Brine Whole Chicken: Salt Ratio and Time
Published
For a 4 lb (1.8 kg) whole chicken, use 2 quarts (1.89 L) of water and 108.1 g (3.81 oz) of salt, a 5.71% brine, and refrigerate the bird in it for 4 to 6 hours. The calculator covers whole chickens of 3 1/2 to 4 lb (1.6 to 1.8 kg).
A stronger 7.61% brine takes 144 g (5.08 oz) of salt for the same 2 quarts and shortens the time to 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Quick answer
For whole chicken, use a 5.71% brine: 54 g (1.9 oz) of salt per quart of water. Brine 4 lb (1.81 kg) for 4 to 6 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 4 lb (1.81 kg)
- 108 g (3.8 oz) of salt in 2 quarts (1.89 L) of water
- Time window
- 4 to 6 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 6 hr. Cook the Story gives 4 to 6 hours for a whole chicken and states no separate maximum; the calculator's maximum is the top of that range, 6 hours. 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.
Whole chicken 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 whole chicken calculatorBrine strength
The calculator offers two strengths for a whole chicken. Both are percentages of the water weight. The brine percentages explainer explains what each percentage is measured against.
| Strength | Salt percentage | Salt per quart of water | Salt per gallon of water | Time for 4 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard About 5.71 g of table salt per 100 g of water, from Cook the Story. Amazing Ribs (6%) and Destination BBQ (5% to 7%) give similar weight-based strengths. see warning | 5.71% of water | 54 g (1.9 oz) 3/8 cup Diamond Crystal kosher 1/4 cup Morton kosher 3 Tbsp Table salt | 216 g (7.6 oz) 1 5/8 cups Diamond Crystal kosher 1 cup Morton kosher 3/4 cup Table salt | 4 to 6 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 (5.71%) is the default. It comes from Cook the Story, which brines a whole chicken in 4 cups of water with 3 Tbsp of table salt for 4 to 6 hours. Amazing Ribs (6%) and Destination BBQ (5% to 7%) give similar weight-based strengths.
Stronger, short (7.61%) comes from America's Test Kitchen's brining chart, which brines one 3 1/2 to 4 lb chicken in 2 quarts of water with 1/2 cup of table salt for 1/2 to 1 hour. A butterflied chicken recipe from the same publisher uses the same 1/2 cup of table salt in 2 quarts of water, with sugar added, for about 1 hour. The University of Illinois Extension (for turkey) and Napoleon Grills (for birds in general) give the same 7.61% for table salt, but with much longer times, so this strength rests on America's Test Kitchen for chicken.
Choose the standard brine when you can plan ahead and want a hands-off window of several hours. Choose the stronger brine when you only have an hour. Do not use the stronger brine for the longer window.
Recipes differ here. At about 5.7% Cook the Story gives 4 to 6 hours, Destination BBQ gives 8 to 24 hours at 5% to 7%, and The Splendid Table gives 4 to 8 hours depending on size without stating a salt amount. The calculator uses the shorter maximum of 6 hours.
Salt and time by weight
Weigh the chicken before brining, without the giblets or the brine. The calculator accepts 3.5 to 4 lb (1.59 to 1.81 kg) and clamps weights outside that range. Cook the Story and The Splendid Table both time whole chickens by size rather than by exact weight.
| Food weight | Salt by weight | Diamond Crystal kosher | Morton kosher | Table salt | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 lb (1.59 kg) | 94.6 g (3.3 oz) | 3/4 cup | 3/8 cup | 3/8 cup | 1.75 quarts (1.66 L) | 4 to 6 hr |
| 4 lb (1.81 kg) | 108 g (3.8 oz) | 3/4 cup | 1/2 cup | 3/8 cup | 2 quarts (1.89 L) | 4 to 6 hr |
Weigh the salt when you can. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts.
The stronger brine for the same weights:
| Food weight | Salt by weight | Diamond Crystal kosher | Morton kosher | Table salt | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 lb (1.59 kg) | 126 g (4.5 oz) | 1 cup | 1/2 cup | 1/2 cup | 1.75 quarts (1.66 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.
The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts, so the volume columns differ. At 4 lb (1.81 kg) the standard brine's 108.1 g is 3/4 cup of Diamond Crystal, 1/2 cup of Morton kosher or 3/8 cup of table salt. Weighing is the reliable way to measure. The salt types explainer covers why.
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.
Handling a whole chicken
Cook the Story and The Splendid Table both time whole chickens by size and not by exact weight, which is why the calculator accepts only 3 1/2 to 4 lb (1.6 to 1.8 kg). Submerge the bird fully in a container that fits in your refrigerator, and take it out at 4 to 6 hours at the standard strength or 30 minutes to 1 hour at the stronger one.
Dry the bird well and, as Destination BBQ advises, air-dry the skin before cooking. If crisp skin matters more to you than the extra water a wet brine adds, Amazing Ribs prefers a dry brine, covered in the dry brine chicken guide. Cook to 165°F (74°C), and taste before adding more salt, since the bird is already seasoned. The shared steps are in how to brine meat.
Safety
Warning
Do not brine longer than 6 hr at the standard strength, or longer than 1 hr at the stronger strength. Cook the Story gives 4 to 6 hours for a whole chicken and states no separate maximum; the calculator's maximum is the top of that range, 6 hours. America's Test Kitchen gives 1 hour as the longest time at the stronger strength. 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 bird does not fit. The container has to hold the chicken fully covered. If you use more water than the table shows, enter the water amount in the calculator and the salt follows it.
The skin is pale or soft. Dry it as described above. If that is not enough, a dry brine is the method that Amazing Ribs recommends for skin-on poultry.
You have a bird in a different size class. The calculator covers 3 1/2 to 4 lb. For chicken parts, the guides to chicken breast and chicken thighs have their own times. The chicken brine time chart shows all the cuts side by side.
Frequently asked questions
How long should you brine a whole chicken?
At the default 5.71% strength the window is 4 to 6 hours, with 6 hours as the maximum. The stronger 7.61% brine is 30 minutes to 1 hour.
How much salt do you need to brine a whole chicken?
For a 4 lb (1.8 kg) chicken the default brine uses 2 quarts (1.89 L) of water and 108.1 g (3.81 oz) of salt. That is 3/4 cup Diamond Crystal kosher, 1/2 cup Morton kosher or 3/8 cup table salt.
Can you brine a whole chicken overnight?
Not with this calculator. The maximum at the default strength is 6 hours, and the stronger brine tops out at 1 hour. Destination BBQ gives 8 to 24 hours at 5% to 7%, but the calculator uses the shorter time where sources differ.
Does a wet brine make chicken skin crisp?
Amazing Ribs says wet brines make poultry skin soggy and suggests a dry brine for skin-on poultry. Destination BBQ says to air-dry the skin before cooking after a wet brine.
Should you brine a kosher or enhanced chicken?
No. Morton Salt advises against brining meat labeled basted, enhanced, marinated or kosher, and Destination BBQ says such meat is essentially pre-brined.