herbs, spices, sugar, and aromatics. It works by helping the meat absorb extra moisture and flavor, resulting in a turkey that’s juicy, tender, and well-seasoned throughout, even after hours in the oven.
You should never brine a completely frozen turkey. For best results, thaw the turkey fully in the refrigerator before submerging it in brine. Brining a partially frozen turkey may cause uneven flavor distribution and unsafe temperature zones. If you’re wondering how long it will take for you to thaw out your turkey, be sure to estimate 24 hours of thawing time for every 4–5 pounds of turkey.
Yes, over-brining can result in an overly salty bird and a mushy texture. Most turkeys only need 12–24 hours in a standard wet brine. Any longer and the salt may start to break down the proteins too much.
More Favorites from Elicit Folio
Brine For Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups Water
- 1/2 cup Kosher Salt
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 2 tbsp Whole Peppercorns
- 1 tbsp Adobo All Purpose Seasoning
- 5 Garlic Cloves, rough chopped
- 3 Celery Stalks, cleaned, cut
- 1 Lemon, cleaned, sliced
- 4 Sprigs of Thyme
- 2 Bay Leaves
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups of water up to boil. Upon boil, turn off heat, pour in salt, sugar, and Adobo seasoning. Stir until dissolved.
- Once dissolved add whole peppercorns, chopped garlic, chopped celery, lemon slices, thyme, and bay leaves. Combine and stir. Cool down mixture by adding the remaining 6 cups of cool water. Allow mixture to sit and cool before adding turkey or chicken.
- Take turkey or chicken, place it inside of a food storage container or storage bag. Pour cooled brine mixture into container or bag with the turkey/chicken. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. (TIP: If you use a Ziplock bag to submerge your protein in, I recommend placing this inside of a bowl to prevent leaks in your refrigerator.)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Brine Recipe Video Tutorial:
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I enjoy using it when cooking! As a takeaway, always remember to brine your birds before cooking!
We never made brine too, but this recipe looks yummy and easy. I love lemons and celery. Thank you for sharing.
Whew! This chicken will definitely slap because of the lemons that are kind of marinating it. I look forward to trying out this recipe myself..
I can imagine the tasty lemony chicken after marinating it for hours. I will try your recipe! This could be the first time I will try a brine recipe. Does it also work with other meat such as beef?
We’ve always roasted our turkeys so I had no idea how to do a wet brine. Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Loved your simple poultry brine recipe! Even for a non-cook like me, the steps were easy to follow. The flavors were spot-on. Thanks for making a daunting task seem doable!
I love doing easy recipes! Thank you for sharing Turkey and Chicken Brine recipe. Appreciate your tip of adding ice cubes. That definitely makes sense.
How many pounds for turkey?
Hi Gene! You should calculate 1 gallon of brine for every 5-6 pounds of turkey.
For a 10-12 pound turkey, you’ll need approximately 2 gallons of brine.
For a 15-18 pound turkey, you’ll need approximately 3 gallons of brine.
A good brine makes such a difference! Love how this recipe keeps it simple while adding so much flavor. Definitely trying this next time!