Kefir-Brined Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
This easy kefir-brined chicken makes for a delicious sheet pan dinner. Learn how to make this flavourful, juicy and tender chicken and prepare yourself to get hooked!
Equipment
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 of each: thighs, drumsticks, and wings OR whatever combination you like
- 2 cups milk kefir
- 1 tbsp kosher salt OR 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1-2 pounds of fresh vegetables ie. sweet potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, onions, squash, etc.
- a drizzle of olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Mix the salt and milk kefir together.
- Place the chicken in a ziplock bag or a medium bowl and pour in the brine, ensuring that the chicken is covered.
- Allow the chicken to sit in the brine for a minimum of 8 hours, or overnight.
- An hour before roasting, remove the chicken from the refrigerator to let it come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 425º/218ºC.
- While the oven heats, prepare the vegetables–washing, peeling and chopping in large chunks. Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Scrape off as much brine as possible from the chicken using only your hands. Arrange the chicken over the vegetables and generously sprinkle with fresh ground pepper.
- Roast for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, rotate the pan and turn down the heat to 400ºF/204ºC.
- Bake for an additional 30 minutes. The chicken is done when the juices run clear after poking it with a knife, or when it reads 165ºF/74ºC on a thermometer.
Notes
- Brine the chicken for a minimum of 8 hours, but brine for no longer than 48-hour
