Sweet Tea Brined Chicken

Step 1

In a large pot, combine sweet tea, lemon juice, kosher salt, pepper, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, garlic and onion. Bring to a simmer over high heat. You do not need to rapidly boil the liquid; just whisk to make sure that the salt is dissolved.

Step 2

Remove from heat and cool completely.

Step 3

Once the brine is cool, add chicken to the brine and submerge in the liquid. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours (for bone-in chicken pieces) or 8-24 hours (for a whole chicken).

Step 4

Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse with cool water. Pat dry.

Step 5

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place chicken pieces skin-side-up on the baking sheet. Roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through (an internal temperature of 165 degrees F) – about 30-35 minutes for legs and wings; 45-55 minutes for breasts and thighs.

Step 6

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a rack in a roasting pan.

Step 7

Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wings underneath the bird. Place chicken (breast-side up) on the rack in the roasting pan. Brush the skin of the chicken liberally with melted butter.

Step 8

Roast on the middle rack of the oven for about 1 hour, 10 minutes (or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh meat (away from the bone) registers 165 degrees F). The skin should be brown and crisp. If it starts to get too brown before the chicken is done, tent loosely with foil. Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before carving and serving.