Sweet Tea Brined Chicken

Cookbook Recipe #47

Another one of my fav cookbooks! I still have not cooked a ton of recipes from any of them yet, but I probably have over 100 recipes that I want to try in each one. I was looking through my cookbooks last week trying to figure out what recipe I was going to choose for this week. I saw this recipe for Sweet Tea Brined Chicken and thought it sounded perfect for the nice weather we are starting to have. And when it is nice out I like to drink iced tea. I actually do not like southern sweet tea. I prefer just a nice tall glass of plain iced tea with a lemon slice. It is such a thirst quencher for me. I do like sweet flavors on my chicken though so I figured I would like this.

This was my first time brining something and it definitely won't be the last. The flavor of the chicken was so good. I would not say it tasted like tea at all, but it was really good. I suggest following the instructions of the full 24 hour brine because I think that gave it time to soak in all the flavor into the chicken. Phil and I teamed up on this one. I made the brine and he grilled the chicken. He grilled this perfectly. I think this was the perfect recipe to start out the nice warm days. 

Sweet Tea Brined Chicken

Recipe from Southern Living Annual Recipes 2011

8 regular tea bags

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup kosher salt

1 small sweet onion sliced

1 lemon, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, halved

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1 tablespoon cracked pepper

2 cups ice cubes

1 whole chicken cut up, or a mix of chicken pieces

Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add tea bags. Remove from heat, cover and steep for 10 minutes. 

Toss tea bags. Stir in sugar and next 6 ingredients. Stir until sugar dissolves. Cool mixture completely, about 45 minutes. 

Stir in ice. 

Place tea mixture and chicken in a large plastic bag. Refrigerate for 24 hours. 

Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Pat chicken dry. 

Light one side of the grill to medium heat. Leave other side unlit. 

Place chicken skin side down over the unlit side of the grill. Cove with lid and cook 20 minutes. 

Turn chicken and grill, covered for 40-50 minutes or until done. 

Transfer chicken, skin side down to the lit side of the grill and grill 2-3 minutes until skin is crispy. 

Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

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