Summer Ale chicken

Rachael Hale McKenna

Brined chicken is tender, juicy chicken and it's a lot less trouble than you might think. Have a play, adding different flavours to the salt/sugar/water solution. Use a soft drink or cider instead of beer. Use leftover barbecued to chicken to make a chicken, blueberry and blue cheese pasta salad for dinner another night. This recipe forms part of the January 14 meal planner created in partnership with New World.

Rachael Hale McKenna

Ingredients

¼ cup	Salt
¼ cup	Caster sugar
1	Lemon
3 cloves	Garlic, sliced
½ tsp	Chilli flakes
2	Bay leaves
2 bottles	Summer Ale, (660ml) (Main)
6	Bone-in chicken thighs, and or chicken legs (Main)
2 Tbsp	Oil, approx, for cooking
1	Watermelon, to serve (Main)
1 packet	Pams Fresh Express coleslaw, to serve

Directions

1. In a large non-reactive dish dissolve salt and sugar in 1 cup water. Cut the lemon in to quarters and squeeze in to the mix along with garlic, chilli flakes, bay leaves and a good grind of black pepper. Pour in the Summer Ale.
2. Immerse the chicken pieces and leave to brine for at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
4. Drizzle with oil and grill on the barbecue for 10-15 minutes each side until cooked through.
5. Cut watermelon in to small triangles and sprinkle with salt, pepper and a drizzle of oil. Grill for 1-2 minutes each side until just starting to soften.
6. Serve chicken (saving a few pieces for tomorrow's salad) and watermelon with coleslaw.