Want to make your chicken even juicier and more tender? Order your Greensbury's organic, free-range poultry & try our salty & savory beer brine recipe with soy sauce.

A tailgating favorite, created by our Culinary Director, Chef Scott Leibfried. Did you know that a brine is simply a salted water mixture that adds flavor and moisture to most white meat proteins? Chicken, turkey, and most cuts of pork work great with brines.

Prep Time: 15 minutes, 24 hours to brine

Cook Time: Whole chicken up to 2 hours, wings 45 minutes (275 degrees)

Ingredients - Brine:

  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce 
  • 4 cups water
  • 3 Tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 15 cloves of peeled garlic
  • 3-12oz bottles of cans of your favorite beer (We like pilsners or ales, but don't be afraid to experiment with your preferred beer. Be careful with flavored or bitter beers as they can add a sour flavor to the brine)

Additional Ingredients:

  • 1 lemon cut in half, for use when cooking the chicken

Preparation:

  1. Add all of the ingredients together (minus the beer), the whole chicken, and the chicken wings to a deep pot. I suggest using a pasta pot with high sides. It will have to be big enough to hold all of the chicken later on. 
  2. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir until all of the salt and sugar are dissolved.
  3. Add the beer and allow the brine to cool to room temperature. Do not add the chicken until the brine is completely cooled.
  4. To the brine, add the whole chicken breast side down plus the wings. Make sure everything is completely in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 24-hours. 
  5. Remove the chicken and wings from the brine and season with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 1/2 and place it in the cavity of the chicken.
  6. Preheat the Big Green Egg to 275 degrees.
  7. Place the whole chicken off to one side of the grill, but not in the exact center on the Big Green Egg and cover. 
  8. After 75 minutes, put the chicken wings on the grill alongside the whole chicken and replace the cover on the grill.
  9. After 45 minutes, check the internal temperature of the whole chicken by inserting a thermometer in-between the thigh and the breast. Once the thermometer reads 165 degrees remove the whole chicken and the chicken wings from the grill.
  10. (Optional) Use the Banner Butter Roasted Garlic Basil and Parsley Banner Butter as a final baste for the whole chicken.
  11. (Optional) Use your favorite BBQ sauce to baste the wings.
  12. Cover with aluminum foil and let the chicken wings rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before carving. 
Suggested wine pairing from Bright Cellars: Lost City Bonarda
The Lost City Bonarda has a little bit of residual sugar making it slightly sweet. Super tannic red wines are NOT good spicy dishes, because hot flavors alongside tannins will rip your tastebuds. This Lost City Bonarda is much smoother and doesn't have super strong tannins, so that makes it more food-friendly with spicy dishes! 
Interested in signing up for a subscription wine club with Bright Cellars? Follow our link and receive 50% off your first month.