My kids love chicken, and I make it often….but it gets boring. I am always looking for ways to liven up this dinner staple. Recently I had the chance to review Holland House Cooking Wine and we loved it!
Holland House wines can be used for a variety of purposes in the kitchen, from enriching the flavor of soups and side dishes to adding flavor to rice, stir fries, and vegetables. Recently, a friend asked me if I had tried brining turkey or chicken as her family discovered how much they liked it. I decided to try Holland House’s recipe for Grilled Brined Chicken with Garlic and Thyme.
What’s brining and why do it? From the Holland House website: “Brining is a process of osmosis and protein denaturing via a high-salt liquid solution. Meat and poultry is submerged in the solution and chilled for a period of time. Brining makes lean meat and poultry absorb liquid and become juicier.”
Grilled Brined Chicken with Garlic and Thyme
INGREDIENTS
1 bottle (16 oz.) HOLLAND HOUSE White Cooking Wine with Lemon
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1 rounded Tbsp. dried thyme, crushed
2 large cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 oz. each)
Pour about 2/3 cup cooking wine into a glass. Stir in thyme and garlic. Microwave on high 1 minute. Cool to room temperature — at least 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. (Or, place glass in an ice water bath to chill faster; stir occasionally.) Meanwhile, in a large glass bowl, stir salt into remaining cooking wine until completely dissolved. When cooled, stir flavor infusion and add to remaining cooking wine; stir.
Place chicken in a sealable plastic bag or non-metallic bowl. Pour brine over chicken so it is completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour if chicken is thin, 2 hours if it is thick (1-inch or more).
Preheat grill to medium heat. Drain chicken and discard brine; do not rinse chicken. Grill thin chicken breasts 6 minutes (8 minutes for 1” thick breasts) over direct heat with cover closed. Turn chicken, close cover, and grill 2-4 minutes more (about 4 minutes more for thick breasts). Serve immediately.