Sweet Tea Brined Grilled Chicken

For the Love of Sweet Tea

A year ago, Husband returned to a former love — sweet tea. I have no idea what prompted the hankering, but he came home with a gallon of unsweetened black tea, a box of Splenda, and never looked back. Me thinks he was missing his roots. Husband comes from a long line of sweet tea drinkers.

I have to admit, I grumbled silently at the presence of the gallon jugs of black tea that suddenly invaded our kitchen. Husband would leave one absentmindedly on the counter. Or shove a jug sideways in the fridge so that I’d find puddles of tea on the parmesan and brie. Annoyed I would take the plastic jug to the refrigerator in the laundry room, banishing the blight from sight. Husband would find the prize, delight in his sweet tea, and leave the tea jug wherever he happened to be when he refilled his glass.

Creativity comes in the most obvious places. Inspired by Husband’s love of sweet tea and all things grilled, we began cooking up a storm with this sweet tea brine.

Simple Sweet Tea Brine

I’ve made this simple brine so many times over the last year, it’s become a staple in our tea lovin’ house. If I don’t have frozen lemonade on hand, I improvise and up the tea and water to about 2 1/2 cups each. I’ll toss in a little extra sugar too. I quit brewing black tea since we are never in short supply of Husband’s beloved gallons. And, I’ve also gotten fond of tossing all the ingredients in a large resealable bag and letting the brine do its thing for 12-24 hours.

It’s a very forgiving recipe — really all you need is some sweet tea!

Enjoy!

Sweet Tea Brined Grilled Chicken

Print Recipe

Keep the sunny taste of summer going all year long with this simple sweet tea brine for delicious grilled chicken.

Ingredients

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• ½ cup kosher salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups freshly brewed black tea, cooled (or unsweetened prepared tea)
• 1 (12-oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate
• 2 cups ice cubes
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

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Instructions

1. In a large pot, bring 2 cups water, salt, sugar, and cinnamon stick to a boil. Stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stir in the tea, lemonade concentrate, ice cubes, and lemon slices. Allow brine to cool.
2. Pour brine in a large bowl, add the chicken and soak for 20 minutes while you prepare the grill.
3. Remove chicken from brine. Pat dry with paper towels, season with black pepper {you don’t need salt with brine!}. Grill the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side, until internal temperature reaches 160 F.