This Sweet Tea-Brined Chicken is a unique spin on a classic backyard BBQ dish.
Sweet tea is my husband’s favorite drink, just like most Southerners I know. When I found a recipe for sweet tea-brined chicken in Southern Living, I thought that he would like it, dog-eared it, and promptly forgot about it. I kept bumping into the recipe and thinking, “Oh, yeah—I should make that!” Finally, a year later, I got around to it.
I am kicking myself that it took so long. I’ve been totally missing out. It sounds so unconventional, but the chicken was moist and tender, infused with a subtle sweetness that played perfectly with the garlic, rosemary, and lemon in the brine. I love brining, and this is such a unique way to make the flavors more interesting. It makes you start thinking about what other non-traditional ingredients you could add to your brine!
Sweet tea is such an iconic summertime beverage that it makes this chicken the perfect dish to make for a backyard barbecue. Yes, it does require a little bit of pre-planning—the chicken brines for 24 hours, so it’s not a quick meal—but I promise it will be so worth it when you take your first bite.
What does brine do?
Brining is one of the simplest ways to inject flavor into your chicken while ensuring it stays juicy and tender after cooking. The salt in the liquid mixture helps partially break down some of the muscle proteins, allowing them to absorb more moisture. It also deeply flavors the chicken, even more so than surface-level spice rubs or seasonings. The only downside to brining is that it takes pre-planning and has to be done in advance. But if you have the time, it’s a worthwhile step.
How do I store leftovers?
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for 3-4 days. For longer storage, you could freeze portions tightly wrapped in cling wrap or a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Serving suggestions
I love serving this sweet tea-brined chicken as part of a Southern-inspired barbecue spread. Whip up a batch of Southern Potato Salad on the side, along with this Grilled Corn Salad With Fresh Herbs. For something more substantial, try this Southern Mac And Cheese.
Sweet Tea-Brined Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 2 large tea bags
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 1 lemon thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and halved
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 cups ice cubes
- 1 tablespoon crushed black pepper
- 3-4 pounds chicken pieces such as bone-in breasts
Instructions
- Boil 4 cups of water in a heavy-bottomed pan, 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, pour in the brine, place in fridge, and let marinate for 24 hours.
- Take the chicken out of the brine and discard the brine. Dry the chicken off with paper towels.
- Set up two-zone cooking. Heat one side of the grill to medium and leave the other side unlit. Put the chicken skin-side down on the side that is not lit. Cover the grill and cook for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for 40-50 minutes or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F.
This was awesome, a couple items of note, everyone who ate the chicken had a rough sleep, I would suggest using decaf tea… not sure if this was the issue, but the only one in the house who wouldn’t eat it, was the only one who wasn’t up for hours in the middle of the night.
I also only left it in the brine for 4 hours, it was more than enough. The 2cups ice cubes was awesome, didn’t have to wait for it to cool down for hours, really made this a quick Sunday afternoon brine for a tasty supper.
Thanks for the recipe, will definitely be using this again!
Thanks for sharing! Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe.
does it come out sweet??
Not really! The brown sugar adds a little sweetness, but it’s mostly there to balance the salt and tea flavors. If you’re worried, you can always cut the sugar down a bit!