Brined Chicken With Lemon Recipe

Brining, or possibly soaking food in a salt solution, can improve the flavor of chicken.

Soaking the chicken in brine overnight allows for uniform salting and produces a very moist chicken.

1.

Combine 4 qts water and salt in a Dutch oven, stirring till the salt dissolves.

Remove and throw away giblets and neck from chicken.

Rinse chicken with cool water; pat dry.

Trim excess fat.

Add in chicken to salt mix; cover and chill 8 hrs or possibly overnight.

2.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3.

Remove chicken from brine; throw away brine.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels.

Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.

Place the lemon slices under loosened skin.

Sprinkle cavity with pepper; place the lemon wedges, parsley, garlic, and shallot into cavity.

Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken.

Place on the rack of a broiler pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour and 10 min or possibly till thermometer registers 180 degrees.

Throw away skin.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces chicken).