Bland Chicken

West River BBQ

West River BBQ

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Hi all. I've really appreciated the advice I've received here and am seeking help again. My problem is that my chicken has been bland. I have a rub that I really like - has some spice - and it works really well with ribs. I usually apply a liberal amount both above and under the skin. It's a home-made rub and the ingredients are usually fresh (not sitting in a drawer for years at a time). I've experimented with several cooking methods such as butter immersion and cupcake but have moved primarily to open cooking on a rack at 275. So, do people tend to use injections or is brining/marinading an answer? Other solutions? What are your thoughts?
 
I like to brine chicken for added moisture and flavor. Sometimes I add smoked sausage, andouille, italian, etc. under the skin of a bird to add more moisture and change the flavor up a bit. I also smoke birds at 325F or higher.
 
I only brine chicken for the additional flavor it gives under the skin/exposed rub. Chicken is always juicy but the flavor can be bland where the rub doesn't touch.
 
Maybe you need to narrow down the flavor you are missing, since you make your own. I make my own rubs, so this is the approach I would use. Usually, when someone uses the term "bland", it means not enough salt, in my experience.
Just as an example, this is the recipe I use on chicken. It's basically like Cavenders Greek Seasoning.


Greek Seasoning Blend
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon basil
1 tsp sage
1 tsp oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in blender, grind to a fine powder, and store in an airtight container.
If you like spicy, some hot pepper flakes can be added.
 
If I am going all out for chicken, I brine for a few hours. After that, I put in a buttermilk bath with a splash of hot sauce for about 12 hours. Dry off, and sit the pieces on a rack skin side up and uncovered for at least a few hours in the fridge. Season, and cook. It's kind of like a fried chicken sort of treatment, minus the frying.
 
Dry-brining, it's a thing!

Make your rub but without salt.

Rub your chicken with 1-2% salt, so percentage of total weight, I usually take 1,5% and not all of it gets on the chicken.
Then apply your rub.
Let the chicken sit in the fridge overnight.
Cook/smoke.

There are multiple ways of doing the overnight brine, some wrap the chicken in plastic foil and remove after 24h and put the chicken without the wrap back in the fridge for several hours to dry out the skin. I no longer use the wrap, just let the chicken brine for 24-48hours. Always comes out amazing.
 
Have you tried putting your rub under the skin?



I also agree with the above, when using a savory brine; brining can impart great flavors into the chicken as the brine works it's way through the meat. The added benefit of brining is a very moist and tender piece of meat.



However some brines can produce a rubbery skin, so finishing over hot coals is necessary to crisp the skin before serving.


Start with something simple like Cornell Chicken which requires a 24 hour bath. You can still use your low salt rub with this process.


http://orleans.cce.cornell.edu/resources/cornell-chicken-barbecue-sauce-and-safe-chicken-barbecues
 
Thanks all, I needed a place to start adjusting the process. I'm going to look at some different rub recipes for my chicken (thanks dadsr4) and pay attention to the salt content. I like the idea of the dry brine, so will try that out too. I didn't mention anything about sauce because I'd like to get good flavor before covering in sauce.
 
About the only way I cook chicken anymore is grilled over fire. I use GrillGrates on my Weber kettle and keep the chicken directly (it’s actually semi-direct when using GG’s) over the lump charcoal fire for the duration of the grilling session. I typically cook chicken thighs. Yes I season and often sauce at the end, but just the drippings hitting the fire alone produce an incredible flavor to the bone every time. Not that roasted chicken isn’t good, but in my opinion, the flavor is so much better when grilling that I have pretty much lost interest in cooking chicken any other way.
 
Lightly season with Cavenders. Let sit. Spray with duck fat. Season liberally all over and under. Let sit. Spray with duck fat to seal the deal. Per cowgirl get under the skin with something
 
Just a different view. I just use something like the rub I posted under the skin, cook indirect on a kettle, and my chicken is not bland. No brine-wet or dry. A quick sear skin down if desired.
 
I use thirdeye's lite brine and the chicken is awesome Check out his blog I also cook thighs for flavor
 
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