Everyone knows that us southerners love our sweet tea. That’s just a fact. I’d venture to say that we love it more than fried bologna sandwiches. More than grits. Even more than NASCAR.
So when I stumbled upon this recipe, I knew I had to make it. I mean, it’s chicken that you soak in sweet tea! There was no way I could skip this one. The brine itself also includes lemon slices and rosemary which are two of my favorite things to use on chicken!
It was absolutely perfect. If you didn’t know that the brine included tea you probably wouldn’t be able to guess – the flavor is very subtle but still different enough to make you wonder what it is. You could very easily use the leftover meat in a casserole or something similar without worrying that everything would taste like tea.
The brine did it’s job and kept the chicken super moist. My kids just gobbled it up!
Sweet Tea-Brined Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 family-size tea bags
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, halved
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1 tablespoon freshly cracked pepper
- 2 cups ice cubes
- 1 about 4 pound cut-up chicken
Instructions
- Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a heavy saucepan; add tea bags. Remove from heat; cover and steep 10 minutes.
- Discard tea bags. Stir in brown sugar, salt, onion, lemon, garlic, rosemary, and pepper; stir until sugar is dissolved. Cool completely (about 45 minutes); stir in ice. You want the mixture to be cold when you add the chicken.
- Place tea mixture and chicken in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag; seal. Place bag in a shallow baking dish and chill 24 hours. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade; use paper towels to pat chicken dry.
- Light one side of grill, heating to 300F to 350F (medium) heat; leave other side unlit. Place chicken, skin side down, over unlit side, and grill, covered with grill lid, 20 minutes. Turn chicken, and grill, covered with grill lid, 40 to 50 minutes or until done. Transfer chicken, skin side down, to lit side of grill, and grill 2 to 3 minutes or until skin is crispy. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with grilled lemon slices and rosemary.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 563Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 213mgSodium: 3705mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 55g
Laura says
Yum! Have heard of, but never tried this. I think you may have sold me, looks great!
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
Oooh I can get behind this. Totally. I became a southerner in 4 years. We would love to go back. Maybe someday :)
[email protected] says
I have never thought of using sweet tea as a brine, but it sounds great!
Amy says
That picture is outstanding. And I’m totally making this.
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
You’re speaking a foreign language to me… fried bologna sandwiches? I’ve heard of grits. And don’t get me started with nascar oh dear…. lol. But this chicken… I love this :)
Julie @ Table for Two says
I love the crust on the outside of that chicken! My fiance would LOVE this because he’s such a huge fan of sweet tea and the recipe has great flavors in it! I love chicken and rosemary!
Sarah says
This looks great! I would have never thought to brine chicken in tea. I love Southern Living. I have found some great holiday recipes I love from there.
Tracy A. says
Believe it or not – I made this just last night! it is absolutely delicious and my family loved it!
meatballs & milkshakes says
I’ve never seen anyone use sweet tea as a brine but what a fantastic idea! I’ll have to give it a try!
Alyson says
I grew up in Cali eating fried bologna sandwiches and Lord knows I love my NASCAR :) and well The Sweetie is a Southern as they come, so I’m sure this will be a hit with him!! Definitely trying it!!
Lisa @ The Cooking Bride says
Oh YUM! Your pictures look totally appetizing!
Lokness @ The Missing Lokness says
This recipe sounds really good! I wonder if the tea flavor is strong or not. I can’t wait to try this out! Thanks for sharing.
Angie @ Big Bear's Wife says
back during the week of Christmas we were down in Wilmington, NC we went to a diner that had Sweet Tea-Brined Chicken Sandwiches. They were so good! I can’t wait to make this!
Janet says
Question: The photo shows it’s oven baked, but the directions show it on the grill. Do you have directions for oven baking? Looks delish but I don’t have enough grill space for it AND ribs!
Amanda Livesay says
I would bake them at 425F for 40 or so minutes, depending on which cuts of chicken you use. Just make sure the internal temperature reaches 165F. :)