Kikkoman Juicy Bird Project

We love roast chicken, but sometimes it's a challenge for me to get just right.

I've tried whole chickens the oven but our too-old oven leaves it over-done in some spots while slightly pink in others.

I've also tried cooking the whole chicken in the crock pot.  I like this process as it makes it really easy to pick apart the leftovers for soups and stews since the meat is pretty much falling off the bone by the time it's finished cooking.  But Joe still says it seems dried out to him.

Every year since we've moved into our house, Joe has brined our Thanksgiving turkey, so I feel a bit dumb for not thinking of brining our chickens before roasting.

When I saw the Smiley360 Mission for the Kikkoman Juicy Bird Project, I just knew I had to apply!  I was thrilled when I was selected and so happy to share our experience with you all!

Originally, when I applied, I figured I'd put Joe to work and have him brine the chicken since the entire process was just a bit out of my comfort zone.  Timing didn't work out, so I had to suck it up and do it myself.  In the end, I realized that it wasn't such a big deal.  In fact, it was pretty easy!

In the past, when Joe would brine our turkey, he used a cooler to hold the brine and turkey.  He added ice to it as well and let it sit overnight in the cold garage.  For my chicken, I used the 5 gallon bucket that was included in my Smiley360 Mission Kit.


For the brine, I followed the recipe below for the most part.  I omitted the bay leaves simply because I forgot to add them.


Kikkoman Chicken Brine Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Kikkoman Soy Sauce
• 2 Gallons water
• 1 1/2 Cups Kosher Salt
• 8 Cloves minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
• 4 dried bay leaves
• 1/4 Cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 Cup brown sugar

After mixing the brine ingredients, I added my chicken and put the lid on the bucket.  I removed a shelf from my fridge and just set the whole thing in there overnight.  This was a rare occasion that I actually had enough room in my refrigerator.  In most cases, and especially the day before Thanksgiving, my fridge is stuffed and wouldn't allow for a 5 gal bucket.  If you don't have room in your fridge, watch this youtube video for a great tip for adding ice without diluting your brine mixture.

Once I was ready to prepare the chicken for dinner, I took the bucket from the fridge and removed the lid.  I reached in and pulled the chicken out of the liquid and placed it in a strainer in my sink.  I partially rinsed the chicken, then let it drain/air dry for a bit before placing it in the baking dish for cooking.

To cook, just roast in the oven following your favorite roast chicken recipe.  I cooked mine in a 425 degree oven for an hour and a half.  The result was my best home-cooked roast chicken ever!  Seriously, we just couldn't stop picking at it and hardly had any leftover!

I will never make another whole chicken without first allowing it to brine in the Kikkoman Chicken Brine!


For more information on product and usage instructions, click If you would like more information about Kikkoman products, including recipes and special promotions,

• check out their website.
•  Juicy Bird Sweepstakes for a chance to win $10,000!
• 'Like' Kikkoman on Facebook.
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Disclaimer: 

Thanks to Smiley360 that allowed me to take part in the Kikkoman Juicy Bird Project mission and for supplying the mission kit that included coupons for free product as well as the 5 gallon brine bucket.  While I received this mission kit free of charge, all opinions and thoughts are honest and my own.