Sweet Tea Brined Chicken

April 10, 2025

Chef Skylar Bush and Chef Tyler Lee of 1kitchen prepared this recipe for our 2024 Creek Dinner. The tea imparts an earthy flavor while the brine tenderizes the chicken. We taught this recipe as part of the USN Evening Class series, where we served it with Skylar’s Skhug.

Ingredients

2 Family Sized Tea Bags (I use Luizianne)

3 cups water

1/2 cup brown Sugar

1/4 cup Kosher Salt

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 lemon, zested and thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

4 sprigs Thyme

1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns

2 cups Ice cubes

3-4 pounds chicken thighs

Preparation

Place all ingredients into a medium pot, except for chicken and ice cubes.Bring to a boil and let rest for 10 minutes. Place ice cubes and chicken into a bowl, and pour the brine over the top. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove chicken from the brine and place on a roasting rack, and bake for 35-40 minutes or until fork tender.

Sweet Tea Brined Chicken

Ingredients

Preparation

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