allowing dissolved proteins to cross-link with each
other. This is the main principle behind sausage making—
dissolved proteins can bond with each other, creating a
pleasantly bouncy, tender texture. By brining a chicken
breast or a pork chop, you’re in effect giving it a very
light cure—the same process that converts a raw ham into
a supple prosciutto.- Third, as the brine slowly works its way into the meat, it
seasons it beyond just the very surface. An overnight
brine will penetrate a few millimeters into the meat, giving
you built-in seasoning before you ever get to the breading.
Brines also improve juiciness by increasing the muscles’
ability to retain moisture. My normal brining for chicken
breast is anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. In this
case, however, a much, much longer brining time was
necessary in order to completely mitigate the effects of
high-temperature frying, delivering a uniquely smooth,
juicy texture to the meat.
A full 6 hours submerged in salt/sugar water produced the
beauty below. Weighing the meat confirmed that an
overnight-brined-then-fried bird loses about 9 percent less
moisture than an unbrined bird does and is significantly
tastier.