She may not be the prettiest girl in the room, but she sure does taste good. She’s bursting with flavor, moist and tender to the bone.

Why, you say? Because she had a spa treatment of sorts, a long, cool bath in a salt and herb brine. After the cooling bath, then it was time for the dry heat of the sauna, or oven depending on what you want to call it.

Brining meats not only adds the flavors of your choice to the meat, it pretty much ensures that the meat will not dry out. (Yes, if you over cook it, it will be dry, but if cooked properly it will be juicy.)  Chicken, turkey and pork all respond well to brining. And the best thing about using a brine, is you can choose the flavor profile. Herbs, spices, maple syrup, tea. Just about anything you can think of. The only thing that is mandatory is salt.

Once the chicken has brined, there is no need to add any seasonings. You can rub a little oil or butter on the skin if you want, but thats optional.  I roasted this chicken flat, by cutting up one side of the backbone. This enables the chicken to cook faster.