Brined Chicken

I've got a two step recipe for y'all to follow. Here's the thing, though. Brining is a process best left to sit for at least several hours - even better if it's a day. I'll get you started on the brine and then return tomorrow with the rest of the recipe.

You need:

1 gallon sized plastic bag
1 buncha salt
1 working faucet
1 amount of chicken
1 lotsa citrus (lemon or lime - juice in a bottle or fresh doesn't really matter)
1 bit of flavor you want to infuse in the chicken. I like pepper, so we'll use a pepper combo.

There are a few reasons why you should brine. First, brining chicken makes it very, very moist. It's nearly impossible to burn a piece of chicken once it's been brined. Second, it's a great way to introduce flavor to the inside of your meat. The food science is simple and I'll use language that reflects that. The chicken absorbs the good flavor in the water and locks it in because of a process I invented called osmosis (someone else might've come up with a better term for it, that's just what I call it ;-) The salt water is the key to flavor country. Don't skimp.
I've done it with other meats, but chicken seems to be the most versatile.

Get your bag, fill it with water. Add enough salt so that the water itself tastes salty. Add your chicken and citrus. Lemon juice is easiest to come by, but lime gives you a slightly better flavor. I tend to add about a cup of citrus but you can eyeball it. If you're using fresh lemons, you're going to want to use at least 4, cut into large pieces.

Now add your pepper. I like a cayenne, black and white pepper mix. The pepper will be somewhat diffused by the water, so think Tablespoons not teaspoons when you're doing this (consider how much chicken you are preparing when judging how many Tbsp of your peppers to add). Toss in some minced garlic, a tsp of cilantro, and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon - just to make things interesting.

Seal the bag, shake it up a bit and make sure that there's enough liquid to completely cover all pieces of chicken. Now - sit tight. I'll be back tomorrow with part deux of the Brined Chicken Adventure!