Brining a chicken before you roast it enhances and locks in flavours and keeps the meat tender and moist. We have some general brining tips here (Ben’s brining tips) and today I am going to be adding honey and cinnamon.

Making the brine

1. Add the 1 cup of salt and 4 Tbsp of honey to a large mixing bowl.
2. Add boiling water to make a slurry, mix until the salt is dissolved.
3. Add the cinnamon stick, rosemary and thyme.

 

Brining the chicken

1. Add cold water (so we don’t start cooking the chicken in a hot brine) to the bowl and then submerse the chicken.
2. Pop the bowl in the fridge over night or for at least 4 hours.

Cooking the chicken

Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Cook the chicken for ~1 hour.

Note: You can make it hotter for a shorter cook but the meat should be at 75C in the breast.

You can even chuck some spuds in. Go hotter earlier and then reduce to 180C towards the end, checking the temperature of the meat as you finish.

I am gob-smacked every time with the result. 🙂

Serving:

Let the roast rest for about 15 minutes while you make your gravy and serve the sides.

Enjoy,

PK

Here are some more chicken recipes and roasting posts :