I’m sure like me, growing up you had to endure dry, flavorless chicken at some point. So then I went to the other extreme and only ate chicken in casseroles, soups or pasta dishes because I was scared I’d mess it up if I tried to cook just chicken. Then we started raising our own chicken and I took a deeper dive into cooking.

I learned how to use a meat thermometer so I wouldn’t overcook it. I learned how lean chicken was and that it’s good and wise to add fat, like luxurious melted butter over top after roasting. I started to enjoy chicken again!

And THEN, one Thanksgiving, I learned to dry brine our turkey and it was a GAME CHANGER. No cooking and dissolving a brine and waiting for it to cool and no mess in the fridge. The result……tender, juicy and flavorful meat.

So then I started using the same method on our weekly chicken dishes. Come along with me while I walk you through how we dry brine our chicken.

What is Dry Brine?

Dry brine is simply adding salt to meat and letting it sit for a certain period of time in the fridge before cooking. A traditional wet brine involves heating water and waiting for the salt (and usually sugar too) to dissolve and then you have to cool the brine before adding it to the meat for food safety reasons. Even still, it’s likely that brine will spill or leak all over your fridge, gross! A dry brine offers similar results with way less work & potential mess.

How Does Dry Brine Work?

Essentially, adding salt to the meat will draw moisture out of the meat. This moisture will mix with the salt and get reabsorbed into the meat. This means that the salt that draws out all the other flavors you add to a dish will not just be on the outside of the meat, but on the inside too! In addition, dry brining dries the exterior of the meat just a tad, making caramelization and crisping easier. Also, salt naturally breaks down the tendons in meat, making it more tender if given enough time.

What Salt Should I Use?

We love using Redmond Real Salt because of all the trace minerals. Kosher salt also works great because it sticks to the meat well. Course salt works well too but fine salt or table salt will not work the best.

How to Dry Brine Step-by-Step

Whole Chicken

1. Pat your chicken dry with a paper towel. Set on a baking sheet with sides or another baking dish lined with paper towels to absorb any juices the chicken loses. then set it on a rimmed baking sheet or other dish. You can place the chicken on a rack, which will allow the skin on the bottom to dry out a bit.

2. Salt your chicken. Use roughly 1 teaspoon per pound and sprinkle all over the skin, under the breast skin & thigh skin, and inside the cavity.

3. Refrigerate for 8-24 hours. If you’d like, you can loosely cover it with a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper, but don’t seal the foil. This allows the chicken skin to dry out so you’ll have nice crispy skin.

4. Cook as directed until 160 degrees. Once you’re ready to bake, simply pull the chicken out of the fridge and follow the recipe instructions to roast in the oven and make sure to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken

Smaller bone-in, skin-on cuts like chicken thighs, leg quarters, wings, breasts, or drumstick are also great for dry brining! 

1. For these, simply pat them dry, place them on a paper towel-lined dish.

2. Salt on both sides and under the skin if possible. You’ll use about ¾ teaspoon salt per pound of chicken.

3. Refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to about 12 hours. 

Leave the chicken uncovered if you’re just refrigerating for a few hours, or use a loose tent of foil if brining longer.

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts Or tenders

For boneless, skinless chicken all you’ll need is a super quick dry brine!

1. Simply pat the chicken dry on both sides, place on a plate or in a dish.

2. Salt on both sides with about ½ a teaspoon of salt per side.

3. Refrigerate the chicken for 30 minutes to 1 hour, then cook as your recipe suggests.

Have you ever dry brined before?! Share your tips and tricks below!