Brined + Smoked Chicken

We have all enjoyed mountains of turkey over the years for the holidays and it’s time to change things up a little! 

This recipe can still very well work with a turkey but due to the manageable size and efficient cook time, we decided to infuse a little extra life into the common chicken. 

This recipe offers a lot of great flavours from the citrus and smoke, creating a new flavour profile on the holiday table, or any table, that will excite your table guests from near and far.  

We will point out that since this method requires the bird to be cooked directly on the grill, we do miss out on the drippings for gravy, but fear not, we have an amazing Brown Butter Gravy recipe that will blow your mind. 

• Make a simple brine: Mix all ingredients together in a pot until well incorporated and salt is dissolved. 
• 1 gallon of water
• ¾ cups sea salt
• A few peppercorns 
• 4 smashed garlic cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 lemons, halved and squeezed 
• 1 lime, halved and squeezed 
• 1 orange quartered and squeezed 
• Fresh Thyme and Rosemary 
• Once together, submerge whole chicken in brine and leave for 8-24 hours in the fridge. 

• Set smoke on your grill to 400. 
• Remove chicken from brine and pat dry. 
• Place oranges, garlic and herbs inside the cavity and crack some fresh pepper over the whole chicken. 
• Place in grill away from the flames and let roast in the smoke until the internal temp has reached 165. 
• Make sure the bird rests for at least a solid 10 minutes at room temperature before cutting into it. 
• Serve with a few hardy spoonfuls of our Brown Butter Gravy.