Ingredients
Brine
¾ c sugar
¾ c salt
1 tbsp whole juniper berries
1 cinnamon stick
5 to 6 whole dried bay leaves
2 tsp pepper flakes
3 quarts water
2 chicken breasts, skin on (airline cut, if you can)
In a small sauce pan combine 2 cups of water with the rest of the ingredients and put over high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar and salt is dissolved. Mix with the rest of the water and cool in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 450
Once the brine is cold place the chicken breasts into a zip top bag and cover with brine. Place in a plastic container in the fridge for 2 hours. You can save the rest of the brine for a later use. And don’t go too much longer than 2 hours when brining the breasts, there isn’t a lot of meat there and it starts to taste salty.
Place a ridged cast iron skillet over very high heat for 7-8 minutes. Turn off the flame and place the breasts into the skillet skin side down and cook for 2-3 minutes. This helps to render a bit of the fat and start a nice golden crust. You can always just use a regular pan, or skip this step entirely.
Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan and place in the oven for 5 minutes. Turn oven down to 350, check to make sure the skin isn’t burning, and cook an addition 10 minutes. Pull breasts out and let rest for at least five minutes. If you’re going to do the presentation I did for the chicken you don’t have to worry if they’re fully cooked yet. If you’re serving as is, check to ensure they’ve hit 170 with a probe thermometer.
Cut the breasts at an angle starting from the thin end going back toward the wing bone. Place cut breast back on the sheet pan and warm in the oven for a few minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked if it was still a little pink in the middle.
To serve place the smaller piece down and turn the larger top piece 90 degrees and place on top.
Dinner Tonight: Chicken Breast With Mushroom Polenta And Candied Fennel
