The big secret to cooking truly delicious chicken isn’t expensive appliances, but one simple element: time. If you want to move from “standard” to “phenomenal,” you must start salting the meat at least a few hours before it meets the heat.
At Spizing, we believe details make the difference. Here’s how to do it right:
1. Dry Brining: The Method for Patient Connoisseurs
The best way is to salt the chicken as soon as you get home from the market.
- Proportion: Use 5 grams of salt per 1 kilogram of chicken (approximately 1 tsp per kg).
- Time: Place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. If you have time, leave it for 12 to 24 hours.
- Cooking: Take it out and cook it directly—without washing it!
The Ultimate Crispy Skin Hack If you want crispy skin, place the whole chicken on a tray with a wire rack at the bottom and leave it uncovered (no lid or foil) in the refrigerator for 24 hours. The cold air will dry out the skin, resulting in incomparable crispness when roasted or grilled, while the meat underneath remains incredibly juicy.
2. Wet Brining: The Quick Method
If you need to cook your bird today, dry salting won’t have enough time to work deep into the meat. This is where a 10% brine comes to the rescue.
- The Formula: 100g of salt per 1 liter of cold water.
- Brining Time:
- Breasts and tenderloins: 30 minutes.
- Drumsticks and wings: about 1 hour.
- Whole chicken: 2 to 4 hours.
- Warning: Do not exceed these times! The salt concentration is high, and the meat can easily become over-salted. After removing from the brine, pat the meat thoroughly dry and cook immediately.
3. Defrosting and Seasoning “2-in-1”
Frozen chicken requires special treatment. We recommend defrosting it unpacked in the refrigerator, submerged in a 2% brine (20g or 1 tbsp of salt per 1 liter of water). After 24 hours, the chicken will be both properly thawed and perfectly seasoned.
Why is last-minute salting a mistake?
Salting immediately before cooking only seasons the surface. Furthermore, salt draws moisture out just as the meat begins to heat up, leading to dry and tough chicken (especially the breasts). Advance salting changes the protein structure so that they lock the juices inside.
Spizing Tip: Cooking chicken requires planning. Get used to salting in advance, and you’ll soon realize why this is the only way to achieve “the most delicious chicken on Earth.”