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Cooking lean meat can be tricky since it tends to get tough easily, which is why brining chicken is so important. The task helps to preserve the chicken’s moisture so that it remains juicy as it cooks. We’re talking of a wet chicken brine, where the chicken is submerged in a mixture of salt and water at a ratio of one cup per gallon of water. Yet this mixture can be altered with the simple addition of beer for better results.

A plain chicken brine helps to preserve and even adds moisture to the chicken. This works through two processes. Once the chicken is submerged in brine, osmosis occurs. This involves water transferring from the brine through the membranes of the chicken’s cells. The second process, diffusion, sees salt (and water) move from the higher concentration in the brine and settle in the chicken, leveling out the distribution. Not only that, but the absorption brings out the flavor of the meat since salt is a flavor enhancer.

Similarly, chicken’s flavor is enhanced by beer. If salt-brining is the king of imparting flavors, beer-brining is the ace card. The beer, along with the brine, transfers its natural aromas along with salt so that it enriches the meat through diffusion. Tannins and acids in beer also help break down the chicken meat so it’s tender. Imagine the taste of chicken bolstered with hints of toasty, roast-y aromas and its meat falling apart so effortlessly — divine.

To make a chicken brine, combine water, salt, and optional sugar in a pot and heat on medium until the salt and sugar dissolve. At this point, you can add any desired flavorings. For instance, you might introduce a wheat beer and preserved lemons for a unique citrus twist. Once everything has dissolved, take the pot off the heat and submerge your chicken in the brine.

Refrigerate the brined chicken for at least four hours or overnight. Before cooking, you can rinse the chicken or pat it dry with a paper towel. You can cook the chicken in whatever way suits your taste – poached, fried, or, our recommendation, herb-roasted. This combination of brining and roasting helps the chicken to brown nicely and imbues it with a deep, caramelized flavor.

If the idea of a beer-infused chicken brine doesn’t appeal, you could try making beer-can chicken instead. This odd-sounding technique involves grilling a chicken while it’s sitting upright with a beer can inside it, allowing the beer to evaporate and flavor the bird from the inside. Despite its unusual preparation, the results are fantastically flavorful.

You can find the original article on Tasting Table.