Simple Chicken Brine
On June 16, 2025
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With just 5 easy ingredients, you can make this Simple Chicken Brine right at home. Then, you’ve got a go-to tool for infusing all your poultry with flavor before it even hits the grill.
Simple Chicken Brine
Brining is an easy method for upgrading the flavor of your chicken before cooking. This Simple Chicken Brine uses just 5 common ingredients. Brown sugar brings out the natural sweetness of your chicken. Kosher salt helps lock in all that moisture. Tabasco Sauce gives your chicken a nice, spicy kick. Finally, my signature Sweet Rub ties it all together, and adds that smoky BBQ flavor your family will love. Stir it all together in water, drop in your bird, and let time do the rest.
Whether you’re grilling, smoking, or roasting, this brine delivers juicy, flavorful results every single time. Just be prepared for your family and friends to demand seconds (as well as the recipe).
Ingredients for this Recipe
This recipe couldn’t get much simpler. The odds are good you have most of these common ingredients on hand already. Just in case, though, here’s what you need:
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup Tabasco Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
- ½ cup Kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub
You can make your own Sweet Rub at home following this recipe, or pick up a bottle in the Hey Grill Hey Store if you want to save some time.
How Long to Brine Chicken
Most recipes suggest brining your chicken overnight (about 8 hours), and that’s my recommendation as well. You can go up to 24 hours, but that 8-12 hour window is ideal. If you don’t give your chicken enough time to brine, you’ll lose out on the flavor and tenderizing effects. When you brine your chicken for too long, it may start to become mushy. That’s why I recommend brining overnight.
How to Make Your Own Chicken Brine
Alright, you’ve learned all the ins and outs of brining, and now it’s your turn. Follow these easy steps to create your own brine right at home:
- Make the brine. Add the water to a large freezer bag, or a deep pot or container. This works best with a sealable bag or container, but you can cover your pot with plastic wrap as well. Next, add in the brown sugar, Tabasco sauce, Kosher salt, and my signature Sweet Rub. Stir everything together with a whisk until the salt, sugar and rub dissolve fully.
- Brine the chicken. Once your brine is ready, gently submerge your chicken fully into the brine with some food-safe gloves. Seal the bag (or cover your pot), then place it in the refrigerator. Give your brine 8-12 hours to slowly infuse the chicken with all the sweet, spicy, savory flavor notes, while at the same time tenderizing it for a perfect bite.
- Cook the chicken. After you remove your chicken (or any bird) from the brine, pat dry with a paper towel. I recommend slathering your chicken with more hot sauce and sprinkling it with more Sweet Rub before giving it heat. Then you can smoke it, grill it, you can even throw it in your oven. No matter how you prefer cooking your poultry, this brine delivers. Use it to make this Smoked Whole Chicken, or check out the Chicken Section of the site if you need some inspiration.
More Awesome Brining Recipes
If you love what this Simple Chicken Brine does for your dinner game, you’ve got to try all my other brines. You can find them all in the Hey Grill Hey App, but here are some of my go-to recipes to kickstart your flavor journey:
Classic Chicken Brine Recipe
Follow the recipe card below to make this Simple Chicken Brine, then get ready to soak up all that praise once your family enjoys it. If you tried it, I’d love to hear about your results in the comments section below, along with a 5-star review.
Remember to follow my Facebook and Instagram pages, and to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I’m always dropping new recipes, grilling hacks, and more, to help you become a Backyard BBQ Hero.
Simple Chicken Brine
Ingredients
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup TABASCO® Sauce
- ½ cup Kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub
Instructions
- Make the brine. Add the water to a large freezer bag or deep pot. Next, add in the brown sugar, Tabasco sauce, Kosher salt, and my signature Sweet Rub. Stir everything together with a whisk until the salt, sugar and rub dissolve fully.1 gallon water, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup TABASCO® Sauce, ½ cup Kosher salt, 2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub
- Brine the chicken. Fully submerge the chicken in the brine, then seal the bag or cover the pot. Place in the refrigerator and allow to brine overnight, or up to 24 hours.
- Cook the chicken. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Add any additional seasonings you love, and your chicken is ready for the heat. This brine is an easy, flavorful step you can add to most of my chicken recipes.
Notes
- Purchase in the Hey Grill Hey Store here
- Make your own following the recipe here
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
anything from Susie always turns out great!!!! I’ve received so many raves about my grilled/ smoked food and I always have to pass the cudos on to Hey Grill hey. Thanks for all of your help and ideas!!