Behind the Juicy Fried Chicken: Brining and How it is Done

This is an unspoken knowledge that as common as the humble fried chicken, we all know that not all fried chicken taste the same. Different fast-food chains and even normal home cooks will give us different experiences.

Although each of us have our own preferences in terms of taste, texture, and mouth feel; those video commercials oozing with delectable juiciness is somehow tempting. It may look like an exaggerated fake advertisement yet how come that when we tried it delivers what they claimed it to be? So how did they do it?

That circulating cooking meme saying:

I don’t measure a thing when I cook… I just sprinkle and add stuff until I hear the spirit of my ancestors’ whisper “that’s enough child.”

It’s funny (I must admit that I laughed at it too) because cooking is mostly improved through experience but at the same time it’s frustrating if someone will teach us that way.

Also, there are times that a recipe is not enough, no matter how much we follow it through, it does not result into something that we desired it to be.

So, what is behind that oozing juiciness of that tasty fried chicken meat?

The solution can be found in pantry and on our kitchen tops: salt and water.

Frying techniques aside; we will focus on brining, its types, techniques, and principles. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, a brine is simply a strong saline solution like the table salt (Sodium chloride) and brining is to steep something with a brine.

The several studies shows that the addition of salt in the form of sodium chloride in meat lead to the collagen’s large decrease in denaturation temperature, swelling of muscle fibers, and myofibrils (Aktas and Kaya, 2001b; Offer and Knight, 1988b; Offer and Trinick, 1983). With these mechanisms it is expected that the brined meat’s texture which is mostly proteins like the collagen and myofibrils are affected.

Also, this salting process causes the swelling of the meat pieces that accumulated water (Offer and Knight, 1988b). Hence the brining or the salting of meat does not only enhance its taste and flavor, but it also acts as a preservative, texture-control agent, and increases the water-holding capacity of the meat (Thierry Astruc, 2014).

Now that we have tackled the benefits of brining the meat or chicken meat before frying, now let us talk about how to brine.

These are the types of brining techniques:

1. Wet Brine
This type is simply submerging the meat into a brine solution, usually with a basic ratio of 1 cup of rock salt into a gallon of water. Others would prefer a mixture of 4% to 8% of salt by weight. Aside from the basic brine and science, it would be better we could add condiments and spices to enhance the flavor. Typically, the meat is just soaked in salted water or any liquid with water and salt such as: buttermilk, beer, fruit juices, and wine.

2. Dry rub
I would not call this dry brining since a brine often refers to a liquid. It might be a misnomer, but some cooks will refer this as dry brining, but I will simply call it a dry rub. It has similar effect as the wet brine but less large containers for submerging meats is needed. All we need to do is rub the salt or a mixture of salt and spices all over the surface of the meat.

The next question is, how long should the chicken be brined or marinated?

It should depend on the size or the cut of the meat. Food52 blog stated that, generally we can leave meat in a brine for one hour per pound and it is not prescribed to brine it more than that. Since, over-brining could also affect the meat’s texture.

But at a home setting I usually brine my pre-cut chickens for about 2-4 hours, and a whole chicken overnight in a fridge. Since it is important to keep the brine at refrigerated temperatures to prevent the growth of microorganisms and pathogens that may harm our health.

Now all things are set, we can do this at home. Although it may take more time and a little more patience, but we understand that there are times that good food may take time. Preparing the chicken beforehand may not hurt and planning is the key. This marinating or pre-frying procedure is a must try both for the cooking enthusiasts and fried chicken lovers.

Now that’s it? What’s next and where’s the frying?

Of course, we have to tackle about frying, but it would be for the next topic. It will be a thorough issue about frying techniques and what should be done and not be done. So, wait for it like we are marinating.

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_References:

^{Aktas, N., Kaya, M., 2001b. The influence of marinating with weak organic acids and salts on the muscular and intramuscular connective tissue and sensory properties of beef. Eur. Food Res. Technol. 213, 88-94.}

^{Lamb, C. (2021, August 13). How to Brine Meat—& Why You Should Bother. Food52; Food52. https://food52.com/blog/10405-how-to-brine-meat-and-why-you-should-bother}

^{Meriam-Webster. (n.d.) Brine. In Werriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brine}

^{Offer, G., Knight P., 1988b. The structural basis of water holding in meat. Part 1: General principles and water uptake in meat processing. In: Lawrie, R. (Ed), Developments in Meat Science, fourth ed. Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, London, pp. 66-172.}

^{Offer, G., Trinick, J., 1983. On the mechanisms of water holding in meat: the swelling and shrinking of myofibrils. Meat Sci. 8, 245-281.}

^{Thierry Astruc. (2014). Muscle Structure and Digestive Enzyme Bioaccessibility to Intracellular Compartments. Elsevier EBooks, 193–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-404610-8.00007-4}