I like to lovingly think of this post as the blog post where I show you all that I can do more mature/grown up recipes than cookies or sprinkles-dumped-on-things. Sort of like when Zac Efron did the movie 17 Again, or Harry Potter did that weird play with the horse.



Anyways, let's talk poultry. More specifically, brined poultry.

A brine is a salt+water concoction that will make all your poultry dreams come true. Brines add a little salt and sass to your chicken, and a whole-heck-of-a-lot of tenderness. The most important thing is that you let your chicken brine long enough for the osmosis/science to happen.

I first read about this brine in the New York Times. It was originally inspired by a brine that was made with the discarded liquid from feta cheese. I'm going to go right on ahead and assume that none of you have access to buckets full of feta cheese liquid, so instead, we're going to blend up feta cheese with some water, and seasonings, and let that chicken sit in there for at least 24 hours.

With any brine, you'll still need to season your chicken. For our brine we're going to use salt, pepper, and oregano. We're also going to drizzle olive oil all over, and use chicken with skins. Because it's what's best for everyone. That's why.




My favorite thing about this chicken is that it's pretty versatile. The first time I made it, I threw some chopped up potatoes in the roasting pan. They soaked up some of the juices and had the most amazing flavor. I'm still brainstorming a way to make gravy out of the juices and pair it with some sort of feta mashed potato concoction. I'll get back to you on that one.

This time around, I threw my chicken with some veggies, yogurt, and pita Greek style. The feta is what really ties this chicken altogether.

You can also serve this chicken shredded up on a salad, or maybe even in some sort of Mediterranean sandwich with hummus or whatever. It's a real you-do-you type of situation. Just make sure you have lots of feta on the side. It's the right thing to do.





P.S. Have you been listening to the new Beyonce song? We have been listening to it on repeat over here. And by we, I mean James. And by James, I mean me.



Feta Brined Chicken
Adapted from The New York Times

3-4 chicken breasts, skins on (I've also used thighs or a whole cut up chicken before. The brine will work great no matter what, you'll just have to adjust cooking times accordingly)

2 oz. feta cheese plus more for sprinkling
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, seperated
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper, seperated
2 tablespoons Oregano, seperated
1 lemon (optional for serving)
Olive Oil

Blend 2 oz. feta, salt, 1 T and water. Don't think you can outsmart the system and just mix the cheese really well, you really need to blend it. Place chicken and brine in large ziploc bag (I recommend putting your zipped up bag in a large bowl to catch any drips). Let sit overnight.

An hour before roasting, remove from brine (discard brine) and let sit on a paper towel+plate for about an hour. This lets the chicken come up to room temp. which will help it cook more evenly and get that glorious skin nice and crispy.

Preheat your oven to 450 F. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and rub with remaining salt, pepper, and oregano. Roast until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Basting at least once. My chicken breasts were a little larger, they took about 25 minutes. Yours may take more or less time depending on size.

Let your chicken rest at least 15 minutes before diving in. Serve with lots of feta. I recommend mixing some feta into the juices that run off and serving that like a sauce. So good.