How Long Should You Brine Chicken For? The Ultimate Guide

Putting chicken in brine is a great way to make it more juicy, flavorful, and tender. But how long should you brine chicken for the best results? As a big fan of chicken and a busy home cook, I decided to do some research and tests to find the best chicken brining times.

What I’ve learned about how long to brine chicken for the most flavor and juicy meat comes from reading a lot of different sources and trying out different brine methods and times myself.

Why Brine Chicken in the First Place?

Before we talk about the best time, it’s helpful to know why brining chicken makes a difference at all.

It’s basically saltwater mixed with spices that helps season and moisten the chicken from the inside out. Here’s what happens during the brining process:

• The salt in the brine seasons the chicken and enhances flavor

• The water gets absorbed into the chicken, keeping it incredibly moist and juicy during cooking

• Salt also acts as a preservative and tenderizer, softening the proteins in the meat for a more tender texture.

So brining results in chicken that is more flavorful, tender and juicy compared to unbrined chicken. It’s an easy way to seriously upgrade your chicken game with just a little planning ahead.

How Long Depends on the Brining Method

There are a few different ways you can brine chicken, including:

• Wet brine – Soaking chicken in a saltwater (or other liquid) solution. This is the most common method.

• Dry brine – Rubbing chicken all over with a salt-herb mixture and letting it rest in the fridge.

• Buttermilk brine – Soaking chicken in a buttermilk and seasoning mixture. Great for fried chicken.

The length of time will vary somewhat depending on the brining method used. Here are general guidelines for each:

Wet Brine

A wet brine should last 8-12 hours for bone-in chicken pieces and 12-24 hours for a whole chicken. The sodium and water need time to fully penetrate into the meat. Wet brining for less than 8 hours doesn’t impart as much flavor or moisture benefits.

Dry Brine

4-8 hours is ideal for a dry brine. The salt draws moisture out at first, then that moisture dissolves some of the salt and gets reabsorbed into the chicken. Leaving it too long can make it overly salty.

Buttermilk Brine

2-4 hours is ideal for buttermilk brining. The acidity in the buttermilk tenderizes the chicken, so you don’t need as much time as a wet brine.

As you can see, wet brining requires the longest duration to be fully effective. But keep reading for more specifics on timing.

The Best Wet Brine Duration for Chicken

Since wet brining chicken is the most popular method, I’ll go into more detail on ideal timing based on my own testing and research.

For bone-in chicken pieces like breasts, thighs, legs or wings, brine for 8-12 hours. 12 hours gives the best flavor and moisture infusion in my experience. 8 hours is the minimum for good brine penetration.

For a whole chicken, brine for 12-24 hours to ensure full penetration into the thicker breast meat. I found 18-24 hours to yield excellent juicy, seasoned meat.

Here are more details on my brine timing tests:

• 6 hours – I detected a slight improvement in moisture but not much flavor benefit.

• 8 hours – Good moisture retention and lightly seasoned flavor throughout.

• 12 hours – Big improvement in juiciness and flavor over 8 hours. This was my goldilocks time for bone-in pieces.

• 18 hours – Very noticeable boost in juiciness and seasoning for a whole bird. My ideal time.

• 24 hours – Similar outstanding results to 18 hours but not further improved. Still excellent.

I don’t recommend exceeding 24 hours as the chicken can become too salty. For food safety, keep the raw chicken refrigerated while brining.

Other Factors That Affect Brining Time

Aside from using a whole chicken versus pieces, there are a few other factors that can impact the ideal brining duration:

• Boneless vs bone-in – Boneless cuts may brine faster, so reduce time by 2-4 hours.

• Meat thickness – Thicker cuts need more time. Add 2-4 hours for very thick breast or thigh pieces.

• Brine strength – A less concentrated brine needs longer. Increase time by 2-4 hours if using less salt.

• Cold temperature – Colder brine penetrates slower. Add 1-2 hours if brine is very cold.

• Freezing after brining – Can reduce brining time since salt penetrates frozen meat faster when thawed.

So take these factors into account when deciding on your brine duration. Monitor for over-salting and adjust time accordingly.

Tips for Successful Chicken Brining

To get the most out of the brining process, here are some useful tips:

• Use a non-reactive container like plastic or glass. Metal can react with the salt.

• Make sure chicken is fully submerged in the brine. Weigh it down if needed.

• Refrigerate while brining raw chicken. Brining on the counter risks bacterial growth.

• Rinse chicken after brining and pat dry for better browning.

• Avoid adding more salt before cooking. The brined chicken is already seasoned.

• Let brined chicken sit at room temp for 30 mins before cooking for more even cooking.

Following these best practices will help you get perfectly brined chicken every time!

Putting It All Together

Here is a quick summary of approximately how long you should brine different types of chicken:

• Bone-in chicken pieces: 8-12 hours
• Boneless chicken pieces: 6-10 hours
• Whole chicken: 12-24 hours
• Chicken via dry brine: 4-8 hours
• Chicken via buttermilk brine: 2-4 hours

For a wet brine, 12 hours for bone-in pieces and 18-24 hours for a whole bird are ideal for maximizing juiciness and flavor. But adjust the duration as needed based on meat thickness, brine strength, temperature and other factors.