This leftover ingredient gives you wonderfully juicy chicken
Cooking juicy, tender chicken: it’s not always that easy. Take your eye off it for a moment and your chicken turns into a dry piece of cardboard. Fortunately, there are tricks that guarantee you’ll get a juicy chicken. With a product you may already have in your fridge!
Getting goosebumps from a good piece of chicken: it happens regularly here in the editorial office. We recently shared our 25 favorite chicken recipes with you. I can tell you, it was a difficult selection. Because there are so many delicious things you can make with chicken. If your foundation is good—a tender, juicy piece of chicken—you’re already well on your way. After today, it’ll be a piece of cake for you.
Olive brine
You get juicy chicken by brining it properly. You can do this with water, salt, a little sugar and some herbs. But water isn’t the only brine base you can use for juicy chicken. How about olive brine? The liquid your olives are sitting in is a flavorful alternative. This juice is slightly sweet and salty and has a beneficial acidity. This makes the chicken tender and supple. So don’t pour this liquid straight down the drain anymore.
Brine it overnight
The result is best if you leave the chicken in the olive brine overnight. In a hurry? In any case, allow at least an hour for brining. Keep your chicken in the fridge while it brines. Once the brining time has been long enough, discard the olive brine. Prepare your chicken however you like and you’ll notice that it comes out wonderfully juicy from the pan or oven. With a hint of olive flavor (which is a very good combination anyway!).
In principle, it doesn’t matter which type of olives you use for the brine. Black olives are generally quite mild and sweet, while green olives can be somewhat more bitter. It all depends on your personal preference—and what you still have in your fridge.
Also read:
- How long can you keep cooked chicken in the fridge?
- This is how you thaw chicken
- Super rare: white olives
