Brine Chicken Thighs: Salt Ratio and Time
Published
For 2 lb (0.91 kg) of chicken thighs, dissolve 56.8 g (2 oz) of salt in 1 quart (0.95 L) of water, a 6% brine, and refrigerate the thighs in it for 1 to 2 hours. The time applies to bone-in or boneless thighs 2 inches (5 cm) thick or less.
A stronger 7.61% brine uses 72 g (2.54 oz) of salt in the same quart and runs 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Quick answer
For chicken thighs, use a 6% brine: 56.8 g (2 oz) of salt per quart of water. Brine 2 lb (0.91 kg) for 1 to 2 hr.
- Diamond Crystal kosher, per quart of water
- 3/8 cup
- Morton kosher, per quart of water
- 1/4 cup
- Table salt, per quart of water
- 3 Tbsp
- For 2 lb (0.91 kg)
- 56.8 g (2 oz) of salt in 1 quart (0.95 L) of water
- Time window
- 1 to 2 hr
Warnings
Do not brine meat that is labeled basted, enhanced, marinated or kosher (Morton Salt, It's Time To Brine). Destination BBQ (Brining math explained) says enhanced, self-basting and kosher meat has already been salt-treated and is essentially pre-brined, and that you might dry-brine it very lightly or not brine it at all.
Brine in the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below. Do not brine at room temperature.
Discard the brine after use. Do not reuse brine that held raw meat, poultry or fish.
Do not brine longer than 2 hr. The Kitchn's 5 Smart Tips for Better Brined Meat page (https://www.thekitchn.com/5-smart-tips-for-better-brined-meat-223759) says that for pork chops, chicken and other small cuts, the meat can start to become mushy after a couple of hours in a brine. Amazing Ribs reports a test by Greg Blonder in which a half-pound boneless chicken breast held about 1.5% salt inside after 8 hours in a 6% brine, and calls an internal level of 1.5% to 2% much too salty to eat. That test shows meat becomes too salty over hours; it does not set the maximum shown here.
Notes
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults limit sodium to less than 2,300 mg per day. Brined and fermented food contains added salt.
The water shown is a default of 0.5 quarts per pound of food. Use enough water to cover the food completely. The salt follows the water: if you use a different amount of water, enter it and the salt changes with it.
Chicken thighs calculator
Enter your own weight, brine strength and water amount, choose your salt type, and get the salt by weight and volume and the time.
Open the chicken thighs calculatorBrine strength
There are two strengths. Both are percentages of the water weight, as the brine percentages explainer describes.
| Strength | Salt percentage | Salt per quart of water | Salt per gallon of water | Time for 2 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard 6 g of salt per 100 g of water (60 g per liter), from Amazing Ribs. see warning | 6% of water | 56.8 g (2 oz) 3/8 cup Diamond Crystal kosher 1/4 cup Morton kosher 3 Tbsp Table salt | 227 g (8 oz) 1 3/4 cups Diamond Crystal kosher 1 cup Morton kosher 3/4 cup Table salt | 1 to 2 hr |
| Stronger, short About 7.61 g of table salt per 100 g of water for a 30 to 60 minute brine, from America's Test Kitchen. see warning | 7.61% of water | 72 g (2.5 oz) 1/2 cup Diamond Crystal kosher 3/8 cup Morton kosher 1/4 cup Table salt | 288 g (10.2 oz) 2 1/8 cups Diamond Crystal kosher 1 1/4 cups Morton kosher 1 cup Table salt | 30 min to 1 hr |
Weigh the salt when you can. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts.
Warning
Do not brine longer than 1 hr. America's Test Kitchen gives 1 hour as the longest time at this strength. Amazing Ribs reports a test by Greg Blonder in which a half-pound boneless chicken breast held about 1.5% salt inside after 8 hours in a 6% brine, and calls an internal level of 1.5% to 2% much too salty to eat. That test shows meat becomes too salty over hours; it does not set the maximum shown here. Applies to: Stronger, short.
Standard (6%) is the default. Amazing Ribs defines a 6% brine as 60 g of salt in 1 liter of water and gives 1 to 2 hours for meat 2 inches (5 cm) thick or less. Destination BBQ gives 1 to 8 hours for chicken pieces at 5% to 7%. The calculator takes the shorter maximum of 2 hours. No page behind the standard strength names thighs, so the time is set by thickness.
Stronger, short (7.61%) comes from America's Test Kitchen's chart, which brines 4 lb of bone-in chicken pieces in 2 quarts of water with 1/2 cup of table salt for 1/2 to 1 hour. The pieces it lists include thighs. Only America's Test Kitchen gives this strength for bone-in pieces, so it is a single-publisher figure.
Pick the standard brine for a window of one to two hours. Pick the stronger brine when you have only 30 to 60 minutes. Do not leave thighs in the stronger brine past 1 hour.
