Realized my chicken was always dry because I was skipping the brine step

I spent six months making air fryer chicken breasts that came out like cardboard, and I just figured that's how air fryers worked. Then my sister told me to soak them in salt water for 20 minutes before cooking, and the first batch came out juicy and tender. How did I not know that brining is basically a cheat code for air fryer chicken?

2 comments

2 Comments

seanperry12h ago

I spent a solid year eating dry rubber chicken before my neighbor finally asked me why I was torturing myself. One brine later and I felt like I'd been gaslit by every chicken recipe I ever tried. My problem was I thought salting it right before cooking was the same thing, which is like saying a quick handshake is the same as a full hug. Now if I skip the brine I get irrationally angry at myself. Twenty minutes in salt water is the difference between something you dread eating and something you actually look forward to.

betty_shah11h ago

Twenty minutes? That's all it takes? I've been dry brining my Thanksgiving turkey for two days every year like some kind of religious ritual. Now I'm wondering if I've been overthinking this whole thing and wasting a lot of time.