Sweet Tea Brined Chicken

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Sweet Tea Brined Chicken – chicken pieces brined in a sweet tea brine and grilled. Serve with grilled lemons and grilled asparagus.

Sweet tea is my husband’s favorite drink. Same as most southerners I know. When I found this recipe for Sweet Tea Brined Chicken in Southern Living Magazine, I thought that Wes would like it, dog-eared it, and promptly forgot about it. I kept bumping into this recipe and finally almost a year later, I got around to making it.

I am kicking myself that it took me so long. It was incredible. Moist, tender, and perfect for a summer barbecue. You know how I feel about brining, and the idea of brining it in a drink intrigues me, what other drinks can we turn into brine? While this is really easy to make, it does require some planning, the brine needs 24 hours before you grill it. It is worth it entirely.

As I write this it is still Father’s Day, and I want to wish my husband a very Happy Father’s Day. We all think that he is the best dad around, and we love him very much. He starts his new job in the morning, and we will miss seeing him every day.

We were so lucky to have a year of amazing family time, and we all got used to having him around so much. We were lucky to do a lot of things as a family that we ordinarily would not have, and it is going to be hard to get back to the real world tomorrow. Have a great first day!

2 family sized tea bags
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves
2 sprigs rosemary
1 Tablespoon crushed black pepper
2 cups ice cubes
3-4 pounds chicken pieces (I used bone in breasts)

Boil 4 cups of water, add tea bags, and steep for 10 minutes.

Stir in sugar and salt. Stir until completely dissolved.

Add onion, lemon, garlic, and rosemary.

Add ice and cool completely.

Put the chicken into plastic bags and let sit in the brine for 24 hours.

Take the chicken out of the brine, and throw the brine away. Dry the chicken off with paper towels. Heat the grill to medium, but only on one side. Put the chicken skin side down, on the side that is not lit. Weird, but it works. Cover the grill and cook for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for 40 to 50 minutes or until cooked through.

About 10 minutes before the chicken is ready to come off, throw on some lemons that have been cut in half and asparagus. I like to squeeze the grilled lemon over my asparagus, so good. I served this a small salad, and it was delicious. This recipe comes from Southern Living.