Salt and time by weight
Weigh the thighs before brining, without any liquid.
| Food weight | Salt by weight | Diamond Crystal kosher | Morton kosher | Table salt | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) | 28.4 g (1 oz) | 3 1/2 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp | 1 1/2 Tbsp | 0.5 quarts (0.47 L) | 1 to 2 hr |
| 2 lb (0.91 kg) | 56.8 g (2 oz) | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 3 Tbsp | 1 quart (0.95 L) | 1 to 2 hr |
| 3 lb (1.36 kg) | 85.2 g (3 oz) | 5/8 cup | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 1.5 quarts (1.42 L) | 1 to 2 hr |
| 4 lb (1.81 kg) | 114 g (4 oz) | 7/8 cup | 1/2 cup | 3/8 cup | 2 quarts (1.89 L) | 1 to 2 hr |
Weigh the salt when you can. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts.
The stronger brine:
| Food weight | Salt by weight | Diamond Crystal kosher | Morton kosher | Table salt | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) | 36 g (1.3 oz) | 1/4 cup | 2 1/2 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp | 0.5 quarts (0.47 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
| 2 lb (0.91 kg) | 72 g (2.5 oz) | 1/2 cup | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 1 quart (0.95 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
| 3 lb (1.36 kg) | 108 g (3.8 oz) | 3/4 cup | 1/2 cup | 3/8 cup | 1.5 quarts (1.42 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
| 4 lb (1.81 kg) | 144 g (5.1 oz) | 1 1/8 cups | 5/8 cup | 1/2 cup | 2 quarts (1.89 L) | 30 min to 1 hr |
Weigh the salt when you can. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts.
For 2 lb (0.91 kg) at the standard strength, 56.8 g of salt is 3/8 cup of Diamond Crystal kosher, 1/4 cup of Morton kosher or 3 Tbsp of table salt. These volumes differ because the crystals differ, and weighing is the reliable way to measure. The kosher salt versus table salt guide explains the difference.
Note
The water shown is a default of 0.5 quarts per pound of food. Use enough water to cover the food completely. The salt follows the water: if you use a different amount of water, enter it in the calculator and the salt changes with it.
Time depends on thickness
Time depends on thickness more than weight. The window applies to pieces 2 inches (5 cm) thick or less at the thickest point. A small boneless thigh and a large bone-in thigh may weigh quite differently, but the measure that matters is the thickest part.
For smaller or thinner thighs, stay near the short end of the window. Amazing Ribs lists about 30 minutes for meat 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) thick and about 1 hour for meat 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
Handling thighs
Bone-in and boneless thighs share one window, which is set by the thickest point (2 inches or less). After 1 to 2 hours at the standard strength, or 30 minutes to 1 hour at the stronger one, pat the thighs dry. Amazing Ribs says the surface of wet meat steams and does not brown. Taste the cooked meat before adding salt to a sauce or seasoning, since the thighs are already salted.
For skin-on thighs, Amazing Ribs recommends a dry brine over a wet one because wet brining softens the skin. The dry brine chicken guide covers that method, and Destination BBQ's advice if you do wet brine is to air-dry the skin before cooking. Cook to 165°F (74°C) on a food thermometer. The general steps are in how to brine meat.
Safety
Warning
Do not brine longer than 2 hr at the standard strength, or longer than 1 hr at the stronger strength. At the standard strength, The Kitchn's 5 Smart Tips for Better Brined Meat page says the meat can start to become mushy after a couple of hours in a brine for pork chops, chicken and other small cuts. At the stronger strength, America's Test Kitchen gives 1 hour as the longest time. The guide to over-brining has the salt-uptake test and what to do about meat that stayed in too long.
The refrigeration, brine disposal and pre-salted meat rules in the calculator above apply to every wet brine and are explained in the brine food safety guide. In short: brine at 40°F (4°C) or below, throw the brine out after use, and do not brine poultry sold as basted, enhanced, marinated or kosher. The USDA FSIS says those labels mean a solution was added during processing.
Practical problems
The thighs are too salty. Use the standard strength, not the stronger one, and take the meat out at the short end of the window. Thin boneless thighs need less time than thick bone-in ones.
The thighs do not brown. Dry them thoroughly before cooking.
You are cooking a mix of cuts. Breasts brine in a shorter window than a whole chicken. The guide to chicken breast gives that window, and the chicken brine time chart lists every cut. Wings have their own guide for chicken wings.
Frequently asked questions
How long should you brine chicken thighs?
At the default 6% strength the window is 1 to 2 hours, and the maximum is 2 hours. The stronger 7.61% brine is 30 minutes to 1 hour.
How much salt do you use to brine 2 lb of chicken thighs?
At 6%, use 1 quart (0.95 L) of water and 56.8 g (2 oz) of salt. That is 3/8 cup Diamond Crystal kosher, 1/4 cup Morton kosher or 3 Tbsp table salt.
Do bone-in and boneless thighs need different times?
The calculator's time applies to thighs, bone-in or boneless, 2 inches (5 cm) thick or less at the thickest point. No source behind the standard strength names thighs, so the time is set by thickness.
Can you brine chicken thighs overnight?
No. The calculator's maximum is 2 hours at the default strength and 1 hour at the stronger one. Destination BBQ gives 1 to 8 hours for chicken pieces at 5% to 7%, but the calculator uses the shorter maximum.
Do you need to rinse chicken thighs after brining?
The calculator's sources say to dry the meat thoroughly with paper towels after the brine, because a wet surface steams instead of browning. Discard the brine after use.