Healthy Grilled Brined Chicken with Garlic and Thyme Recipe
Makes 4 servings.
Brine time 1 to 2 hours. Grilling time 10-14 minutes.
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 (Diamond Crystal brand) See salt substitutions below
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 oz. each) See Kitchen Tips
DIRECTIONS
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.
Kitchen Substitutions: For this grilled chicken recipe use: 2 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or 1 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. Morton kosher salt, or 1 Tbsp. table salt.
Large Chicken Breasts: If parts of the chicken breasts are more than 1-inch thick, use a sharp knife to cut the thick end horizontally to make a smaller second piece. This ensures more even brining and cooking.
Nutritional Information (Per serving): 180 calories, 36g protein, 0g carb, 4g fat (1g sat. fat), 100mg chol, 990mg sodium, 0g fiber
